THREE MILLION PEOPLE SEE ILLUMINATIONS

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 6645, 4 September 1931, Page 7

THREE MILLION PEOPLE SEE ILLUMINATIONS

Astounding Scenes In London Streets

SOME WONDERFUL SPECTACLES United Press Association.—By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright. Received Thursday, 9.50 p.m. LONDON, Sept. 3. There wore astounding scones in the West End in connection with the illumination of buildings. The display was continued until midnight. It is estimated that 3,000,000 people were in the streets on Tuesday night, and 750,000 on Wednesday night. y Though the police turned Whitehall into a one-way traffic thoroughfare, the crush of motor cars and pedestrians caused the utmost confusion. The congestion is so great that it may necessitate the police ordering the dropping of some of the illuminations. _ The magnitude of the experiment may be gauged from the fact that 36 projectors, each producing a beam of 250,000 candle-power, were required to illuminate Big Ben tower alono. The delegates to the Illumination Congress last night attended a remarkable display of night flying at Croydon ,aerodrome under the glare o'f 1,000,000 candle-power flood lighting. Special Police Conference to Control Crowd British Official Wireless. RUGBY, Sept. 2. A special police conference had to he held to-day to consider measures for the better control of the large crowds congregating in tho West End of London to-night to see the flood lighting effects on important buildings and monuments. Last night was the first occasion on which there was- a full display of flood lighting, and tho immense crowds, with a large influx of motor cars carrying sightseers, completely disorganised the traffic for several hours. The Thames bridges were thronged with people during the special displays on the river. The cost of the demonstrations, which will continue for a fortnight, and the object of which is to show the development of the science of illumination, is being met entirely by the electrical and gas industries. Over 200 foreign delegates from 20 different countries are attending tho Congress.