King’s Day Holiday Attracts Record Crowd To Wanganui

Wanganui Chronicle, 8 June 1948, Page 4

King’s Day Holiday Attracts Record Crowd To Wanganui

King’s Day holiday attracted a record crowd to Wanganui yesterday, principal attractions being the annual Rugby clash between Wanganui and Taranaki at Spriggens Park and the second day of the Wanganui Jockey Club's winter meeting. The weather was fine and sunny, but there was a bleak easterly wind which persisted throughout the day and reduced temperatures considerably.

A crowd estimated at 6000 saw Taranaki defeated by 20 points to nine at Spriggens Park. The stand was packed and every vantage point was dense with spectators. When the match ended more than half the crowd streamed into the racecourse through the gates provided between the football ground and the course. The combined attraction of two njajor sporting fixtures resulted in heavy traffic over all roads leading to Wanganui yesterday morning. From nine o’clock onward there was a continual stream ot traffic into the city, the cars branching off Victoria Avenue at the intersections with Ridgway, Guyton or Ingestre Streets. Traffic along Guyton Street to the main entrance of Spriggens Park reached its peak shortly after 10.15 a.m., when the match between Wanganui and Taranaki was scheduled to begin. One of the City Council traffic inspectors was on duty at this point, and anothei- was stationed al the Guyton Street railway crossing, near the main entrance to the racecourse. A third city inspector was directing traffic at the entrance to parking areas on the racecourse. By 10.15 a.m. every available parking space in the vicinity of Spriggens Park was occupied and in places cars were three deep along the side of the road. The lines of parked cars extended well into Sarjeant Street, and down Guyton Street into Heads Road. Purnell Street was also thick with parked cars and dozens of cycles were parked along the fence between the railway line and Purnell Street. Though traffic to Spriggens Park had eased off, there was still a heavy stream to the racecourse, and by 11 o’clock, when the first race was timed to begin, all parking space in the area on the racecourse reserved for members was full. At this stage there was room for about 100 more cars in the public parking area on the racecourse, but this was also full by early in the afternoon.

Streets adjacent to the racecourse were lined on. both sides by parked cars. City Council traffic inspectors had a particularly busy morning, but in spite of the heavy volume of cars there was no congestion. Main highways north and south of Wanganui were patrolled all morning by Transport Department traffic inspectors from Ohakune, Wanganui, Marton and Hawera. They reported that traffic was very thick and much heavier than on Saturday. Two trains, one from Palmerston North and Marton, and another from Hawera, also brought large crowds to Wanganui, arriving in time for the first race. No specials were run because of shortage of coal, but existing services had additional cars and the departure of the usual 4 p.m. train from Wanganui to Hawera was delayed till 4.50 p.m. for the convenience ot race patrons.