CONTROLLING THE CROWDS.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 44, 22 February 1927, Page 10

CONTROLLING THE CROWDS.

PEDESTRIAK AMD TRAFFIC. ARRANGEMENTS WORK WELL Long before the Royal p, rtT Ud foot on New Zealand 6oil A «cfc»£? ■ thousand* had prepared homage. As early as 8 o'clock had left their homes and SS?t 'the c.ty to find pfau** *here have the greatest facilities for Viewi the Royal procession-and that in it « 2» was one of the greatest problems of t£ Lines of motor cars that extended from suburbs to cuy carried loads rf eager people from country and subnrbV from farmhouses and city homestead/ Trams. overcrowded for the most nar* I rushed along every rout*, sbowinr HZ cided increase in speed. Convevance«of I every kind poured into the citv from .11 parts, bringing with them "tboaswid. keen to show their loyalty. By ft.3o the route traversed bv tie Royal procession Mas packed, kverr conceivable point of vantage, from Government House to Town Hall froJ Queen Street to Grafton Bridge, and from there to Government House again. was a seething mass. "%*"■? Complete and efficient arrangement! had been made by the City Traffic Hepartment and the Police Department te deal with the tremendous crowds. Everr policeman and every traffic officer avail*, able ha«i l»een requisitioned. Although the officials bad fallen back on ever* resource, and strong posses had beea stationed at the most congested and perhaps dangerous points, the crowds surged and broke the lines, In the direction and control of motor traffic there was not a hitch. So tbo> ough and complete were the arrange. ments that only slight congestion wai caused at one or two points. Parkins areas, which appeared to be jammed, were easily workable, and the thousand* of cars which were distributed in all parts of the town had little difficulty in getting away. It was a wise plan on the part of the Tramways Department to turn tbc iraoii out of Queen Street after 10.15. and the arrangements made worked smoothly. After the function at the Town Hall the huge crowd quickly dispersed, and agaia the efficient arrangements made for the transport of the people worked in ex* cellent style. Police and traffic officials say they are well satisfied with the manner in whka pedestrian and vehicular traffic wat bandied. "Generally speaking, the arrangements worked remarkably well* said Mr. G. R. Hogan. Chief Traffic If spector. CROWDS BREAK POLICE J LUTES. i THREE MINOR ACCIDENTS. Two women and a child were injured when the seething mass broke the linei of police just before the Royal party left the Town Hall. The area from the Grey Street-Wakefield Street intersection up to the Sunday School Cnioi buildings had been roped off, but the ropes broke, and the crowds forced their way to the hall entrance, where they ' were stopped only by a reinforcement of police. At times a section of the crowd became unreasonably forceful hn their eagerneu to catch a glimpse of the Royal pair. Even with the reinforcement the police and traffic officers bad the greatest difficulty in keeping the crowd from blocking the entrance, and when the Duke and Duchess were once seated in their car the police lines were broken under the force of the surging thousands. It it amazing that many children were not seriously injured. Child Knocked Down. An accident, in which a small boy in the victim, occurred in Lower Qneea Street shortly after 1 o'clock. The boy was with his parents after tbe traffic had commenced to move, and suddenly be darted from the footpath and made off in front of a motor car. which struck him and threw him to the ground. The car was being driven slowly, and wai pulled op quickly. Tbe bov was suffer, ing from shock, and bad "a fortunate escape from serious injurv.