HOSE TURNED ON THE CROWD.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1212, 22 August 1911, Page 6

HOSE TURNED ON THE CROWD.

ANTI-MILITARIST MEETING BROKEN UP. FLAG TORN TO PIECES. SOME EXCITING INCIDENTS AT CHRiSTCHURCH. -(By Telegraph.—Press Association.) Christchurch, August 21. For days past it was known that an Organised attempt was going to bo mado on the part of somo scores of young men to gain admission to a meeting, and pass a motion in favour of compulsory military training. At seven o'clock scores of young men gathered in Hereford Street, just by Latimer Square, and marched in a solid phalanx to the Choral Hall. Dummy tickets had been issued, and all were confident of .easily gaining admission. Arrived at tho back of tho hall, a solid array of police met them, and they were informed that they could only gain admittance by ticket. But we have tickets they cried, as they flourished their bits of cardboard. Several were let into the small yard at tho back of the hall, and eome actually gained admission beloro the i'act was-'discovered that they had bogus tickets. The ugjice immediately refused further, admission to those out on the roadway, at the samo time preventing those inside rejoining their fellows without. Tho consequence was that many ficalod the fence, to tho injury of the lawn and garden of the house next to the hall. Gradually, however, the police let thoso inside the yard get out. Meanwhile tho crowd outside had greatly increased, and "great was tho clamour for admission,' but only tho fortunate possesbots of truo . tickets , were allowed admission. . i ■ • \ . . '"We shall allow none of tho brutes to gain admission;" a reporter overheard ono of the promoters of tho meeting say, and subsequent events • proved that this course was acted, .upon. . It had been announced that doors would be. opened to the general public: at half-past soven, and as this hour approached a good-liu-inoured, well-dressed / crowd,. . . including many ladies, about.' two> thousand strong, assembled round .the,doors, but 1 , the. hour passed and still the doors did not open. The large numbers; of . young men assembled burst into patriotic songs, mingled emphatic cries of "Open, the ,door, : Ihe Bed, White, and Blue;" mingle;! with the well-known ba.ttle-cry of" a local football club of "Giro them'.axe, axe,, axe. Then would be asked the query, ' Are wo downhearted?" to which'would bo replied in thunderous ... tones ■"<>• "Kule Britannia": .would .'cotae nest, and then a hundred voices would,exclaim He shall get in." !'. A Thunderous Report. • At this stage a., thunderous report was heard in front of the hall, and visions of an infernal machine were immediately conjured, but it turned out' to be nothing more than an explosion ,of magnesium, by whose, aid a camera man was endeavouring to take a flashlight photo. Jinny of tho crowd 'were rushing' from ijie door, . and"' at ■ one time the entrance on tho southern . siuo of the hall was nearly forced, the police just saving , the situation in time. Tho police were dealing very tactfully with the crowd, and seemed to be enjoying tho "fun" as much' as anyone, despite larg«';4iWU>titics " om ' which wero thrown over some of them. Eight o'clock went,' and shll the doors did not open.. The crowd again burst into patriotic song, and Union Jacks waved aloft were heartily cheered. The singing of "God Save the King" was the signal for tumultuous cheering. Faintly from the hall'came'the noise of tumult,-but it was quickly deadened by tho roar outUp to this time the crowds had b«n mo9t good-humoured and orderly, despite its failure to gain' admission. A stono wont hurling through the air, and one of tho small panes of stained glass windows gave way to it. . The crowd roared. It was easy..to see;,that its sympathies were not with the anti-militarists. A youth shoved a Union Jack through the .brokenwindow ■ to the enthusiastic acclamations of the crowd, but someone inside seized it and ripped it to pieces, and. 'then the fat was in tho fire. - 9tones Thrown Through the Windows. Erom good-humoured devilry, tho temper of the crowd , turned to Jury, and more stones, wont whizzing through the air, many to fly inside the hall through broken pa-ne9,- whilst the crowd yelled its triumph, mingled with violent liooting for anti-militarists. Then those inside' did a foolish thing. They turned a hose of water, on the, crowd. Many, including several ladies, got soaked to tlio skin. .Stones went crashing through windows from every direction,'and the final uot came when a great bis betim u'fts through the windows. Those in. tho hall evidently thought ' it was time to get out, for. in a minute or two tho place /was cloaked in darkness fifteen minutes -after tho advertised time :of starting. Singing patriotic songs and cheering lustily the greater portion of the crowd, many waving Union Jacks, marched in procession through the streets. J.rrived - outside tho Socialist Hall in Oxford Terrace one of their number mounted an improvised isoap-box and commenced-a patriotic address, criticising tho anti-militarists and grandiloquently waving tho Union Jack. Upon his motion tho crowd, with cheers, carried a resolution' that compulsory military training was the finest thing ont for New Zealand. - :At this moment a stono landed on a window in the .Socialists' Hall and the police weilo valiantly chasing tho perpetrator. The crowd, after marching in proceseion through various streets at twenty jninutes to ten, tho final scene of all being loud-voiced arguments between ardentSocialist and sceptical audiences. Four Men Arrestod. During tho evening four men were arTestcd, one'charged with'wilful damage in breakings window, and three, alleged tt have been inciting several others, had their names taken, and will probably bo proceeded against by summons. 'Constable'Wilcox, whilst escorting ono rrtan to the police station, had a bottle thrown at him which cut his faoo open near tho tertiple. -He had to bo taken into the Clarendon Hotel for a while before he recovered. When the orowd were outside the police station a stbnc thrown hit the stono front 'of the detective office and glancing, oil' struck Detective Snow on the shonlder with painful results. Tho police said tho crowd were quite good humoured and several of those on duty informed a reporter that had it not been for tho flag-tearing incident and turning on of the hose on those outsido the disorderly scones Subsequently witnessed would never liavo happened.