BUSINESS AS USUAL.

King Country Chronicle, Volume XVIII, Issue 1896, 4 December 1923, Page 3

BUSINESS AS USUAL.

MELBOURNE SHOPKEEPERS’ RESOURCES. SOME COMICAL NOTICES. Perfect peace reigned in Melbourne when the city awakened on the Monday following the riots caused through the strike of policemen. The streets were all very quiet (says the Age). The debris of Saturday night’s horrible debauch had been all removed, and though the city bore a most woe-began aspect, with long stretches of broken windows in its principal streets, it looked clean by comparison with its last appearance in daylight. It looked dissolute, dishevelled and shaky, like a man recovering from an orgy, and the face of the Town Hall clock seemed to be austere and reproving as it looked down upon the glaziers and other shop repairers who were trying to cover up as far as they could the trace of this black page in the history of otherwise fair repute.

“Business as usual” was the motto placarded over the barricaded windows of the city shops. The business man is a resourceful person the world over, and it would take something more than riots to close up a Melbourne shop on Cup eve, which is one of the best trading days in the year. The barricading over the windows prevented any display of attractive goods for sale, but the notices, “Business as usual,” were pasted up in prominent places, so that customers might not pass by with the impression that the shops were “closed on account of riots.” One of the large clothing stores, whose windows had been completely looted, had this sign over its wooden barricades:— “Business as usual. Our window displays being disorganised, we invite you to come in and inspect. Stocks in all departments intact. Another looted shop in Bourke Street displayed a blazing sign in big, red letters, as follows: — “Riot Sale! All damaged and soiled goods marked down regardless of cost.’ The glass window panes of this shop had been shattered by looters, but the resourceful proprietors had substituted wire netting for the glass, and a full array of costumes, gloves and other baits for women were displayed behind the wire. Apparently the enterprising firm was doing good business and losing no time in making up for the loss entailed through the riots. A good “sporting” spirit was displayed by a firm of men’s clothiers in Queen Street, whose windows and stocks had suffered severely at the hands of looters, the total loss being assessed at over £4OOO. This was the sign over the door on Tuesday:— “Yes, we have some pyjamas.” “Who threw this stone knocked down all our prices,” was the notice in the window of another looted shop window. And in another shop, where typewriters are sold, the following notice was pasted inside a large hole in the plate-glass window:— “If you know of a better ’ole go to it, but if you don’t, come in here.” And so the city conducted its business as usual, with a dash of good humor added. But business was not as good as usual—for a Cup eve. Representatives of leading firms in the city said the day’s trade was good, but not as good as it would have been had conditions been normal.