THE RUGBY TEST

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 218, 14 August 1937, Page 9

THE RUGBY TEST

SHOWERS AT WELLINGTON. CROWDS POUR INTO GROUND. Per .Press Association. WELLINGTON, Aug. 14. The gates at Athletic Park were opened at 9 o’clock this morning, by which time there were some 3000 people outside the turnstiles in Rintoul Street and another crowd at the turnstiles at the top of the Western Bank. Some had waited in the queue outside since before midnight, and in the early hours this morning the number had grown till at 7 o’clock there were about 150. The Rintoul Street queue increased rapidly after 7 o’clock and from 8 o’clock onwards people lucre arriving in droves by a continuous stream of trams laden with men, women and children, while hundreds .more were passing along the streets on foot, laden with rugs, cushions and food. A strong southerly wind set in last night with sharp rain squalls. The wind is still in the south, but it has lightened. Rain showers still keep coming iqt, but they are not heavy and, in the main, the overhead conditions are clear. These conditions promise to continue. The crowd will find it cold, but not otherwise very unpleasant. There has been a tremendous influx of people from all parts. They have been arriving by road and rail from all over the North .Island and big complements have come over from the south by boat from Lyttelton. The air services are also busy running extra trips. The indications are that De Villiers will he scrum half and that the flyhalf will be Craven, if the weather is wet, and Harris, if it i 6 fine. The New Zealand team returned to town this morning.

VISITORS TO TEST

SUCCESSION OF TRAINS

Eight special trains to-day passed through Palmerston North tor Wellington, and one left this centre at 6.30 a.m., all bound for YVellington. Few seats were vacant, the general view being when a “Standard” reporter made enquiries this morning, that each train might be said to be carrying its capacity load, about 300 passengers. In the case of through special trains, from Auckland there was an aggregate of 1700 passengers, and Main Trunk and Limited expresses each carried their full complement, thus adding another 600, although all those passengers were not necessarily bound for the Test match. Two special trains passed through from Napier, carrying about 800 persons in all, and there were others from Wanganui, Stratford, New Plymouth, and Taumarunui, all fully occupied. The special train from Palmerston North did not carry as many passengers as expected, there being 6ome 250 leaving here. The train would, however, be fully occupied by the time it reached Wellington, the reporter was told. • . The first of the three special trains to leave Auckland, at 2.20 p.m. yesterday, did not /carry a great number of passengers but it was fully booked further down tho line. The second train, leaving at 3.50 p.m. took a greater number, but there was a definite exodus from the northern city by the last one, leaving at 5.40 p.m.. when nearly 500 people were on board. There was a little excitement as one or two passengers expressed themselves in some unintelligible haka, but the amusement of the crowd was quicklv dispelled through, an accident in which a woman was injured. The woman apparently remained in a carriage too long and jumped off as the train was gathering speed. She was removed to hospital bv ambulance. The last train by which "Wellington could be reached was the Limited express, arriving there just prior to 10 a.m. The other trains passed through here during the night. Motor traffic hound to YVellington was particularly heavy last evening. A Palmerston North resident who left YY T ellingon at 5 o’clock stated that the traffic on the roads proceeding to Wellington reminded him of the conditions on the roads during the evacuation of the Napier residents after the earthquake. Driving conditions, meeting so many cars, were extremely trying, and our informant stated thu* the glaring headlight question was worse than ever