SYDNEY SATURNALIA.

Otago Witness, Issue 2809, 15 January 1908, Page 18

SYDNEY SATURNALIA.

NEW YEAR "FESTIVITIES." MOB RULE IN THE STREETS. (From Oub Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, January 8. Passengers who arrived by the Marama to-day and who were in Sydney during the recent holidays paint rather a sad picture of the conduct of the people in the city at holiday time. Mr T. Dwan says that larrikinism was rampant. He adds that a new instrument of horror known as-, a detonating- stick was carried by every hoodlum in the place, and these were struck on the footpath behind unsuspecting people, a noise resembling the simultaneous discharge of a dozen guns was produced, and many citizens were put in a state of nervous prostration. The sale of the sticks has now been prohibited, and the use of them I has been made an offence against the by- ' ' laws. j | Regarding the doings on New Year's i Eve the Sydney Morning Herald says: — ] i " The opinion was forcibly expressed that j ' the police authorities will be compelled, in I the interests of public safety and public i morality, to make stringent provisions in , ' order to prevent a recurrence of such ! scenes. It is difficult to realise that in a. I big city like Sydney, brilliantly illuminated j , by electricity and patrolled by police, it is j 1 possible for respectable women to be j indecently assaulted on every hand by large bodies of young, well-dressed men I who on 364 days of the year are reg-arded las eminently respectable. The conduct of a large proportion of the crowds is without parallel in the history of the Commonwealth. Indeed, it has probably never been approached on a similar occasion in any civilised country in the world. A . wave of lunacy appeared to pass over the crowd, and thousands of young men and men of middle age, too, were guilty of acts of gross impropriety. No woman was safe from their clutches, and unattended females were openly assaulted in view of thousands of people. Occasionally a culprit was levelled to the ground by a blow from an indignant spectator, but those on mischief bent so greatly outnumbered the self-controlled citizens that interference even to protect a female was regarded as a dangerous proceeding. It is not contended for one moment that the assaults / were attended with serious consequences, j but they were humiliating in the greatest , degree. Perhaps the most outrageous of j all the acts were committed in Martin j place and along the promenade of the j General Post Office. The thoroughfare towards 11 o'clock at night was so .densely packed that movement was difficult, and a ruffianly mob, composed, to all appear- | ances, of the sons of reputable and pros- J perous citizens, took complete possession. '. Among the lower type in Woolloomooloo blue metal was resorted to as a- means of overcoming the police, while in one in- ' stance an unpopular constable was hustled into a bonfire which he had declared muet { be extinguished. It was everywhere evident that the police were completely over- ,' powered and absolutely unable to prevent the molestation of females. For a couple of hours the crowd ran riot." The larrikins of Woolloomooloo were evidently not content with one night's festivities to usher out the old year a,nd to welcome the new, for they continued causing annoyance and trouble. On Thursday night the police of the Woolloomooloo station had more work to do than they could manage, and Sub-inspector Spence, who has charge of the district, was forced to call for reinforcements. About the wharves the larrikinism was most noticeable. _ Several bonfires' were • lit, and when the police attempted to extinguish them they were stoned by a mob numbering close upon 1000. About 9 o'clock one particularly hig -bonfire was 6tarted. and it was found necessary to call out the fire brigade. One of the police officers when spoken to said that while the " pushes " were allowed to light the fires it would be impossible to preserve order, as the fires formed centres around which the crowds congregated. „ I ~ I A notification has been issued by the New Zealand bishops of the Church of England of their desire that no clergymen should fee married within three years of their ordination to the diaconate.