DID THEY ACT LIKE COSTERS?

NZ Truth, Issue 1272, 17 April 1930, Page 7

DID THEY ACT LIKE COSTERS?

City Bumbles Throw Out Dark Hints On Conduct of Dunedin's Society At Ball

BELLES, BUCKS AND COCKNEY SPIRITS (From " N.Z. Truth's" Speciar Dunedin- . Representative.) Mention "Coster Ball" to a Dunedin City Councillor, and you'll need to. have the wit of a coster '"Arry" to talk yourself out of the trouble that will follow. According to a discussion heard over the. City Council table last week, the Upper Ten of Dunedin can show the London. Coster a point or two. Nevertheless, whatever was behind the minds of Councillors Shacklockj Wilson, and Mitchell when reference was made to an "undesirable element" which -was supposed to have manifested itself at the Coster Ball, not one of the wise trio, apparently, was sufficiently well-informed or courageous enough to get down to tin tacks and thrash the matter out m free debate. Consequently, the Dunedin public is wondering just what did happen when the plutocracy ef the city took upon itself the order of the barrow and button.

WHEN the Dunedin Free Kindergarten Society was considering the appointment of a committee to organise some -sort of a function for the purpose of augmenting its funds, the mischievous little elves of fate crept into the conference. The outcome was "The Coster Ball," held at the new Town Hall on April I—ill-chosen1 — ill-chosen date! — to attend which the elite of the City of Dignity and Discretion transformed themselves into a company of 'Arries and 'Arriets; and beads, buttons, barrows, and bell-bot-toms were the order of the night. The world — that is, the blue-blooded world — and wives were there. Be-but-toned and gipsy-gowned, all those who matter jn Dunedin's - society drifted along. Imagine, then, public surprise when the newspapers a few days later gave headlines, to City . Council . business which brought the Coster^ Ball (although actual identification was not divulged), under the spotlight of criticism. "WOKSE THINGS" j Councillor J. B. Shaddock set the "ball" rolling when he made reference to an undesirable element which, he was .'"given to understand, cast ■ a shadow over the success of a recent entertainment held m the new Town Hall. His remarks were readily supported by Councillors J. Wilson., and F. W. Mitchell. The inference was that men had created a nuisance outside the hall. Councillor Mitchell added fuel to the flame when he announced that according to his information "worse things", than those suggested by his colleagues had taken place at the function. Beyond the fact that it was unanimously agreed that m future stricter supervision will have to be exercised over the manner

of entertainment m the new Town Hall, these statements were allowed to go unsubstantiated, unchallenged, , and undebated. So that the public is now amusing itself by moulding- into all sorts of ugly shapes and forms its -opinion of what really did happen at the Coster Ball.

The phrase is heard at every comer — "What happened at the Coster Ball?" From the vantage point of _ the hall's wide galleries some three hundred spectators acted as audience. Led by Costerman Arthur Barnett and Costeress Mrs. F. Furgus, pushing their old ■ "barrer,'' the grand march presented a colorful parade of Gretna Gerties, Limehouse Lallies and East End Eddies. Here you saw, garbed m all the trashy brilliance of the coster vamp,

society's leading damsels, strutting the floor as proudly as the proverbial peacock. - . There — with that distinctive Coster touch to the cap and a thousand pearTl buttons glittering like glow-worms m a garret, were all the highbrow lads of the village. "■ '-■.■''. ■" . .■ . •■ Matrons and middle-aged' swells of the city, also— for one great night — taking the role .of the jaunty costermonger fraternity.;. As the night <wore on, the spirit of gaiety heightened, and young and old were m merry mood: Such was the height of hilarity that to onlookers it

seemed as though thei*e was more than "coster" spirit behind the frisky feelings of some of the younger fry. Obviously,; there was a suggestion of cockney cocktails somewhere m; . the ibac'kS r o v n d — although not necessarily within the precincts of the building.

This became evident when couples commenced : smoking as they danced. At one stage of the gay proceedings His Worship the Mayor had to intervene toy summoning the caretaker to go out on to the floor and'warn couples to put out their cigarettes. By some naughty^prank of one of those devilish elves of fate, one of t the first persons approached by the caretaker was the Mayoress! Youth — when apeing" the . coster, especially — must be served, and towards the latter stages -of the' programme some of the more elated lasses could not resist the temptation to "let themselves go." .This they, did by giving the audience a few free-limbed demonstrations of the slide and the "split." So-called "oyster cocktails"—consisting mainly of the aristocratic morsel and a 'dash or two of half a dozen sauces and ketchups, was the main attraction on the supper, menu, 'v ' For some reason or other,- however, this particular dish did. not please the palates of some of the company, and a fair percentage of the dainty was relegated to the floors of the corridors and other parts of the jbuilding. v This, briefly, gives a fair pen-pic-ture of "what actually happened at the Coster Ball, and over which certain councillors have kicked up so much fuss. Admittedly, it was _ not m keeping with their social calibre for any members of the company to heave oysters about the place — even though it was a costers' night. But maybe •by virtue of 'the fact that, it was an imitation coster turnout," certain of the more indiscreet young folk present imagined they "were licensed to do more or less as they pleased. By cjeep and serious infer-" ence, Councillor Mitchell put a

very dark coating of suspicion over the whole business. He 'believed, he said, that "worse things'' than those mentioned by his colleagues had taken place. Making such a serious allegation, he should be able to give it some sort of substantiation; but neither at the council table nor to "N.Z. Truth" was he able to ; instance anything he himself, or any of his informants, had seen taking place inside or. outside the hall to con- 7 firm his grave assertion. NO QOMPLAINTS It goes without saying that couples could have been located m cars parked outside. But that ip nothing out of the ordinary, the same thing happens at almost any dance m New Zealand. From citizens residing adjacent to the Town Hall there were no complaints of boisterousness or disorderly behavior, and so far- as the police were, concerned there was a constable on - duty outside when the last of the. guests were leaving. He had nothing ' to report. As for Councillor Wilson's reference 5 to men , r creating , a nuisance m Harrop Street,. it is still open to question whether or not any -such objec-'' tionable actions" were . committed by persons not associated with the ball. "N.Z. "Truth" admires the spirit which prompted. the councillors to broach the subject at the council meeting. But were they rightly informed? It seems very 'much though they have. allowed their conscientiousness to make 1 a mountain! out of a mole-hill. It was only m a half-hearted manner that they tackled the subject.. They were not 6ven bold enough to identify the "Coster Ball with the func- t tion they were referring to. . "N.Z. Truth" appreciates the principle upon which the three councillors were guided. The new Town Hall is^ . a modern and dignified edifice, and *;" citizens would not desire that within its four walls, there should be conduct- ! - - ed : entertain-

ments likely to • defile that "dignity. '. ,i No one can i dispute the fact that from one aspect the Coster Ball was a bit on the wild side, but , when it comes to . throwing put ";? daTk hints indis- " criminately and . ■without confirmation, a coun^ cillor is § doing an injustice to his

fellow citizens, casting a stain on the, early history of the public's beautiful hall, and doing 'the city more harm than#good. ' . At all events, the discussion at the council table has created a bad ' odor, and -if the' 'gentlemen concerned can rake up anything to substantially confirm their remarks it would be a good plan for;>ttiem to do so with' outspoken candour, and thus clear the air. y' ;i "■-" : -' : ■;'■ ' ■