SUCCESS IN AUCKLAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14819, 24 October 1911, Page 4

SUCCESS IN AUCKLAND.

LONG TRADES PROCESSION.

SPORTS IN THE DOMAIN.

A LONG DAY'S PLEASURE.

With lively recollections of a drenching day last year, it was with misgivings that Auckland" looked out of the front door ■vesterday morning, and saw clouds frowning. Nevertheless it went forth to see what it could see: and the threat of tho frowning sky was carried out. Down came the rain in a, soaking downpour, but the occasion was too good to spoil. In •but a little, while the sky cleared, and "while the roads yet streamed heavily with water, the sun beamed down and made the -streets into a steamy oven and the day into one that made the people say. " Aha ! summer at last!" In this bright, light of dav, then, the workers held their fete, and all tho citv came out to see. They had a procession, so fine that people spoke •loudlv of the fact, so lone that it trotted »nd baulked and walked past a given point •for a whole 25 minutes. They went to the Domain and there ran races, ate in marquees, oicnicked under trees, and generally found life excellently well worth living 'jor that day at lea*. There were those who finding in their hearts a longing for zither scenes, took passage upon an Island liiier and set a course for the Great BarTier, where at Wbangaparapara they spent Pome part, of the day at least in quite uu«austomed surroundings for ft junketing, it. was a fine holiday, and a Eappy one; •und everyone became something of a sun"worsh.'pper. rccogniaing that the little fixed star so close at "hand was really. much to be thanked for contributing the greater part of the pleasant conditions of the day.

A Splendid Procession. The procession in the morning was the longest ever seen here on such an occasion, stretching over about a mile of roadway, and the gathering at the Domain was probably the" largest ever present at a sports gathering in Auckland, numbering according to The guesses of reliable observers, ibout 20,00. So it was something of a "record-making day, and gave every evidence of the growth in popularity of the "holiday and an appreciation of what the ■workers of the city do for their own and other folks' entertainment, 'Hie procession moved off fairly on time. It was a ■cumbrous affair to manage neatly, but it -was so conducted that there was no untoward incidents of note. Sections of the krag serpent of conveyances were tucked awav unconspicuously in side-streets about the lower end of Queenstreet all ready to start. First one and then another moved out, until the whole string was linked together and moving southward through the town. There were one or two little tussles for precedence between some of the vehicles but, generally speaking, the big organisation was sent off in admirable order. It passed up Queen-street, then by way of Wel-Jesley-street to Hobson and Pitt Streets, and "so into Karangabiape Road. Then it went up Symonds-street, and along Khvber Pass to Grafton Road,and so to the* Domain. • The whole of the route •was lined with sightseers, and wherever there was a good position great crowds assembled to watch the show go by. Of course, there were various opinions as to whether the display was better than its predecessors or not. After all, that mattered very little, for it was an excellent one. and comparisons between events a year apart are apt to be independable, ""here was a considerable revival of old exhibits; somebody had been careful m the storing and enthusiastic in the rebuilding of them; and there were some new items, elaborately arranged. There was outstanding as usual - evidence of one of Auckland's special abilities, in a large number of the magnificent horses that play an important part in the heavy carrying trade of the city. •

Many Fine Displays. Most of the attention of the crowd} "was centred on the larger vehicles, which were piled up with all manner of actual industrial products or symbols of the trade }hey represented. Tor instance, a barber" with a wooden razor, industriously Shaved and reshaved a youth, who made as little protest against the barbaric treatment as though he were chloroformed. Coachbnilders performed the art and mystery of their craft with carriage parts; tinsmiths converted straight sheets of corrugated iron into a water tank, while the most elaborate specimens of the products of their industry were well displayed on •another lorry. : ,In a gaudy iiavilion, resplendent with colour, a painter put on more colour out of a tiny pot with a lilli--putian brush. The . stage-painters exhibited a large structure representing a *>tage, and containing elaborate and finely -painted scenery, fit for some Peter Pan tale vet to be told upon the boards. Besides" these elaborate displays there were ethers less pretentious, made by various • -unions. Several of the industrial bodies walked or drove, their simple but effective ■jnblems being big union banners. A {-rang lady seated perilously aloft pon a swaying throne bore upon her lap bundle of sticks symbolising unity. In toother part- of the procession was the hideous contrast of a sorry crock, carrotpribed to go in the right direction, and .Bragging a vehicle almost upon its last journey. ' In it were strange and repulsive figures performing'futile tasks and the whole shrieked to the crowd through <a placard : " Non-unionism, (he Road to Ruin."

The Employers' Exhibits. There were many trade displays, soma "tof them of the most elaborate fashioning. Three were very extensive as to length in the procession. The Northern Roller ißlills had a dozen vehicles, several of them with very elaborate work npon them. The 31ie Waiwai aerated waters were dragged through the streets in quantity enough to 'kssuaga a small populace while "the j3ther C side," the Licensed Victuallers, sent £long a. dozen and a-half of decorated vehicles. The ornamentation was not ."very elaborate, being chiefly in the form of "fringes of barley, but the sides of the waggons bore signs covered with big letters ' and statistics conveying vigorous arguments against no-license. On the Sports Ground. At the Domain the scene was an inspiring one. There were sports, and highly entertaining ones; but it is more than likely that the crowd enjoyed its own multitudinous company more than the scheduled incidents of the day. The Domain is seldom more enjoyable than on a warm day after the shower,, when the porims soil lias absorbed all the newly-dropped •moisture that bop washed the air and all Use grass clean, and the sun shines gemfelly down and makes a pleasant warmth; not the sort of warmth one runs about in from choice, but a cosy sort of air, that is very suitable for looking on. and in most ■ people conducive of good temper. * The Holiday in Town. The holiday in town was almost unanimously observed. Even the tramway men tad a short spell while the procession was tin the road, for the cars could not have 'traversed Queen-street without disaster. jElardly any shops were open. The crowds jfchai had , gathered hi the streets in the morning dispersed in various directions, but a large number remained in town, and ihe city had quite a lively appearance, though "no business was being done. In kpito of the enormous number of people >hn attended the sports and who went to

tho Barrier, picnics and. excursions were privately undertaken in all directions, and the ferry boats were crowded with passengers. The evening was pleasant, and evidently determined to make" a full day of it people flocked again into the well-lit thoroughfaxes. There was nothing to do but promenade and talk, so they walked and reviewed the day. and enjoyed the cool evening. Theatres ' and other entertainments reaped a harvest of silver.