REOPENING THE PORT.

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14833, 26 November 1913, Page 9

REOPENING THE PORT.

AN BARLT MORNING.' INVASION.

BT FORCES OF LAW AND ORDBB.

STIRRING SCENES; AT LYTTBLTON.

The "special" constables' who Have been so splendidly organised undsr Col.Cbuffey. And-staff, and so Well drilled at the Show Ground, left Addington yesterday morning on their mission to re-open the Port, and bring it into line with the other chief ports of .tb<» Dominion. ' , The mounted men rod© out lit'force about 8 a.m., and crossed the hills in two divisionfl.' The main division,w<Hit up the Hackthorne road, and via Dyer's Pass and Governor's Bay, to Lytteitort. A smaller division of splendidly mounted mea. and fine riders cut etraigbt' across country t climbing one face "of tho hills and descending the Other, over tussocks, rocks, and eliiffl. Bach division had a glorious ride on ft perfect morning. The resistance that has been so loudly vaunted, and that led to diviaions of strikere going <mt armed to meet night incursions which never dame, was conspicuously absent. - The fact that the expedition chose broad daylight, and in force, led to a complete change in the strikere' plans. While the mounted men were on their long rido through the. eunshiae, j the foot men were being conveyed through the tunnel by special train leaving Addihgton at 6 a.ndu; the whole movement so arranged that the arrivals might synchronise, and carried out with, most commendable precision. LYTTELTON EXPECTANT. .At the Port the morning was glorious. There wae uot a cloud in thesky, not a breath of wind, and the hilleneireled sound was a ihing of beauty. Aft the morning advanced, several uniformed police turned out by one into the streets. Sub-Inspector McKinnon, in Charge of the police in Canterbury, I and Senior-Sergeant Kyan, in charge of tho Lyttelton Station, paced up and down talking earnestly. At about sis o'clock one or two strikers appeared, and a few thirsty eoUls made for the hotels. Disappointment awaited them. At 6 a.m. the Lyttelton hotels had been feerved with notices signed by the magistrate ordering them to close until further notice. ADVANCE GUARD AIUUVES. At about a quarter to six, eight men were observed in two knots on the skyline of tho hills overlooking the tunnel. There was speculation as to whether they were strikers' pickets or "specials," but a few minutes later, ! about 50 on foot were seen marching i down tho Bridle Path from tbo direction of Heatbcoto. The "specials" had ! afrived at last. Further hatches of foot- | men. came from tho same direction, until finally 150 men of tho advance guards were advancing on Lyttelton down the Bridle track. Simultaneously, 150 mounted men swung into view riding along the Go* vernor'a Bay road and two moro bodies

of mounted men 150 strong appeared on the heights at the back of Lyttelton in the direction of Mount Pleaaanb. Obviously every precaution had been taken to prevent any evilly disposed etone-ihrowers mating trouble from the street faces. PEACEFUL PICKETING. . Whilst the advance guard from Heathcote doubled to th* ttinnel to guard the entrance, thirty Uniformed poliee<and detective* took up apoeitiob - at the lyttelton railway station, and" the men of the warebip Psyohe, with bayonets fixed, paraded on No., 3 wharf. At ,6.25, a pilot engine cam© through the tunnel from Chrlitchurch, - - and fire minutes later It WM followed "f by a long train conveying 800 special ' fopt Wtnstahlee. - ■ . Simultaneously, the men who had • come by road matched into the teWn,it was a splendid and epeoteaular exhibition of a weH-thouefifr-out *nd Well Jajtecuted movement deeignod to care -. rash and ill-advUed men from the tw-. tics that would hare broilght trouble . upon them by taking predautioa* against every possible Contintfinc*. Imniediately after their airou the* foot "spociftls" were marched to u«(r , stations around the wharree, whilrt tho > ' mouhted patrolled the adjoiiuog itrteii; ' ARRIVAL OF *HB WOBKBfIS. — . The train that brought tit* "fiftt&iale" conveyed also a number of _ - Arbitration waterside workers, mem- . beri of the new union. TheyWeoeovey«l to their houseboat, the Tβ Aa«ii| ' by the Harbour Board tag Lytielton* ~~ olieore being givoti by the 'lipeoiaU" ba ' the tvhnrf for the tlaw worseta «c the vessel moved away shortly before 8 o.'clock. ' •