VANDALS ABROAD.

Auckland Star, Volume XLI, Issue 169, 19 July 1910, Page 6

VANDALS ABROAD.

'. DAMAGE IN AIBEET PABK. WHOLESALE OVEBTTTRNDTO OT SMALLER OENAMENTS. VASES AMtt> STATUARY DAMAGED. A daring piece of vandalism, which could easily be attributed to drunken frolicsomeness, was committed amongst the small statuary an-d vases which constitute an attractive and picturesque ornamentation of Albert Park, some time during last night after 10 o'clock or early this morning. The ornaments, ■which were a portion of the magnificent Boyd bequest to the city of Auckland, ■were judiciously distributed over the Park area, and chiefly on the top portion from the centre to the two entrances from Princes-etreet. In all, thirteen pieces of the pottery ■ware were overturned from their rest-ing-places, including two pieces of statuary, representations of nymphs, and eleven handsome vases, most of ■which contained flowers. Considering the force that must have been employed to topple the heavy figures over and to bodily remove some of the flower bowls, ■the actual damage resulting has been remarkably insignificant, and it will be possible to readjust moat of the articles iwithout a great deal of repair work being necessary.. However, the fact that the damage has not been considerable in Do way condones such a senseless act of vandalism, especially as the ornaments disturbed, and in some cases broken, are the property of the people of Auckland, and the munificent gift of the widow of a former well-known citizen, THE DAMAGE DETAILED. The statuary in the form of nymphs has not suffered considerably. The two pushed out of position have been separated from their wooden bases, and some of the weaker corners and the frail portions of the figures have been broken and chipped, but the drop on to the soft green sward evidently saved the works of art from being crashed to pieces. A different tale would have to be told had the statuary received rougher handling than a push, or fallen on a. harder bed than the ■well-rooted grass that forms the lawn in toe Park. The two nymphs can be rehabilitated without much expense and without sho-roing any marks of the treatment to which they bav<3 been inexcusably subjected.

The many small vases located in various prominent positions all over the lawn have merely been overturned, and, having practically no distance to fall, have not suffered in the slightest degree. They have only to be restored to their former positions, and there trill be nothing to indicate that they have been the subject of euch a foolish prank.

Some of the larger and heavier vases, standing on piQaxs and pedestals, have been damaged to a greater extent than any of the articles named, due no doubt to their -weight and the fall of several feet. The vase most damaged was one near the top entrance to the Park from Princes-street. Thie ornament stood on a pedestal about five feet high, and was one of the best specimens of its kind in the large and valuable collection. The bowl, containing a flowering geranium, was lifted off the pedestal, and must have fallen, "with some force on to this lawn, and then rolled on to the asphalt footpath. A good deal of the finer work was smashed, and the bowl was badly chipped, probably being altogether ruined. Two large bowls were also lifted from pillars alongside the steps leading up to the magnificent statue erected to the memory of Queen Victoria. One was deposited on the grass alongside the pillar from which it was removed, but the other was rolled several yards away and left on the lawn. Had the intention of the perpetrators been to commit as much da-mage as possible, this could, hare been easily achieved by dropping the fine vases on to the concrete steps, but appearances would show that precautions were taken to keep the articles on the grass, and thus avoid smashing the pottery beyond all recognition. Two flower bowls on the opposite side of the Queen's statue were lifted from their accustomed niche, but not broken. CARETAKER'S STATEMENT. Mr. Henry Kerr, resident-caretaker of the Park, told a "Star" reporter this morning that he made his usual round of inspection about 10 o'clock last night, and everything then was all right, and no one was about, with the exception of a few couples. Some time between 12 and 1 o'clock Sirs. Kerr heard a thumping noSse, somewhat resembling a muffled band, but it was not taken to signify that anything so serious as was found "to na-ve "been committed this morning tras being perpetrated. This morning Mr. Kerr was out in the Park about 7 o'clock, and then to his dismay and disgust he made the discovery that the idiotic vandalism described had been carried out. He promptly placed the matter in the hands of the police, who are now making investigations. NOT ONE MAN'S JOB. Mr. Kexr could not offer a feasible explanation of the senseless act. He thought the job had been done too thoroughly and completely to attribute it to a drunken freak, as besides the overturning of the ornaments, notices stuck in the ground had been knocked dowD ; and the movable articles in the lavatories were carried away. A-nr!, in his opinion, more than one man had taken a hand in the affair. There were footprints on the lawn of mare than one man, and too large to be those of boys, while he did not think one man could lift several of the flower vases that had been cast from their positions on to the ground. One especially that was set in a socket was too heavy for one man by himself to shift In view of the fact that minor damage has been done in the Park on previous occasions in the "way of turning over an odd ornament and in ■walking over flower beds and damaging plants, Mr. Kerr suggests that the Park gates should be lockfid about 8.30 or 9 o'clock every night, ajid people turned out the same as 13 done in the Old Country. NOT DONE IN COLD BLOOD. Mr. W. E. Bush, City Engineer, undeT whose department the supervision of the parks is placed, was also at a loss to offer a reason for the wanton vandalism. He remarked that the whole of the gates of the Park w«re left open all and the City Council depended for the preservation of the property on the good sense of the people generally. No one could be Warned for not preventing so unusual an occurrence. It waa fortunate that damage resulting had not been more serious. "We can only put the ornaments up again, and see if the perpetrators will have another 'go.' j I don't think anyone wouJrl do such a •'••'»%■'' ' ' '

•thing in cold Wood, unless he had a grudge or a grievance," Mr. Bush added. THE BOYD BEQUEST. One of the most valuable bequests to the city ivas made by the late William Boyd, who passed away in 1893. During his lifetime he designed and manufactured a large, varied and magnificent collection of statuary and vases, and under the terms of his -will the choicest were presented to the city of Auckland. Subsequently the trustees under the will placed in the Art Gallery some valuable oil paintings, notably the picture showing the 'arrival of the first Maoris to New Zealand; and later still the trustees obtained and erected the two pieces of sta-bnary entitled "Spring" and •' Peace " that adorn the Albert Park but have not been touched by the persons who were responsible for the vandalism committed.