BACK TO WORK

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 85, 4 January 1940, Page 8

BACK TO WORK

Crowds In Wellington Yesterday

LUNCH HARD TO OBTAIN

With the exception of such professions as tiie law. which observe protracted holidays, Wellington went bark to work yesterday. Shops ami offices reopened and tiie town was tilled with people just back from country and seaside. With tiie crowds swelled by Exhibition visitors and those w.lio bad come into town for the morning's parade of tiie Special Force, the city was congested to an extent. unequalled throughout the Christinas and New Year period. One-of tiie results of this congestion was a great difficulty in obtaining food. Whether it was because rostaurauteiirshad been unable to replenish their supplies since tiie holidays, or simply because they bad nut ex]>ected such great crowds, lunch was almost impossible to obtain. Tiie main city restaurants were rapidly crowded, even before tiie rush of office workers began, and even small places off tiie main streets were tilled. Parties of hungry luneli-hunrers marched in growing exasperation from teashop to teashop, or hovered hopefully in rite neighbourhood of those who appeared to have nearly finished their meals.

Even when a seat was obtained, however. the troubles of the would-be luncher were not over, as waiters and waitresses were overtaxed and even iii places ordinarily notable for smart service a long wait was necessary before food was forthcoming. Indeed, it was not always forthcoming. By 2 o'clock ! in many restaurants no food was obtainable at all: they were eaten our. In others the fare was restricted to one or two dishes. At one place the menu was restricted to bacon and eggs and tea : hi another to bread-and-butter or toast aud tea. A curious feature was that, while new bread was apparently almost unobtainable, there was quite a lot of stale bread remaining over from the holiday to be had. Many [tcoplc gave up the endeavour and went lunchless, or went home, while others purchased fruit and cakes and took them down to the wharves and to other picturesque places about the city to eat them out of doors.