THE HOLIDAYS.

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 1 May 1919, Page 3

THE HOLIDAYS.

Never before in the history of Auckland was there such a demand for accommodation at the hotels and boarding-houses, and alto the apartment-houses, as j there was this Easter. The pro- | prietor of one good-class hotel says he could have booked another 200 guests for Easter week if he had had any ■leeping accommodation* to offer them, and other hotel and boardinghouse proprietors tell the same story. On Thursday evening numbers of unfortunate strangers were perambulating the city and suburbs up to a late hour at night offering tempting prices for any kind of a place to sleep in, and in most cases their applications were reluctantly refused. The story goes that one man who pleaded earnestly with the landlady of a suburban boarding" house to put him up for a day or two, and was told it was no go, finally offered five shillings to be allowed a shake-down in the bath-room. After some hesitation the lady of the house consented to this arrangement, " cash in advance." The applicant paid the money, and turned in about 11 p.m., being given a blanket and a rug by way of bedclothing. But the bath-room proved cold and terribly draughty so the lodger having ascertained that the bath was quite dry, decided to camp inside it, using his kit-bag as a pillow. Unfortunately there was no fock and no bolt on the bath-room door, and the occupant of the bath was rudely awakened about 12.30 by torrent of warm water descending upon him. One of the regular boarders, as ill-luck would have it, returning home shortly before midnigt, " slightly under the influence," conceived the idea that a warm bath would be a good thing to indulge in, and 'without waiting to put in the plug, or even to light the gas, he .turned on Jbhe hot-water tap — and then the trouble began !