SOME OF THE BHOYS CO HUNTING ENTERTAINMENT

NZ Truth, Issue 1127, 7 July 1927, Page 7

SOME OF THE BHOYS CO HUNTING ENTERTAINMENT

■» How Italian, Support For Beauty Entrant Led To Seaside Scragging ;

" (From "N.Z. Truth's" Special Wellington Representative.)

STILL, the "lato news" had a 1 - very dramatic an d sensational ring when it breathed its uri - ■pleasant flavor of Tvild conflict raging ilor v some time at the • peaceful suburb of Island Bay; of clothes .being "torn to shreds"; o f and billets of wood" being freely used and,: "some of the com- i :batarits" ; be Iri g i "kriodked unconsci- ] I oils."; .-'■•■ -"".■ . '■ . :.'■"

Then, as if to confound Wellington newspaper readers, the little less impartial "Eyening Post," seeing an opportunity of. Vrubblng,, something into, the. ,hair of Granny "Dominion,' 1 told tiie world the next evening; that it was "a 'Slight- disturbance^ as a result^^ of 'the. actions of several young irien,> apparently out for an evening!s ment."'' •'■ ,' '■--■ ' '• ■ '■': : •'.•■■;, ■r]^ '■ - '.;.:.,. ../ /.Whether, or -not there were young nien. m; search of an . enter-, tahnnent,\ the sad" fact " remains<fvthat they got it— and deserved it. s < ■ But fundamentally the whole trouble exaggerated, as it x might have been by the "Dominion" and ;under-estimated by the' "Eyening Post," was caused by ; the insidious; beauty stunt whicli "N.Z. Truth" ii^.s so consistently cp'ridemned.r ; : ln 'a nutshell, one. of Hthe.^ local ; ; ; .-.-, beauty .competitors, whose, name , ' is, of course, - known . to., received'the- support of theltalian . residents ofV island Bay-' They > clubbed together and of shillings', each enabled them to pull ' a few votes m- the direction of the ; .V little; lady of : their choicjs. ; ' ; Jt should' be stated that the ypjing woma,n m question was neither. * i the local winner nor the maid of h'pno*r; i With, these beauty "stunts" it is ..a question t)f 'all being fair m love, arid war, and /"Truth" has . already explained how the commercial element has' an unfortunate habit ' ! of creeping: m. . r ' .'. , - A''::;. .:. ■ .-■ ■ w ■• ■-•■.• .. . But the point is that once these Schemes are iriaugurated, competitors and their barrackers use their best endeavors' to get , their 'favorite to the top of the poll. ■:.,;. '; y ';"'.'■ - ••.-■• ; That Certain Party^ .'-, . All things being equal, there was .nothing . unusual .of .unconstitutional about the vltalians • expressing ; a wish to see a certain . young, entrant _ returned as "Miss- Wellington." •'! And, of ,course, a "party" convened by ;the. aforesaid Italian residents— or. some of 'them— -w^ls arranged. -The beauty contestant was "among those present;" \ '■■ ■':■'■,' -■.■"-...'', , ■ ; If may be said, tbo,' that the evening was turning out a howling success. ;/ i7w : Those concerned were indoors. and a ; few young local ; lads were ad- :■■ mitted to the? home of hospitality. ' ' But : the '"Evening' : Post's" V "several young -men ; apparently r ;out^;Jf pr'i! aii eyening's.- entertainment" constituted the "uninvited" guests, and if there is

■iiitiiiiiiimiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiin^ | WHEN that granny of daily | I • newspapers, the dear» | = docile "Dominion," flashed on "to. = | its late news page the startling | | ■intelligence that there had been | | "riotous scenes"' and "a serious § = fracas at Island Bay" last | | week, and then went on to tell = | m colorful language how Ital- = 1 ians and British had come into | | deadly conflict ..{reason : iinas? § i signed),, it ' forgot to give, to 1 | the reading world the fact that' | | one of the "beauties" supported | | by that newspaper played, a i | very prominent part. ! | iinnmimmmmiiinmimmiiiiiintiiiiiiiiiittiiiiiiiiiijiiiiiiiiiiiiHiiiiiitiiiiii)))^

