THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VII, Issue 2180, 28 December 1885, Page 2

THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS.

Favored by iirie weather,, the town had. an _ exceedingly gay appearance \on. Christmas: Eve.- The tradesmen; in Qiwen-street had spared no. pains to decorate their promises in the gayest' possible manner,'and large requisitions wore therefore made upon the neighboring bushes. The street from Messrs Owen and Go's shop to the Red House almost assumed the appearance of a forest. The business places of Messrs Farmer, F. Polling, L. Jones, J, Dixon, Temple, Maunsell, Kay, Prcsswood, Mrs Morris and others were all nearly buried in evergreens. The hotels also had a thorough holiday appearance. The butchers shops also retained a great deal of the bright appearance of the previous evening. There was quite an unusual number of visitors from'the country, and business was consequently brisk. It was noticeable that there was a good deal of the navvy element among the strangers, these visitors, however, behaving themselves with the utmost decorum. What few pranks there were played are due entirely to the young larrikin element of the town. They were, however, of a comparatively mild nature. In one instance a fern tree was taken down and tied across the footpath, but the night being bright and moonlight, no one suffered by it. A drunken woman, fell into the window of Mr Henderson's watchmaker's shop, and an innocent passer-by was locked up on a charge of having pushed her in, nor was he released till he deposited money equivalent to the damage done. On Christmas night, " Homra," the Whareama poet, had an encounter with a crowd of larrikins, and he having given them a piece of his mind, they in turn threw him down and gave him a good rolling in the dirt. During the small hours of Boxing Day' an excited individual rushed unannounced' into ■• the private residence of a constable, and being unable to give any account of himself to the head of tho household, he was promptly ejected. This, wo think, comprises about all that pertains to the objectionable side of holiday keeping, and the Police, therefore, found that their services were not in great demand. '