A NIGHT AT WAIHI.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1589, 5 November 1912, Page 8

A NIGHT AT WAIHI.

DISORDERLY CROWD. AND THE MOUNTED CONSTABLES., . (By Tclcijraph—l'rcss Association.) VVaihi, November 4..; A remarkable ecciio was. ; enacted intlie Main Street, on Saturday ■ evening;. /as., the .out.6o.me of a big rally by the.unemployed ' and . their women I'olk, chiefly , directed against one or more .prominent contractors wlio had resumed, work. During the at'tprnSon there /were lions of unusual activity amongst iho ■men arid ,women, and .at an early boiirin ■thu . evening the usual Saturday'.night's.. sightseers thronged, tie ffla'in .street;.; ■■ By way ot a curtain-raiser to the. big tally ■ of unemployed and its sensational sequel, ill-smelling eggs were projected iiidisc'rimiuately amongst the crowd in tlifitrent streets. . , '• The signal for the'.;..rally<■ was...the-ap-. pearanco'of the contractor referred to. His presence had an almost: startling ef- .. feet on the women. As ho camo withm range of Vision, with a great cry they .. rushed towards 1 him, ; hqwl iug and hurling ;. ail kinds of epithets.. .They" were': quiokly | joined: by otters,- and presently thoso lu . the Miners' Hall niade their exit, • and helped to Swell the increasing uumberi - which consisted mostly bf wmen and girls, and pandemonium ensued. ! Prior to this there were-.only ten police on' street duly. After the first un'.iauglit . by the wonien the contractor turned back, and the crowd went after him. Later ho waii followed Up the. main 6treet by a j ellwg. crowd.. At the street curlier the . poiico . took a determined • stand, - and barred progress. The mob,' with -the women in th.e lead, were 'forcibly pushed' back amongst the oncoming crowd. ■- At this juncture' mountc4 constables swept up the main street, scattering tho crowd from right to left, most of them ne?ing on to tho already congested pavements on the . other .side; of the street. On reaching, the corner,. tho chief point- . oi interest, a constable tcxlo on to the pavement right into the thickest' of ■ the howling,'excited crowd. .Downtho footpath ho rode, scattering' men and..WGm'en,'' . in all directions. Those armed with wad- ■ dies and sticks dropped theni,..in their frantic efforts, to get out of the way of the horse. Many rushed through and over M'Glashin's timber-yard" fence. Amongst thoso who adopted this means of esca.pe, says an eye-witness, 'was Mr. Semplo. , The scene opposite the Miners' Union ' Hall as the mounted constable approach- : ed almost beggars 'description.' Men and • women fought their way into the narrow enhance of the hall, many of. the women, it is said, being thrust aside by the men in their eagerness to get inside. . ■ Meanwhile,. an immensethrong had 1 as- ; sembled on the opposite pavement. After elfectuaUf clearing the pavement on the Union Hall .side of. the street; r the'constable directed his attention to the other ■ side. ■' Thero he repeated the same performance, dashing on, to. the footpath; The crowd rushed for shelter in all man- - ner of places. .. . Within five to ten minutes of the "appearance on tho scene of the mounted . . police, the mob were dispersed, and com- ■ parativo quiet restored.. , A .remarkable, .'future of' tie : incident ■ was that, nobody was injured. ■ UNWATERING THE MINE. Waihi,;.November 4. After nearly 6ix months' of'' pumping at the Waihi mine the work .of unwatering was commenced this morning.' At 1 ; . p.m. tho water shaft: had been reduced by two feet eight. Additional experienced.. milters- went oa i to-day.