OLD YEAR PASSES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20761, 2 January 1931, Page 10

OLD YEAR PASSES.

GAIETY IN THE CITY. HAPPY AND JOLLY CROWDS. Although 1930 was a year of difficulties, in Auckland all honour was accorded to its passing. Midnight on Wednesday produced rare scenes of jollity and exuberance, and the absence of rain to threaten the next day's holiday attractions seemed to provide yet another excuse for the outlet of high spirits.

During the early part of the evening the streets were not so full as they had been on Christmas Eve. The former occasion was more one for serious shopping, whereas Wednesday evening's crowds were to a greater degree on pleasure bent. A largo portion of the crowd was absorbed by the theatres and other places of entertainment, but, even so, there were plenty of merrymakers on the footpaths. Toward ten o'clock, when the theatre audiences commenced to come out, the fun began in earnest. Hooters and rattles, squeakers and bells and trumpets, balloons, masks, paper-hats and false faces mingled together in a kaleidoscopic din, which surged about the streets and demanded only that one abandon all sanity for the time and follow in unprotesting jollity whichever way the current led. As midnight approached the density of the crowd in lower Queen Street and the vicinity of the Ferry Buildings rapidly increased. From the suburbs, parks and beaches, cabarets and dance halls, ferries, taxies and tramcars poured a steady throng of people into the already crowded streets. Shoulders were brushed and feet were trodden on in good-natured tolerance.

On the stroke of twelve, sirens and whistles joined with tlio bells in pealing out their welcome, " Off with the old ana on with the new," and this was the signal for a general uproar. Shrieks, yells and laughter were given vent and rose above the general undertone of happy, excited chatter as each wished his neighbour the season's greetings. The fun continued fnr quite a long time, but by the time the first hour of the New Year was spent practically all of the revellers had departed homeward.