DISORDER IN ADELAIDE

Evening Post, Volume XCVI, Issue 134, 3 December 1918, Page 7

DISORDER IN ADELAIDE

REPREHENSIBLE SCENES IN THE STREETS. Disorderly scenes marked the PJJbBc holiday observed in Adelaide on Thursday, 14th November, to celebrate the signing of the armistice. The trouble began (states a message to Melbourne Age) early in the morning, I the tramway men carrying out their inI tention not to work. The Government had arranged a huge celebration on the | Adelaide oval, a feature of which was to be the assembling of thousands of school children, patriotic workers, returned soldiers, and others. Residents of suburbs only served by trams, however, found themselves; isolated all day, unless they chose to walk or hire vehicles. j About 11 a.m. one or two cars ap-i peared in th« city. The embargo on the hotels had, unfortunately, been lifted, and crowds of hooligans, yelling and shouting, chased the tram cars. The trolley poles were pulled down, windows broken, and the passengers forced to alight. TKe motor men, who had been recruited chiefly from the inspectors and higher officials and a few loyal drivers, were mobbed; signal men were dragged from their boxes, and damage was done to the cars. By noon the disturbance had assumed the aspect of a serious riot, and mobs of larrikins had practically taken possession of the streets. They marched to such of the theatres as were giving matinees, and compelled them to close. The disturbance continued after the cars had been withdrawn.

There were two further rowdy demonstrations at nipht. Only two theatres were open, and these were strongly guarded by police. The thoroughfares in front of the buildings were packed with dense masses of people. About 10 p.m. the crowd began to move, the people having in most cases to walk tb their homes many miles away. The trouble is the worst of its kind ever experienced here.