THE HOLIDAY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 723, 24 January 1910, Page 6

THE HOLIDAY.

IN AND ABOUT THE CITY. MANY AMUSEMENTS. . i. A fairly intelligent stranger,: arriving at about 10.o'clock on Saturday morning at. the place whero five streets and four tramlines meet outside Lambton Railway Station,- would have quickly discovered the various ways in which Wellington people were .'making-holiday. -Polks, in summer attire, were streaming-across the open space from the electric , cars to the railway platform, and from the station to the cars. : Baskets and bundles that meant, picnics were plentiful.; Trams for Lyall Bay, Island Bay, Miramar, 'and Seatoun filled up and went away, and every, incoming car brought passengers for: the trains.Automobiles,. tooted -as they streaked' through the crowd., - Motorbicycles ' clove their distressful way through the mass of holiday-makers,'and the mere cyclist dodged, along almost unnoticed. Now and then a wagonette,'laden with lyouth .and pleasure passed northwards. .Brilliant posters on the Public Works' fence ' proclaimed the merits of a dramatic, performance across the harbour, aiid the attractions of Wonderland. Shrill or raucous cries of "racecards" indicated-that the/'sport of kings" was toward. Standing' just apart from the crowd on the Mulgrave Street-rise, the spectator, could .see on blue water the white . sails which showed .that; the regatta had begun';- ;A. walk along the streets showed .traffic scarce, shops mostly, shut, and overhead oh l the public buildings, the New : Zealaid fiag lifted .by the; breeze Tind kissed by the sun.' The clay fulfilled the morning's promise, and if any of those who were able to tike the. holiday did not tinjoy' it,' the fault was not'with the weather. • • . ..

The Traffic. ') Heavy holiday traffic'on the railways and the, city tramways is reported. ) The races at Trentham, of course, accounted for a large shars-: of- the railway traffic, but there were large.' numbers 'of passengers ; for Plimmerton, the • Hutt Valley, and other ; localities. - , The -. excursion traffic is believed, to. have been fully ' up to the average for' Anniversary Day. The takings on- the tramways .on Saturday' amounted:to 7s. 11$.—a -good: total; though -materially short: of that for' New ..Tear's Dav . (,£C23 14s. I}d.)_. , Harbour steamers. also' did good business. • At Lyall. Bay, , The ideal weather, caused the beach at Lyall Bay (which since the opening . Of the' branch tram line has become one ,of Wellington's most popular resorts) ,to be visited .by many, holiday-makers, on, Satur-, <'ay.: Surf : bathingi and '.paddling; were freely- enjoyed, and. the 'customary, seaside; amusements woro largely patronised., A local committee organised a programme of _ sports, for.' the,; benefit .chiefly of the children,, and, their>.efforts resulted in a great deal, of enjoymeht . - . , < Wonderland. •

Wonderland, ,the popular amusement park at; Miraraar,; was open all day on Saturday.\ -Special. facilities were provided for picnic parties, and large .titimhers availed themselves of the. opportun- , ity-.of 'spending a; few hours 'amidst pleasant surroundings', and. with ample ! means of on ; 'every- side.The 'chute, the toboggan-slide, the. helter-skelter, Kat-: zenjammer-Castle, and th'e other sideshows ' patronised.' - The conservatory; afforded .a "calm retreat for mo ments.TVhßji the merriment outside seemed just-, ar 'little .too insistent -for 'maturer: ears. ,-' In.: the: 'evening: the' grounds. were thofonghly-illriiinifittted' and the '. effect w'as vejx picturesque. : Finally,' 'oiid •' of those brilliant and richl.v-varied : . displays of fireworks,, for. which . Wonderland' is.'famous,' was • witnessed ; Hy a- concourse 1 of appreciative visitors. .

. TO-DA.Y.'S ATTRACTIONS. To-day may. be. called -Anniversary, Day the. second. The diversity of opinion: as to whether . the Saturday or., tho Monday should bo -recognised-as the holiday Resulted,- in. a large 'section selecting' Satuf J 1 day 'and . another;, Monday,; so : the; spectacle will- present, itself to-day' of .iiiany of " the; smaller ! shopkeepers closing ' up their.; establishments,--while the'.rest; of. the . world . hurries in . pureuit of ..business:. The '- attractions -to-day, too, are almost as numerous as. on Saturday.

At Trentham the Wellington Racing Club will- carry out lie second day's programme of its slimmer meeting. With ,the. prospect of, continued.; fine • weather there should be another 'large attendance: ; . .. There are- two cricket , matches :to be played at the. Basin Reserve. One. is between, the Post and Telegraph .elevens of. CKristchurch\and "Wellington,' and :.. the other—to commence; in the afternoon—is between the 'representatives -of.'the . Victoria and Canterbury Colleges. • Both matches.mil last. two. days.. • Excursion steamers will run. to Day's Bay throughout . the., day, and', the tramways' department will:see- that there aro good 1 services, to Lyall Bay'and Seatoun. Bellevue Gardens' and .Maidstone. Park, at 'the' Hutt, imll again;be "thrown 'open to that' section of the public' who ..love to Yrelax" .in 6ylvan'.'' surroundings ''far from the madding crowd." In the evening there irill be ments at His Majesty's Theatre" (Royal Pictures), at the Theatre. Royal (Fuller's Vaudeville ' Company),and St. Thomas's Hall (Star Pictures).