CROWDS. IN STREETS

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 201, 18 April 1932, Page 5

CROWDS. IN STREETS

(Press. Assn.-

JNCIPIENT OUTBREAK IN OUTER POMAIN ' ' : CHECKED SITUATION UNDER CONTROL

-By Telegraph— Copyright).

AUCKLAND, Sunday.. Auckland was all quiet cin Sunday afternoon 'a'nd no serio.us disttirbances bavfe' ofcctirred since priday night, though1 oVfe¥ the week-end the st'reets " hive been well filled "with "people, mostly sight-seers, ga'thering' to see if anything should happen. While there were no further instances of the trouble' and disturbances in the City such as occurred ih Newton on Thufsday and Ffiday,' on Saturday night the congfegation of a lal-ge nuniber of "persons at th'e,' tbp of Symonds Street prdvide'd 1 an opportunity for an outbreak, but by tactful handling of the crowd the police were easily ablfe' td disperse them. ' : •* : ' • ' About 10.30 o'clock, when the crowd was thinning out, "a window of a shop'was brokeh by'a'storie thrower,- but the offender was quickly apprehended and nothirig further catne of the incident. In Gocfd Humour. During the evening groups of men and a fair sprinkling of women gathered on the footpath at the top of Symonds Street, mostly being obviously sight-seeing. For no apparent reason the crowd slowly increased until hy 9 o'clock' there were probably 2,000 people in the vicihity.' Big

parties of uniformed police mingled with the crowd and special constables were not in evidence. For the most part the crowd was in a good humour and appeared to be waiting for something to happen; As an appeal to the crowd to disperse had no effect, a detachment' of mounted constables were called up and although they merely rode up one side of Symonds Street and down the other, their presence had a sobering effect. By about 10.30 p.m. the area had resumed a normal appearance. As soon as the theatre crowd had passed through the locality the extra police were withdrawn. The authorities have thoroughly organised their forces to meet any emergency in all parts of the city and suburbs, and last night strong patrols operated, but there were no incidents in Queen Street or in the suburbs. M.P.'s Check Disturbance A crowd of about 1000 gathered at the entrance to the Domain this afternoon. The entrances were guarded by the police, a proposed meeting of the unemployed having been banned by the authorities. After about half an hour, Mr. J. A. Lee, M.P., and Mr. A. S. Richards, M.P. walked through the crowd and proceeded in the direction of the outer Domain. They were followed by the crowd, and their arrival in the outer Domain was greeted hy cheering by the people there. The members persuaded the crowd to sit down and sing songs, but on the approach of a posse of police, a hostile demonstration commenced. Mr Lee appealed to the crowd to be orderly and to go home. Mrs Lee accompanied her husband. The crowd gradually dispersed without incident.