SHOPPERS IN CITY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21165, 23 April 1932, Page 12

SHOPPERS IN CITY.

FRIDAY EVENING SCENES.

CITY RETURNS TO NORMAL ORDERLY CROWDS IN STREETS. Late shopping night in the city passed off quietly yesterday. Karangahape Road, in which a week previously disturbances occurred, carried its normal number of Friday night shoppers and no incidents disturbed the evsn tenor of the evening. A noticeable feature was the abnormally large crowds that shopped early. Queen Street was thronged during the afternoon and during tho dinner hour, good business being reported by the shopkeepers. By !i o'clock, however, the crowd dwindled noticeably and it became apparent that nuny people who normally would have left their shopping late had made a point of effecting their purchases and returning home early. This had a sobering effect upon the business portion of the city and discouraged the assembly of sightseers. Shoppers in Ponsonby Road were alarmed about 8 45 p.m. by a report that an outbreak (if stone-throwing had occurrod near the intersection with Anglesea Street. This, however, proved to be incorrect. Although a fe v shop windows in Queen Street, Karangahape Road, Upper Symonds Street and Newmarket were barricaded, the great majority of the shopkeepers removed the temporary hoardings during the day, with the result that the shopping centres presented an almost normal appearance. Tho police kept a careful watch iri the streets, the various auxiliary forces which were marshalled during last wejk's riots were held in readiness, and a number of firms retained members of their staffs on guard, but in no instance was there a call upon their services.