! anythinsr '• ' vr «rM than ii nlny i.ted guests at a party, it must ■■'be pretty ■; bad.; . I jL cannot be saw w both etc these young gentlemen m search of a little "enters tainmerit". w or o;, . really supporters T of anp.thor "beauty^ 6r not» but towards •10 • p.m. the Italians —•quite rightful!/ t- thought It a fair thing to chal-

lenge the bona fides of those present. - Those not present by invitation were reminded that cars left the Island Bay terminus every ten minutes. ; '■?;, . Yes; there ' was -a bit of a dust-up, but no riotous scenes; no knife play; no -uriconsciqus men lying m piles all .over the place; and very little damage to sartorial' order,-; . ': Admittedly, jwben the young . hoofllums v who w£re '•looking., for trouble-— or entertainment:—^-inade '"their presence objectionable and ■"■. started throwing their, .weight abbutK; (literally) .the . Italians sent up a bit of^a war whoop, . and' like the popular sbng: * v ' ■■'■■"■'■' ■"•,'>ri ' \ ■ ;-..■■ •' . : "^v", ':' : -^'S '.'■'■■■' ''X.'l ' "In and out of houses they i^came,; . f ; 'Tpuhg/ folks, old folks,"; ail the sani& -..■■;■. !; In acquaint old' Gorn^h:to^n.;.l.y' ; But after the • little rlmore-or-iess harmless ;■ stQush — certainly ,r. a little • more than ;"a slight disturbance'.'-f---brder was restored without -other than s the actual participants being/.mucli tli;e : ■wiser.:-:'' •:.' ' :: ,'. " ■-. ■*.: ■■ ': ■ , '' '%■< '■ -^' ■:'.■ 1 v ; T.wq or three' pedestrians 'In- ' : voluntarily involved,- arid at ojeast one man, not liking therlook ol^thingp, y asked a woman shopkeeper tof^et hitri . have the temporary shelter^of • her■hiffh counter.',. '. ■-"■ ■-:"■ '^:" ; . ' '■:•: : \' When the uninvited "rougKs", made a bolt to /the .city-bound ;.c,tram they ■ naturally wer.e! scragged ajrd;.? perhaps . : ; treated to a ?f ew spare rish€/ hooks , or upper-cuts.^ They- were -^^whe^n the j- tram went. V.'-; .' .A^f> ■■'■''■':.;''.;■£.'■■'.' Beaif^y Stus|Again i: | To say yip.tpP? - scenes were raging at Islarid BaylCnpt accordihg ito fact, anaUit; admittedly, does the peaceable Italian residents; : |bn 4njustic'e to, say that- there was any^fchife play or that" men ; ■ werert reduced to unconshiousness. ■' : " 'V' " /^c ■•'..■ • ■ -•' ■'■ ' Nai-"-'^'^^^^^!..--^^*!- waa : requisitionad and the;;ajnbulance-man : did not have to be awakened.v : ' •■;&:•' •■'• ..L .. .' .' ■'. . ''.* The local cbnstabie stands^ by the Italians . and .says: ,ther,e vAyasn^t much \ • \i6 it,' while people liyingfiii the' vjcinity ; of the alleged fracas :he^d:nothing. ¥ r Really speaking,4Ki^itrpuble was due to jealpusy',vcause^dM>y 'the "Domiriion's^. ■;v.s / tuht, v ";-arid.-;if ; :thei-:.paper will , rush into print. with>such a. sensational account of a'; : hon^sen : satiDnai;.;affair;-;li' should at least give^^ospages of space to a decent ding>dbng " scrum "m thje ii6xt i^ixniari oOtbali match-Hor At leasj • inve'pages to a dbg ;beihgr run over iby : -abpy bri> a scGoter. 4■ ' : ■-.