PROMPT RESPONSE

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20523, 16 April 1932, Page 16

PROMPT RESPONSE

MAYOR'S APPEAL FOR HELP. TROOPS AND SPECIAL FORCE ENROLLED. tfZKSB AfISfJCXATIOB TBLJORAIt.) AUCKLAND, April 10. Mounted men from the Waikato, comprising two squadrons of the Waikato Mounted Rifles, who were in camp at Cambridge and volunteered for special duty in Auckland on Thursday night, reached the city this morning and were quartered at the Epsom Show Grounds. The men were in uniform on arrival, but it was decided that they could not operate as a military foice, and were therefore changed into civilian garb and their arms were changed %hf decision of the Squadrons to offer their services for duty was reaehed following the appeal made by the Mayor of Auckland over iho a r f reinforcements, and at 11 o clock Thursday night those of the meni who were -asleep in camp were awakened and a number were iccalled iioni a dance in the township. A request, lo railway transport was made to the railway authorities at 1 rank.ton, < the necessary arrangements wcro slicedily carried out. A railway oflicci was dispatched to Cambridge, and sh°it y after aroused railway others along■ <- line to Cambridge. A special ti.un ■ then dispatched to Cambridge, shortly after S o'clock tins morning . start "was made to entrain men a horses, the special getting away lo the ,itv 1-V t o'clock. By 0.30 Ihe Squadrons were accommodated at, the *ho« grounds. The liorses lud i<removed to make their manoeuvres on the paved roads safer. Special Constables. Over 1000 special constables were enrolled by the police in the city to-day as a safeguard against further disturbances. Mr S. Till, Superintendent or Police, has direct charge of all the operations, and lie has under Ins co wiol military, naval, and air torco ujuts, . largelv augmented police force ant special force. The detective oli.ee was transformed into a recruiting 1 when six detectives j typewriters taking details ot those offering for special duty. Before eight o'clock men were vaiti,ir, the office for enrolment, and there was a continual stream of applicants until well after midday. Later in the afternoon, when the 1000 mark Imd been passed, it was necessary to close down on applications in oulci that the special force should not be too unwcildy. . .. \ll sorts and conditions ot men offered their services, bat the majority were young fellows of the average city type. Pickets on Duty. In addition to'the protection provided by the police force and special constabulary, Army, Navy, and defence force units were at hand m the city today. When the Magistrate s Court opened in the morning, detachments of naval men pickotcd the approaches preventing any disorder in the environs of the Court whilo thoy continued duty during the day. Members of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve were askea to present themselves for service in the evening, and 200 men responded to the call, 06 being men on the nonactivo list. They were employed in patrol duty, while two sections ot naval men equipped with steel helmets and batons, but without rifles or bayonets, were used in Kanuigahupe road. An Armed Force. The permanent defence force, under tho Command of Lieutenant-Colonel J. E Duigan, was invested with the responsibility of protecting a positions in the city and suburbs. Ihe force, which was equipped with steel helmets, rifles, bayonets, and ammunition, was on duty all day and throughout the evening. Members of the permanent staff of the Ilobsonville air base were called into the citv and were, held as a special reserve under the control of the defence officers, who were closely cooperating with the police. WORK OF HOOLIGANS. LABOUR MEMBER'S REPORT, [From Ocr Parliamentary Reporter.} "WELLINGTON, April 15. Telegrams recei v od to oay by Mr 11. E. Holland, Leader of the Opposition, from private sources in Auckland, confirm the earlier reports that tho looting and destruction of private property wore done neither by the unemployed nor those Civil servants who took part in the demonstration at the Town Ilall last evening. ' ' Mr J. A. Lee, M.P., who was addressing ft meeting of Civil servants in the Town IlalJ, telegraphed that the disturbance originated in the fact of 20,000 people trying to crowd into a hall suited to accommodate 2500. The police had tried to hold back the crush and trouble followed, the hooligan clement taking Qharge of the rioting. '.'As showing the state of tho public mind," Mr.Leo said, "about GOOO people are standing around the Magistrate's Court this morning orderly in the extreme. If we had gone to the Domain, where there was room for all, the trouble would not have arisen. The trouble camo instantaneously, showing how inflammable the folk are. The orderliness of the march was most impressive, and since for the moment the whole town was left at the mercy of tho unemployed, it shows tho. utter absence of planning when the damage was confined to windows which were smashed by the hooligan element. Thousands of the unemployed remained congregated around tho Tow® Hall and were in no way responsible for the damage done in Queen street, which was, of course, without a constable. The looting and window-smashing wero dono by youths and irresponsibles." Mr McKenzie> secretary of the Post and Telegraph Association, telegraphed to Mr Holland, saying: Assuro the House that neither the Public Service nor the unemployed were responsible for the outbreak leading to the deplorable riot and looting of private property. MASS GATHERINGS. NONE TO BE PERMITTED IN DOMINION. (PRESS ASSOCIATION TXLESBAV..) WELLINGTON, April 15. Inquiries were made of the Public Service Commissioner and tho Commissioner of Police as to the position with respect to public meetings. Although nothing definite was disclosed, it is understood that the Auckland announcement that any public demonstration or meeting will not be permitted until further notice will apply to Wellington and also to all other centres of population.