“MUCH EXAGGERATED”

Evening Star, Issue 22718, 4 August 1937, Page 8

“MUCH EXAGGERATED”

/ REPORTS OF WEEK-END DRINKING PUBLIC BEHAVIOUR PRAISED BY POLICE HAPPY BUT ORDERLY RUGBY CROWD “ Much exaggerated,” is how Rugby officials and enthusiasts are inclined to treat the report of the Dunedin Presbytery discussion last night that the Southland “ invasion ” of Dunedin last week-end was nothing more nor less than a drunken orgy, and the genera! view is held that a very small proportion of the crowd of 35,000 spectators at the Ranfurly Shield match behaved in anything but a happy and orderly manner. Police and railway officials are agreed that the conduct of the public was . exemplary, and a responsible police officer went so far as to defy any town in New Zealand or Australia to show such a record. REFLECTION ON PUBLIC. “ I was on the gate that led to the embankment from a quarter to 11 until 2.30,” said one member of the Otago Rugby Union, “ and I can say< there were very few in the large crowd who were under the influence of liquor.” Many of those present came there in a happy mood, but out of the large crowd of 35,000 there was a very small proportion giving cause for complaint. “ The Presbytery’s report is exaggerated, and is a reflection on the visitors and public of Dunedin,” he added. “ I think the Presbytery has exaggerated the position a great deal,” said another prominent member of the Otago Rugby Union. ” While there were many people parading the streets there was not the amount of drinking that the report of the discussion would suggest.” He also stated that the gatekeepers had instructions not to admit persons under the influence of liquor to the ground, but it would not be reasonable to expect the officials to search 35,000 persons! ” We had no complaints at all,” this official proceeded, “ and when the_ caretaker inspected the ground later in the day he found no nuisance created, and nobody was left behind.” “A REGAL WEEK-END.” “ If there_ is anything in the Presbytery discussion, I think it is a good argument in favour of the repeal of Nolicense,” said a Dunedin business man. “ Southland people are more or less restrained in their own town by the local restrictions, and the invasion of Dunedin is something in the nature of a regal week-end. The match is the reason, but to some it is a secondary consideration, and %ny number of visitors did not go to the match at all.” “ If the scenes at Carisbrook on Saturday were a drunken orgy in the eyes of the, Presbyterian ministers, I can imagine the inadequacy of the English language for expression by them if they saw a football crowd in any other part of the world,” said a regular attender at Rugby matches. ‘‘ The crowd—a record one—was of extremely good behaviour. There was certainly some drinking, but who has the right to tell men that they must not take refreshments with them to a_ match, at which they have a long wait in a packed crowd? The average man will not be dictated to, and so long as they behave themselves and do not offend others there is no law to prevent them consuming alcoholic liquors. Saturday was more than a football day—it was a carnival event for many thousands—-and only the kill joys would complain if the cup that cheers was passed round too frequently. If the young Southlanders took too much liquor it was probably because they had cast off, for the day, the shackles of Prohibition. They enjoyed themselves, which was the purpose of their visit to Dunedin, ana no one can blame them for celebrating their Shield win. I have confidence in the police to know that if drunkenness was rife they would have taken proper steps for the protection of the young men themselves and the public generally. The Presbytery has become unnecessarily alarmed, and is too easily shocked and horrified.” “ The desire for alcoholic refreshment is not confined to sporting crowds in Dunedin,” said a widelydravelled business man. “ Every English paper one picked up at the time of the Coronation had pictures of boys returning from the Coronation route with sacks of bottles, and surely it js no crime to have a desire for alcoholic refreshment in reasonable bounds.” CONDUCT EXEMPLARY.” ” The conduct of the public from Invercargill, taken generally, was exemplary,” said the district traffic manager of railways (Mr H. L. Gibson). “ Where some 5,000 passengers are being handled, you will find a few whose behaviour • '-es ground for criticism, but we ret. ti no official complaints, and have been congratulated all round on the way the crowd behaved, there being certainly nothing in the shape of disorder.” . . Mr Gibson said _ that the invasion was properly organised by a number of responsible citizens from Invercargill, and every endeavour was made to keep law and order. There were no complaints from passngers as to the conduct of other passengers. *•' There were no fights, assaults, accidents—or complaints—over the weekend, and I defy any town in Australia or New Zealand to show such_ a record,” declared a responsible police officer to-day. The crowd at Carisbrook was orderly—more than orderly—and had come there in a holiday spirit, prepared to enjoy itself.” “ We expected the worst and took the necessary precautions, but we were most pleasantly surprised at the behaviour of the visitors,” said the manager of a leading restaurant. “We had a record patronage, yet not one incident caused any concern. _ There was no noisiness on Saturday night in our rooms, and we had no repetition or the annoyance of last year of having to demand payment from patrons who attempted to leave quickly. We have nothing but praise for the conduct or the football crowds who came to our rooms.” VERY SMALL SECTION OFFEND. “ There may be" some truth in the complaint made by the Dunedin Presbytery,” said one man wbo has been associated with' Rugby in various parts of New Zealand for many years, but it was only the action of a very small section of the 35,000 people who attended the match at Carisbrook that gave cause for any criticism. One has to expect something like that when such a large crowd congregates, but apart from a few there was no score for complaint.,”,