RIOTOUS BEHAVIOUR.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 14647, 3 July 1918, Page 7

RIOTOUS BEHAVIOUR.

SOLDIERS CAUSE TROUBLE. WILD SCENES IN WELLINGTON

Riotous behavior on the part of a large batch, of wounded soldiers who arrived m Wellington on Friday kept the city more than 1 lively during the) afternoon and evening, says a Welling-, ton paper. Many free fights took place m the streets, and rowdyism was general. A large number of the men were hopelessly drunk. Fortunately there was only one casualty. One of the soldiers, a man named Charles Kenny, fell down m Manners street' and received a concussion. He had to be taken to the hospital. His condition is not serious. The soldiers waxed more and more noisy as the afternoon advanced. Many wounded and sick men were Seen staggering along m a drunken condition. In Manners street there was a set-to amongst some of the men. They were not satisfied with the touch they had had of war, and wanted more. A crowd of a hundred or .more people gathered, and the fight waxed fiercer. Tactful interference prevented serious trouble. In the meantime similar fights were going on m other parts of the town. Rings were formed round the contestants as they engaged m their war-like behavior. The . Mount Cook police were compelled to arrest four men for their unruly behavior. Then the visitors endeavored to pick up trouble with the local soldiers, and there was more trouble. News of the disturbances reached the ears of the officers m charge of the men, and a picket set forth to restore order. Unfortunately the members of the picket were too anxious to do justice to themselves, and visited a number of hotels to prepare themselves for the fray. Eventually they became worse than the men they were sent out to arrest. The wild behavior m the various part^ of the city continued* Another picket had to be sent out. Whether it fell m the way of the same temptation as its predecessors is not quite clear. In any case, nothing seems to have been heard of it. The civil police took a tactful hand m affairs, and succeeded m rounding up some of the troublesome ones. Cab-loads of inebriated soldiers were hustled off to their quarters. Up .till 8 or 9 p.m. soldiers were straggling back m various stages of intoxication. The men had leave until 6, p.m., but, judging from appearances, only a few kept their appointments with their superior officers. The fact that such, a large body of men — some of them badly "wounded — were let loose m the city at their own sweet, will appears to be inexplicable. Many severe comments on the disgraceful scenes were heard. As a result it is understood that all the city hotels are to be placed out of bounds for those soldiers concerned.

The city police had an anxious time. By a tactful handling of the troublesome soldiers they managed to avert serious trouble.