CROWDS IMPEDE POLICE

Taranaki Daily News, 16 April 1932, Page 7

CROWDS IMPEDE POLICE

BATONS FREELY EMPLOYED THIRTY ARRESTS REPORTED NUMBER SUFFER INJURY ' By Telegraph.—Press Association. Auckland, Last Night. Groups of special constables became Involved in further actions in Karangahape Road as tho evening advanced. ** Their tactics were to band closely together, two or three deep, and move forward through the surging throng whenever the crash and clatter of a breaking window offered them a point in the confused mass of humanity on which to centre their attentions. Their progress in this fashion was the signal for a storm of shouting and screaming, men and youths hurling oaths upon them and urging each other to “Go for them and stand your ground.” For 20 minutes or more one section of specials was kept moving from place to place in the dense throng by intermittent spasms of window-breaking. No sooner had they turned in one direction than a resounding crash on the opposite side of the street caused them to dash forward, alter their course and make for the place where the offender was thought to be. The crowd impeding them was so closely packed, however, that by the time they reached the spot everyone round the window had scattered and all they could do was to keep a part of the crowd moving until another window was broken on the opposite side of the street, A dozen windows or more were broken in this manner. An announcement that if disturbances similar to that of the past two nights occurred again he would have no hesitation in reading the Riot Act, was made by the Mayor, Mr. G. W. Hutchinson, to-night. “The effect of the reading of the Riot Act will be that one hour after it has been read, if the crowd does not disperse every person who remains in the vicinity will be liable to arrest and imprisonment for life,” the Mayor said. “That would mean that the whole of the streets would be cleared. “As to-night was the late shopping night and the disturbance was purely local I did not consider it was a fair thing to make everyone leave the street and thus disturb business,” added Mr. Hutchinson. “Further, I was relying upon the request I had made through the Press that everyone who proposed to walk the streets out of curiosity should •tay at home. As, however, they did not go home after the shops closed, it will undoubtedly be necessary in future to take sterner measures and bring the public to a realisation of its duties under such circumstances. If there is a further recurrence of the disturbance with an attendant crowd of onlookers, I will not hesitate to read the Riot Act. Those who then elect to remain in the streets must take the consequences.” At a late hour it was ascertained that 30 arrests had been made to-night, principally on charges of rioting and mischief. No actual looting was reported.

The ambulance treated 30 men for minor injuries, and three casco are in fcoepital,