DUNEDIN’S NIGHT-LIFE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17233, 12 April 1930, Page 7

DUNEDIN’S NIGHT-LIFE

EXCITEMENT AT DANCE FEMALES COME TO BLOWS PITCHED BATTLE IN STREET. . The spotlight of publicity was cast by the Dunedin City Council at its last meeting on the conduct of some dances held recently in the city, with special reference to a ball lately held in the Concert Chamber of the Town Hull, for a semi-philantlnopic purpose. Revelations made by the city councillors were mostly of behavior outside the concert hall, and innuendoes that all was not well in the ballroom itself were Hashed across the council table.

Some time ago the council held a frank discussion on the conduct of a dance in a public hall in George street, but probably because the concert hall was held under worthy patronage, the name of the function was not exposed. The City Council discussion, has again directed attention to the need for a stricter supervision over some of the suburban dancing halls. The happenings at one of these dances , the other night are said to have, involved the total abandonment of decorum. This particular dance has no pretensions to being fashionable. By its patrons it is considered to be a homely little affair where those go who cannot afford a more expensive rendezvous, AMAZONIAN BATTLE. The hall became the other night (it is stated) an Amazonian battle ground. Convention*.fickle as it is, expects that girls should be accompanied to dances. At this function many of the girls arrived without partners and were admitted free. ’The trouble started when one of the hail managers objected to two girls dancing together. “The boys are too backward in asking us to dance, and anyway they ..cannot dance,” was the retort of the girls, and the reply whipped the' objector into; anger. Off went the two girls, dipping and swaying flexibly. They were stopped by a lad who demanded that one should sit down again. The girls objected, as the presumptive partner', would not obtain another young man and so amicably separate the girls. RATTLING OF HEADS.

The air in various parts of the hall was already heavy with threats of disturbances. The iad was annoyed, and lie caught the girls by their necks and knocked their heads together. Tile manager then bounded across the floor and threw her weight behind the young man into the argument. Dancing stopped at the promise of a fight, and another young woman pushed l her way through and indiscreetly voiced her opinion of the girls. A diminutive maid then stepped forward and challenged the weightier and more robust intruder to keep quiet. The gauntlet was picked up. Then a male stalwart, who considered he had cause to take umbrage at the conduct of the young man who had endeavored to separate the dancing females, promptly invited the offender to “step outside.” BATTLE IN THE STREET. Sides were taken by nearly all tho patrons, and the dance broke up in disorder. The sequel was that the lads adjourned to a nearby open space to settle their differences, but the girls staged an Amazonian battle in the street. Though outweighed and outreaehed the small girl was the superior modern edition of Boadicea, and she sent her opponent down for the count.

Quite a number of male patrons stood by and watched this unseemly spectacle and only exerted themselves when one of the girls was lying limp and senseless on the pavement.