AUCKLAND QUIET

Taranaki Daily News, 18 April 1932, Page 7

AUCKLAND QUIET

STON&THROWER’S ARREST

PEOPLE STILL CONGREGATE

BETTER HUMOUR EVIDENT BARRACADING OF WINDOWS LARGE PROTECTIVE FORCE By Telegraph.—Press Association. i i Auckland, Last Night. ■ Auckland is all quiet this evening, no Serious disturbances having occurred Since Friday night, although over the •week-end the streets have been well filled with people, mostly sightseers, gathering to see if anything should happen. While no incidents comparable to the disturbances in the city and Newton on Thursday and Friday nights took place last night, the congregation of a large number of people at the top of Symonds Street provided an opportunity for an outbreak, but by their tactful handling of the crowd the police were able to disperse them. About 10.30, when the crowd was thinning out, a window in a shop was •broken by a stone-thrower, but the offender waa quickly apprehended and nothing further came of the incident; During the evening groups of men, with a fair sprinkling of women, gathered on the footpaths near the top of ’Symonds Street, most of them being obviously sightseers, for no apparent ■reason. The crowd slowly increased until by nine o’clock there were probably 2000 people in the vicinity. Small parales of uniformed. police mingled, with, the crowd but the special police were not in evidence. For the most part the crowd was in a good-natured mood and appeared to be waiting for something to happen. > SYMONDS STREET CROWD. As an appeal to the crowd to disperse had no effect a detachment of the mounted constabulary was called up, and although they merely rode up one side of Symonds Street and down the other their presence had a sobering effect, and by 10.30 p.m. the area resumed its normal appearance. As soon as the theatre crowds had passed the locality the* extra police... were withdrawn.

Ths authorities hava been thoroughly organised to meet any emergency in all parts of the city and suburbs. Last night strong patrols operated, but there 'were no incidents in Queen Street or the suburbs. . A crowd of about 1000 gathered at the entrances to the Domain this afternoon. The entrances were guarded by -police, of the unemployed having been banned by the authorities. After; about half an hour Mr. J. A. Lee and A. S. Richards, M.’sP., walked through the crowd and proceeded in the direction of the outer domain. They, were followed by the crowd and on arrival in the outer domain -w'ere greeted by cheers by a few 1 hundred there. The members of Parliament persuaded the crowd to sit down and sing songs, but on the approach of a posse of 20 police there was a hostile demonstration. Mr. Lee appealed to the crowd to be orderly and go home. Mrs. Lee accompanied her husband. The crowd gradually dispersed without incident.

• WORKING; OVERTIME.

Men were working overtime to-day boarding up the window., of the shops in Queen Street and the neighbourhood, the owners apparently deciding to take no risk over the week-end. Significant of the present state of affairs is the reappearance after nearly a quarter of a century of shutters in one Shortland Street premises. In Queen Street manyof the shop fronts are being boarded up in a very effective manner. Carpenters are having a busy time and the staffs in some of the big shops have also been helping in this precautionary work. There is similar activity in : all the suburbs, where the shop windows have been cleared of goods. This was done long ago in the city, and timber and roofing iron have been used to barricade the shops. A combined protective force of close on 2000 men was organised for the week-end. It includes police and mounted police, special constables, cavalry and naval detachments. A conference lasting nearly two hours was held at. the drill hall this morning. It was attended by ths Mayor, Mr. G. W. Hutchison, representatives of the police and volunteer forces, the navy, the transport board and the harbour board. General organisation for the protection of the city and suburbs was discussed. “I have nothing to' say except that arrangements were made for future action in the event of trouble,” said the

Mayor at the conclusion of the conference. “The force of special police tonight approaches two thousand. The Mayor announced yesterday that he had made arrangements with the Labour Department for the City Council's “stand-down” week, in which only 200 relief men are employed and which normally would be next week, to be postponed, and the council will provide work for 900 men instead ot 200. Dor this one week only the men will be paid each night as they leave work. The effect of this will be tuat all men who lost any time for any cause whatever in. the week ending to-day may make up the lost time if they report on their jobs on Monday. The. Governor-General has sent the following message to the Mayor of Auckland:— ‘You and your city have my deepest sj mpathy in your present distresses. 1 earnestly trust that reasonable counsels will now prevail and that the city’s traditional high reputation for the observance of law and order will be speedily re-established.” “ -‘I desire that every civilian should realise , that the police have now full authority to clear the streets,” said the Mayor, Mr. Hutchison, this afternoon. • if any trouble arises owing to people being assembled I will read the Riot Act to force spectators off the thoroughfares, and if they do not then disperse they will be liable for prosecution on a criminal charge. All meetings in public places are prohibited.”' °