LIKE SACKED CITY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18549, 6 November 1923, Page 9

LIKE SACKED CITY.

HAVOC IN MELBOURNE. pw.. >';• "* ' ; ';-■■■■■■ •' .y y: If military PROTECTION. I* - ■ - — ¥ ARMED patrols in streets | ex-servicemen RESPOND. ; brutality of the mob. ATTACK ON A CLERGYMAN. By Telegraph Press —Copyright. (Received 9.5 pjn.) A. and N.Z. MELBOURNE, Not. 5. The heart of Melbourne to-day, following the looting on Saturday and Sunday, resembles a sacked city in military occupation. ■ The streets are strewn with broken class and other debris, and many empty shop windows are boarded up. Falling rain helped to heighten the scene of desolation. Squads of soldiers, men from warships, and special constables, armed with rifles, and bayonets, aro patrolling the streets, and guarding the banks *.nd public buildings. They immediately suppress any inclination on the part of curious sightseers to congregate. A shop in Burke Street displays tho notice: "Yes, we have no windows, but business as usual." Ugly Rumours from B&ll&rat. As an outcome of the rioting, the police Courts, which are strongly guarded, are working overtime. There are long lists of charges, including half a dozen women for offensive and insulting behaviour. The Government has been inundated wiih offers of volunteer assistance, and large numbers of special constables have teen sworn in. There appears little c hance of a recurrence of trouble on Saturday's scale, but there are ugly rumours that the Ballarat. police and the city -' tramway men contemplate joining the strike. A citizens' committee, the Licensed Yictusllers' Association, and the Returned Soldiers' and Sailors' League., have taken measures to assist in every possible way in maintaining law and order. The Lord Mayor has issued a statement thanking all sections of citizens for their splendid and ' widespread response for assistance, which proves that all right-thinking people are determined to prevent the city from being handed over to mob rule. A statement issued by the Police Strike Committee disclaims any connection whatever with the rioting. Among the Government's precautionary measures is. the transfer to Williamstown of the powder magazine at Maryborough Ammunition and bombs, 60,000,000 cartridges, anc- 50,000 bombs are now being stored there under an armed guard. A recurrence of rioting is not expected. Women Incite tie Looters. There is a. tendency on the part of property owners to blame the Government for not taking timely precautions to swear-in sufficient special constables to guard the city'when it knew that the usual police would .not be available. Numbers of women took a prominent part in inciting the looters on Saturday. Among those dragged from a tram car was a clergyman, who, holding a Bible aloft. tried to calm the c-xcited crowd. He was howled at, pelted with missiles, and finally knocked down with a flying bottle Anyone attempting to resist the rabble was brutally knocked about, and some were kicked into insensibility. At one stage of the looting a man pushed in front of the looters, and . shouted : " Think what you are doing, 'boys. 1 ' He i was smashed on the head ' from behind with a bottle and kicked insensible. Silverware Litters Footpaths. A motor-car carrying a posse of special constables was fired upon, and a revolver bullet pierced the car and narrowly missed a constable. . F'jotpaths in the vicinity of looted jewellers' shops were littered with silverware and other valuables, which the looters threw from the windows to those outside, who helped themselves indiscriminately Quantities of goods were found afterwards, having been thrown away in the rush ,to escape when police arrived In sufficient strength to scatter the mob.

The mobs roared with delight as the lawless element drove passengers from a tramcar in Johnston Street and lifted it from the rails. Owing to the under-car-riage proving too heavy they were unable to turn the car completely over, so the mob restored iC to the rails and drove the car backwards and forwards in a frenzy. All the tram and train traffic ceased at seven o'clock on Sunday evening, and has been ordered to cease at the same hour to-night.

£1,000,000 DAMAGE BONE.

78 SHOPS LOOTED. SEVERAL DEATHS REPORTED OVER HUNDRED INJURED. A. and N.Z. MELBOURNE, Nov. 5. Damage by smashing and looting during the riots on - Saturday night and Sunday, is estimated at £1,000,000. No authentic figures ai3 available regarding the number of injured, but considerably over 100 have been treated in the Melbourne Hospital. Several deaths are reported. Between 30 and 40 men have been arrested. Practically every window in the block hounded by Little Collins, Sw&JSton, Bourke, and Elizabeth Streets was broken and the contents of the shops looted. A rough 'estimate of the damage shows that a total of 78 shops were looted, men's clothing stores in particular being singled out by'£he raiders. Twenty-one of these ■were stripped of their contents. Next' came the jewellers' shops, 15 of which were ransacked. Altogether 30 shops were attacked in Bourke Street, 14 in Elizabeth Street, 12 in Swansfon Street, 11 in Little Collins Street, and five in Collins Street. There were isolated cases in other city streets, as well as tho suburbs. Stocks of great value were pillaged wholesale. It is estimated that it will ■ cost £10,000 to replace plate glass windows alone. AC the request of the authorities, picture show proprietors issued invitations on the film screen to returned soldiers to help restore order on - Saturday night and over 500 enrolled ;as special constables and were equipped with batons.