DIRECT ACTION!

Waipukurau Press, Volume XXVIII, Issue 116, 11 May 1932, Page 3

DIRECT ACTION!

Damage In Wellington

WINDOWS MAIN OBJECTIVE

CARS UPSET BY BIOTERS

(Per Press Association) WELLINGTON, Last Night. The wide, defenceless and half deserted Lambton Quay gave an invitation that the minority of the crowd at Parliament Buildings could hardly resist. Speeches were listened to with growing impatience as the cry: “Up the town! Up the town!” became more insistent. At 5.50 p.m. the irresponsibles began to move. Twenty or more of the boldest of them were in the van and the crowd turned on its heels to flow slowly after them. Like a Pack of Wolves The first incident was the upsetting of a Hindu’s fruit barrow that stood in the Quay on the western side near Bowen Building. Part of the main wrecking party which consisted all through, of about 20 or 25 men, some young and mostly well dressed, advanced on the barrow and tipped it over. The fruit was picked up in handfuls for use as missiles. Men fell on it like a pack of wolves.

From the fruit barrow possibly camo a small length of four by two that broke the first window, that of a leather and bag shop. The tinkle of glass acted like magic. A moment later a lemonade bottle was hurled at another window and an orgy of window breaking began.

It was the absence of police in the initial stages that enabled the wreckers to progress so rapidly. Crashes, the sound of splintering plate glass, and the noise of windows falling to pieces were more frequent in the lower part of Lambton Quay than anywhere else on the journey, but while this was going on a crowd of men surrounded an empty motor car standing at the kerb outside the Occidental Hotel. Cars Overturned

They heaved it and turned it over on its side where; it remained between the kerb and the eastern set of tramlines. Another car stood a few yards away. It, too, was turned over, this time with, a bump that must have damaged it. Car windows were broken also.

At about this point the second fruit barrow had provided further ammunition. On the other side of the road from the barrow and a little ahead of it was Messrs. Kircaldie and Stains’ drapery establishment with its long line of large plate glass windows reaching the length of the block. The wreckers were suddenly aware of it.

They abandoned the side they had so far principally damaged and rushed across the road to Kircaldie’s. Nine or ten immense windows were broken in quick succession. The D.I.C. came next, but al-

though it afforded, equal opportunities, only three or four of its windows were broken. Arrival of Police When the crowd was at Grey street not far past the D.I.C. the police arrived in twos at the double. They ran on ahead armed with batons, looking for the malefactors. Suddenly a handful of them darted back. There Was a scuffle and a man was batoned and: overcome in the centre of the Quay. Grey Street was the scene of the first real clash. A well-known woman Communist figured in the scene. Two men were knocked down in a rush and they lay in the centre of the road opposite Messrs Whitcombs and Tombs. Further police arrived from time to time, but they met with no active resistance. At the Willis street intersection a large number of special constables marched into position and blocked the road, standing in lines across the width of Willis street. The crowd could no longer move forward as it had, but meanwhile the wreckers had been well ahead and doing their work in Willis street. Damage to Windows The offices of the 11 Evening Post” were passed by inconsequentually. One of the wreckers thought better of it, however, and returned. He lifted up a small bill board and hurled it at the large front window, but his aim was not good and the window was not damaged. A neighbouring butcher’s shop,, was badly damaged and considerably despoiled. Opposite it a pawnbroker’s windows were also smashed and a large amount -of stock taken. There were a number of street arrests and the wreckers were checked completely at the intersection of Manners street and Cuba street.

Window damage was worst in the low’cr half of Lambton Quay. Looting, occurred very little, and that for the most part seemed in Willis street. Scant attention was paid to Manners street, although a tailor’s shop was rather severely damaged.

At. 7 o’clock, rather more than an hour after the first fruit barrow had been upset, the main streets were being emptied. Stocks were being removed from shop windows and protections were being put up. There was the sound of hammering outside business premises. The police and large numbers of special constables were at their posts, and only the damage and theaftermath of excitement remained. The arrests already reported total 21.