CIVIC DISRUPTION

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 7, Issue 55, 10 March 1944, Page 5

CIVIC DISRUPTION

POP EYE THE ROOSTER Trall'.ie was disorganised, pedes, trianjs inconvenienced, and the whole town was brought to a stand s'till on Wednesday at about 5.30 p.m. when a rooster belonging to one of the local fruilerers escaped into the Strand, Whakatane, and caused havoc and disruption by scuttling through the main street with a mob of howling citizens in hot pursuit. Whether it was the presence of a local custodiaii of the law, or whether the bird felt that he was losing ground is hard to say; sufficient it was that the bird suddenly soared up on to the roof .of Bridger's buildings, and remained perched there on a narrow ledge.' Two hardy adventurers stepped forth, and volunteered to "snatch" the bird off the ledge, but after a perilous: journey tip to it, the bird "gave tlicm the bird" again and fluttered down on to the street once more, using the roof of a handy car to break its fall. The crowd hemmed it in, .but once again it eluded them, and, this time raced across the street and up the stairs leading to Pridcaux and Bridger's ofTices. Now he was well and truly trap-, ped. The public had the situation well in hand. Gently his pursuers egged him on and lie retreated "ac-: cording to plan" till he was at the end of the coxridor. Then, with his; back to the wall, they pounced on him; .smothered him; hog-tied him, hamstrung him. and presented him to his owner who sc.t oil towards home with a grim iook on her face, and a dejected mass ol' rooster under her ariii. We were wondering if poultry was on the menu to-day! 1