CROWDS MOSTLY ORDERLY

Evening Star, Issue 25564, 17 August 1945, Page 10

CROWDS MOSTLY ORDERLY

MANY WORKERS ABSENT TO-DAY HOTELS LOSE STOCKS OF GLASSES There were many unrehearsed incidents during the procession and throughout the day that were tolerated both by police officials and the public with a levity that such an occasion demanded. The behaviour of the crowds was uniformly good, although there was ;i hooligan section of the community that took advantage of the celebrations to indulge in unseemly conduct. The two days' holiday coinciding with the approach of the week-end, many factories decided to close to-day until Monday, although most retailers supplying necessary, food stocks were open for business this morning. A hoax that was perpetrated last evening caused considerable inconvenience to the firm of G. Methven and Co. Ltd. Some person telephoned the local commercial broadcasting station and intimated falsely that there would be no work to-day, and consequently, although an official retraction was made soon after, there were many workers absent this morning. Incidentally, from reports that have been received from a representative section of industrial concerns, absenteeism was fairly general today, but skeleton staffs managed to carry on to arrange for the distribution to the public of edible goods. Hotels did a roaring trade yesterday, hut there was onlj. one offender before