The Daily News. TUESDAY, JULY 11, 1905. THE CHRISTCHURCH RIOT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7869, 11 July 1905, Page 2

The Daily News. TUESDAY, JULY 11, 1905. THE CHRISTCHURCH RIOT.

Of laic the City of the Plains has Uvn obtaining an unenviable notoriety, liut the news published in these columns yesterday reveals a state ol affairs- that will cause Christchurch to be looked upon with anything hut friendly ieelings hy all law-abiding people. It seems almo.v, inconceivable in these days that there should te any city in the colony where the public peace could be disturbed in such a way as happened at Christchurch on Saturday night. What makes the disgraceful affair bear a more repulsive aspect is that the prime offenders arc descriliwl as mostly holding responsible positions. That ten beings (we cannot call Itan men) should be able to create a turmoil such as took place appeals to Seßotr the presence in Christchurch of a latent force of evil that roquires .vigorous repression. It was :<.iily recently thai we drew attention to the trials and dangers lo which the jiolicc are constantly subjected, and otie uf the most prolific sources of their tioublcs arises from ifc-aling with inebriates. The riot a! ChrisK'hurch exemplifies this most puinlflly, for it was while a cons'.abh.' was arresting a pel.son on a charge of drunkenness and using obscene latguage .(two evils which are [ici|uriitl/lvunil lt> he liand in hand) that Hit constable Was set upon by the crowd and knocked down. One would have thought that no mailer how low was Ihe moral tone vi a Chrislchurch crowd they would have been possessed of sufficient decency and good sense lo have allowed the constable to clear the s^ecf 1 of such a disgrace, lo humanity as his prisoner had shown hjmseli. Hut subsequent events proved lliat even pel sons 1;..i,1mg respectable pi."-.-itions Were so d<-grjded as lo ioiu in

:a rim of such a serious nature (li.U | twenty police constables appear to Irarc i.mud it a difficult Lisk In arrest Ilk- rioters. Wlu-n this was ci-leck-.i, and sniiic of tin- piissuers had ,t«-rn in a butcher's shop (he riol seems 10 lure become gvnvral, tor it is reported that a crowd of iwn or iluee t iiousanJ persons Isturnutl I lie shop and assaulted (lie police Wilh I he meat e\pos-«l lor ■<A4U; and all (his /csulliiiij I'row a jcwistable doing his duty. II is »p----juaJJing lo lind (hat any city in tJiU jcolony can In- subjected lo a state loioulragi- that one does not expect to be perpetrated outside (he pale of t roiirtuunitii-s. Nor is I thi;, the Ulol lime tu<it bitch Uii-

graceful conduet has been mamtosW in Clirtstctwreh, as a sttoikt affirfr, thoiifeli on a smaller svaifl, occurred | atom a fortirigbt prcftoasly. While itpi'ii.iUK that tttt good name (ri tht; 1 J'.-11.i.t should he stained with such , .in u 'rage, we can only hope that siting nt measures' will be taken to ,iii.;;.t any further exhibition ol T lii;, .■ ml of rowdyism, and that it will ntmuluic oui nt liens to assist lh> i.-ijice in any emergency that my -rise, instead of letting their dim niac nature burst forth uni'csli„ :. d like frenzied fanatics.