CITY CROWDS GREET NEW YEAR

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 83, 2 January 1935, Page 10

CITY CROWDS GREET NEW YEAR

4 ■ . '■ « Wellington Celebrations a big gathering at POST OFFICE Although December 31 was a comparatively quiet day in Wellington, a large number of city dwellers having taken advantage of rhe fine ■ weather and journeyed “out of town,” the New Year was ushered in- with customary noise and celebration. The crowds which assembled in the principal streets after dark and until long after midnight contrasted with the daytime throngs, being larger than for many years. On Monday morning and during the afternoon city provision shops were well patronised, householders hastening to lay in stocks to tifle them over the holiday. General retail trade, however, was not notably large In volume. The majority of holidaymakers made their way to beaches and riverside resorts, where still another day of sunshine was enjoyed in spite of a strong northerly breeze. /■ In the early evening the city was' quiet, there being no late shopping night to attract patrons. City theatres were filled early, after which the gailylighted streets were almost deserted. It was not until the theatres emptied and laughing, chattering crowds invaded cabarets and moved from restaurant -to restaurant that the New Year atmosphere became apparent. Record Crowd Assembles. I ’, Toward midnight, Wellington’s traditional New Year’s Eve open-air meeting place—the Post Office Square —was filled to overflowing with what is believed to be a record crowd. A

band played popular airs while a piper strode from group to group playing bravely to an accompaniment of squeakers, mouth-organs and a medley of other instrumental small fry. Men and women in evening dress rubbed shoulders with late arrivals from holiday resorts—men and . girls in flannels and sailor suits, tramping outfits and beach pyjamas. The night was’fine and mild, an ideal occasion for outdoor celebration. -As if to mark the passing of the old year, the wind- was stilled to a warm, gentle breeze. As the Clock Struck. At the same time New Year parties were taking place throughout Wellington and suburbs; lights burned late in private houses, and cabarets were packed. Radio enthusiasts ]istened-in to a survey of the past year’s events; politicians and others framed good resolutions for the future. A few moments before the Post Office clock began to strike the hour of midnight a fire engine screamed through the streets toward Wadestown, where a gorse fire glowed and' spread. Unlucky firemen; they saw the New Year in while “on the job.” the crackle of flames drowning the sound of bells and hooters; At the midnight hour the waiting crowd was stilled and expectant. Then with the sound of the first note came the blowing of whistles on the waterfront and in the railway yards, a sudden burst of sound that echoed among the hills and over the still harbour waters.. Bells, sirens and motor-horns took up the signal and for nearly five minutes the New Year was' given a triumphant welcome. In Post Office Square the crowd cheered spontaneously again and again while the band played “Auld Lang Syne” and the “Old Hundredth.” As the volume of sound subsided the piper could be heard playing steadily on. , Carillon Bells ‘Take Part. On the other side of the city the War Memorial Carillon bells, the sound of which was broadcast from 2YA, also played “Auld Lang Syne” and “O God, Our Help in Ages Past.” The explosions of fireworks in various parts of the city punctuated the silence that followed, while in all parts of the country New Zealanders charged their glasses or clasped hands, and voiced the age-old wish for a happy and prosperous year to come. Until the early morning little knots of revellers remained in the lighted streets, loth to abandon the celebrations of the night. Singing and sky-, larking, they made their way, homeward to sleep through the first dawn Of 1935. Yesterday in bright sunshine there was a general exodus to the benches and a movement toward the scenes of Various New Year’s Day attractions.. All holiday resorts were crowded until the rain, so welcome to farmers and gardeners, began to fall in the early afternoon. Across the Harbour. The New Year was given a warm reception at the east harbour bays. From early in the evening hundreds of young people, and older ones, too. paraded the foreshore from Muritai to Lowry Bay, and there was a good deal of quiet merrymaking until the sound of a ship’s-slren floated across the harbour from the Wellington wharves. Then numbers of people let themselves go, merrily exchanging season's greetings, while groups of therii sang “Auld Lang Syne” and other songs appropriate to the occasion; many “christened” themselves in the New Year by taking a plunge in the waters. A piper added to the general din at Muritai. It seemed that everyone in the eastern bays was determined to give the year a fitting welcome, for practically every house was lighted until well after midnight. • First footings were popular, and hundreds of homes must have been visited by those anxious to bring good luck to the residents. Similar jollification was carried on at Lower Hutt, Upper Hutt and Petone, which were gay with people until the small hours. Up till 5 o’clock in the morning strings of motor-cars were to be seen on the roads at all the places mentioned.