THE HOLIDAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 296, 14 December 1936, Page 3

THE HOLIDAY.

CROWDS AT BEACHES. LONG WEEK-END TRIPS. SOME FACTORIES WORK. Someone once wrote that Aucklanders were optimists, and would race to the beaches to catch the merest spot of sunshine. They are more than that; they live for their beaches, and know how to enjoy a holiday. While there was plenty of activity in and around Auckland to-day there were not so many people moving in the city during the morning as is customary 011 I an ordinary summer holiday. The reason was that the public as a whole were "taken 011 the lion" at having to observe a holiday at a moment's notice, as it were. While the usual holiday animation of the waterfront was not as noticeable as usual, yet there were periods when the crowds were fairly large. Especially was this the case at the advertised time of leaving of ferry steamers and launches. Family parties with their hampers, children with their buckets and spades and young people—girls in slacks j and abbreviated skirts and youths in creams, open shirts and blazers —all I testified to the fact that the holiday spirit had caught on in the usual way. The launches plying to popular resorts such as Motuihi, Rangitoto and Wailieke all had the same story to tell, however —that most of the crowd for these placcs had left the city 011 Saturday or Sunday, and the rush therefore was not nearly so great as on an ordinary onedav holiday. To-night, however, there will be a scamper for the city, and extra trips are scheduled from the various resorts. Oil the harbour itself there was little to show the holiday spirit apart from the beflagged vessels at the wharves and launches heading out fully dressed with flags, for popular beaches. The large pleasure fleet of yachts and launches had for the most part disappeared for the long wdek-end, most of them having left 011 Saturday or Sunday for extended cruises or the seclusion of some favourite bay. The only organised sporting event was the Plunket Shield trial match at Eden Park. Followers of other sports, however, enjoyed themselves 011 the bowling greens, croquet lawns and tennis courts. Although the holiday was general, the large numbers of orders to be executed for Christmas caused some factories to bring their employees back to work, it being explained by the employers that they were prepared to pay the treble time demanded under the latest amendment to the factories Act in order to fulfil obligations to their customers. What has been said of the Waitemata Harbour also applied to the Manukau. All the beaches were thronged ' with j merrymakers, large crowds visiting the I Onehunga, Blockhouse Bay, Titirangi and other beaches easy* of access. I Numerous launches caught the tide, and I took their quotas to Cornwallis, Whatipu and other points of interest. There were more idlers than workers j 011 the wharves, but two coastal vessels, the Clansman and the Toa, were busy for a few hours discharging boxes of butter for cold store.