STEADY STREAM OF TRAFFIC

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 205, 15 September 1937, Page 6

STEADY STREAM OF TRAFFIC

Accommodation Taxed to Utmost KEEN ENTHUSIASM Several thousands of visitors arrived at Napier yesterday and this morning to witness the star attraction of Hawke's Bay's 1937 football representative programme the match with the touring South African side. Since yesterday morning a stream of visitors, which gradually increased in voluine as this morning progressed, has poured into the town, coming from most parts of the North Island and by varied means of transport. The accommodation at McLean Pfirk this afternoon was taxed to the utmost. La-st evening the Napier streets aiul pieture theatres were crowdcd with visitors, who were among the oarly arrivals, but their numbers were as nothing to those who sweilcd the ranks during the morning. By ear, traiu, ancl aeroplane. the -football euthusiasts gathered, there being an abnost eontinuous stream of private cars entering the town in tlie' later part of the moriiing. Excursion trains from Palmerston North and Waipukurau were both crowded, bringlng in all well over 2000 visitors for the game. A later train from Hastings was described by a railway official as ''having passongers everywhere but on the roof." Other arrivals included two full planes from Gisborne, and heavy bokings on all car services to Napier. Hotel bookings for last night and to-night at the hotels of the district give a fair indieation of the proportions of the influx of visitors. The effect of the match has been felt by most hotels in tlie district and by those in and near Napier in particular. Of 14 public hotels in and around Napier questioned during the morning all reported that available accommodation was taxed 1o the utmost limits. Many had been t'orced to turn visitors away, and iu others shakedowns had been prepared in sittiug-rooms and the like. Visitors From Al'ar. In addition, many hundreds of visitors, many of them from far away. bave liad accommodation arranged with Lriends for several weeks past. From all narts of the Dominion tlie visitors

| flocked in. Apart from tlie intensive coucentration of Hawke's Bay football | cntLusiasts at Napier to-day, the largest numbers of visitors seem Lo have c-ome from the Manawatu and Wanganui distriets. Place names mentioned 1 ijy hotel praprietors indicate that Mas- | i orton. Wellington, Auckland, Palmer- • -ton North, Taihape, Wanganui, Gis- ! borue, Wairoa. Foxton, Woodville, and .South Island visitors will bo among ! • hose present at McLean Park to-day. i Among the speetators were several . v. iiose deeds in New Zealand Rugby in ! past ycars liave ,riade them famous. • The famons "Moke'' Bellis, who ar-,-ived last even'.ug. Maurice Brownlie, : .Jack Swain, one of the New Zealand = selectors, Mark Nicliolls, a tnember of the Hawke's Bay Rugby Union, Bert (rrensi(ff. wil] be some of tlie well j known players who witnessed the match. Others of interest are Hope Gibbons, a member of the earliest Hawke's Bay sides, and J. Petersen, a member of the 1910 Hawke's Rav team which defeated Auckland on the old rocreation ! ground by 10 to ml. • j The visitors spent last evening as tho guests of pictnre theatres in Napier, while manv pf them were seen on . the Rlarine Parade earlier. This morning, easily reengnisable by their green bla/.ers with a p'romment Springbok emblem on the breast pocket, ihey strolled through the town in tho sunshine. Two of them sniilingly posed to have their photographs snapp-ed at the request of a young woman with a camern Heavy stand Bookings. Five ininutcs afler n:ne o'elork this morning Ihe last seat in the 11 if'.l of Ihe tempnrary stands wa? sold at the Hawke's Bay Rugby Union oiiicn. Por the past few day.s, mmor, but eonsistcnt quenes bave waited at the office, and yesterday the press became so great that t.h? officers of the union' were forcea to lock the doors in order that they could bank the caslt colleeted during the day. . Tho selling of all the temporarv stand seats meant, that seating aceommodation for 6780 people had been arranged. The many people who were turned away during the morning were t'orced to talce their chanees with the remaming 3200 temporarv spats of planks of boxes, arranged at oithcr end of Ihe ground. In addition 4000 school children arrived under the supervision of their masters from Daanevirke. Hastings, and Napier schools n1 about 31 a.tn., and were senfed on planks on the grounds, also at tlie ends ( Trouble Over Gear. Trouble regarding gear has befallen Lhe visitors as well us the All Blacks. Following the loss of a vaiuuble pair oi sliorts by the All Black. K. ]\I. McKenzie, during the first Test, comes now the news that Ihe Soutli Africans left Christchurch for Napier without their jerseys. They harl been sent to a laundry, and when called for the estalv lishment, was shut. The vitnl equipment was rushed to I'a Imorst.on Norlh from Christchurch by air nnd from there sent 011 to Napier, nrriving enrly this morning. Al some pnrt of the period of separntion of the tourists i'rom their equipment, some ardent souvenir-hunter had eommandcered oue of the jerseys. Trafflc Tlirough Hastings. From an early hour this morning vpiucular trafflc from the southern portion of the province began

through to Napier, Railway and town. -The registration plates of tho cars indicated that distriets outside the Hawke's Bay province were well represented at the match, and shortly before 11 o'clock a procession of nearly 10 cars went through with Wanganui written on them. Railway transport was also popular, for in addition to a packed special train from Palmerston North, the Central Hawke's Bay special football excursion train was also well crowded as it passed through Hastings. Bliortly before mid-day and again a little later, two special trains left Hastings conveying several hundred school children 1 and other Rugby euthusiasts. In town itself there was not a great crowd about except in the vicinity of tho bus stand in Railway road, where all the morning there were pledty of people, mainly men, who wero going into the match early to be sure of securing a good view of the play. Somcof the shops closed at the lunch hour, but the majority remained open, tliough in .nearly every instance a good perceutage of the staff was allowcd off to go to tlie match.