Appalling Riots in Auckland

Manawatu Times, Volume LV, Issue 6834, 15 April 1932, Page 7

Appalling Riots in Auckland

Frenzied Mob Wrecks Queen Street Every Shop Window Smashed— Damage Exceeds £loo,ooo— and Sailors Helpless Before Loot-Maddened Mob Over 150 People Injured Three Police Officers in Serious Condition

Per Press Association. AUCKLAND, Last Night. Appalling rioting and looting in which hundreds of unemployed participated occurred in Queen street to-night. Fierce fighting broke out between a section of the rioters and the police in the vicinity of the Town Hall. Stones and fence palings were freely used and hundreds of people were treated at the Auckland hospital for minor injuries, Three policemen were seriously injured and at least three civilians are in hospital suffering from concussion. At least twenty arrests were made. Practically every shop window in Queen street was smashed and rifled. Jewellery, clothing, bottles of spirituous liquors and boxes of cigars and pipes were removed by bands of lawless youths and men. The total damage to Queen street shopkeepers is estimated at about £IOO,OOO. The city’s main street, resembles nothing so much as a ’quake-stricken area. The fight outside the Town Hall was a bitter and sanguinary struggle. The police who were patrolling a procession and guarding the entrances to the hall found themselves involved in a furious melee. Batons were used liberally. Mounted police, reinforcements of foot police, lire engines and detachments from HALS. Philomel were summoned, but even these forces were unable to keep control over the many bands of rioters who marched up and down Queen street stoning windows and looting, the disorder being in progress from eight o’clock until nearly eleven o’clock. The origin of the trouble is obscure. The Post and Telegraph employees held a procession up Queen street at 7.30 as a preliminary to a meeting in the Town Hall to protest against the wages cut. Uninvited unemployed formed a procession behind, but the crowd poured out of the hall and joined the throng outside. Shortly before nine o’clock the crowd started to surge down Queen street, the first wave consisting mainly of youths bent on destruction and looting. Shop window after simp window was smashed, some with feet and others by stones thrown with deliberation from the street. Within a few minutes the mob was intoxicated with the spirit of destruction and at each yard down the street the looting spirit increased. By tho time the lower section of Queen street was reached groups were openly seizing goods from windows and outside a shoe store some men were bold enough to try on shoes they had taken from a window. Four girls broke a jeweller’s window seizing what came to hand. The number of stones thrown to break the windows suggested premeditation as there were no loose stones in Queen street. Outside a small mercery shop one youth said to his mate: “What about this one?” The reply was: “No! Only cheap jack stuff here. We’ll get a better window!” Many swaggered about proudly showing handkerchiefs tied round cut hands.

Practically every shop window in the whole length of Queen street with anything inviting in it was smashed, particularly the jewellery shops and all the big stores like Milne and Choyee's, Court’s and Smith and Caughey’s. The window fronts of all these big stores are shattered. All the grocery shops met the same fate. The police and navy patrols had no control of the mob for two hours because as soon as they passed one point the breaking and looting was resumed. Wherever there was a‘hotel window with liquor displayed this was smashed and the contents looted. ’ The rioting also led to the destruction of many windows from which there was nothing to loot. Lights were also smashed so that the street was soon in darkness and any traffic was impossible. At this late hour it is impossible to estimate the damage in the city, but probably no window escaped and the jewellers, drapers and grocers have lost large quantities of stock. Special Constables and Sailors Assist Police. An appeal to all law-abiding able-bodied men io assist ill the restoration of order was broadcast by IYA on behalf of the Mayor, Mr. Cf. W. Hutchison at 9.23 p.m. The Mayor’s appeal was: “I feel it my duty to appeal to every decent citizen of Auckland to stand by those in authority in upholding the law and thus preventing a recurrence of the disgraceful riot that has taken place in the city this evening. “The trouble is still proceeding and I appeal to all lawabiding physically fit men to report at once armed with batons to the city police station to help the police to stop the destruction of public and private property and restore order.” At the same time Commander Berthon, of HALS. Philomel, had the following message broadcast: “The whole of the ship’s company of the Philomel except boys are to report on board the Philomel immediately.” The response was immediate. Many special constables were sworn in at the police station and more will be taken to-mor-row. Calmness was maintained in the city theatres by the managers keeping the news of the riot away from the. audiences, many of whom did not know of the trouble till they came out into the scenes of ruin in Queen street. The theatres were not interfered with by the rioters. The managers extinguished tlieir outside lights, thus giving the impression that the theatres were closed.