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PART III THE DISTURBANCES
instead, the stoning and bottle throwing increased: he then fired a warning shot, which proved effective.
169. Shortly after this, at about 1.50 a.m. he regrouped his company and proceeded to the China Light and Power Co.'s Office at the junction of Waterloo Road and Argyle Street as a report had been received that a crowd was trying to break in there but this turned out to be false. The China Light and Power Co.'s personnel had asked for assistance to go to one of their transformers which had been damaged and this may have led to a misunderstanding: but, as they were seeking a police escort for the purpose of repairing China Light property which had been damaged, Mr. RINGER went with them to the Yau Ma Tei area where his company then continued to patrol. At about 3.15 a.m. they found a crowd pushing a car into Jordan Road near the junction of Canton Road. The crowd abandoned the car on the approach of the police. It was followed and arrests were made.
170. During this time Nathan Road between Gascoigne Road and Waterloo Road had been kept well under control by the Police Training Contingent and Yau Ma Tei companies; but, when, at about a quarter past midnight, No. 1 platoon of the company, which had been dealing with the crowds to the west of Nathan Road and in the vicinity of Wing Sing Lane and Temple Street, came back into Nathan Road, the crowd began to swell again with groups emerging from side streets and from doorways and to move menacingly towards the police. Mr. ROSE, however, taking one platoon from the Yau Ma Tei company and one from the P.T.C. company, proceeded to deal with these crowds while the P.T.C. company. extended its control southwards to Jordan Road. Thereafter, Mr. ROSE was able to release the Yau Ma Tei company for the southern sweep already described, and about 2 a.m. Mr. SHAVE was ordered by Mr. Rose to re-form his P.T.C. company and move north. This he did with some difficulty, as the road was obstructed with stationary vehicles and various small fires scattered here and there. He moved up north towards the vicinity of Shaw's Building, where he saw the aftermath of in- cidents we have already described. Thereafter, he patrolled the Sham Shui Po area which he found generally quiet.
171. Shortly after the Headquarter company had been relieved in the Tsim Sha Tsui district at 1.45 a.m. by the Police Training School company, it was ordered to deal with the alleged attack on-the offices of the China Light and Power Com. pany in Argyle Street. The company was then ordered at 2.15 a.m. to investigate a reported fire at the junction of Nathan Road and Mong Kok Road. As the com- pany was passing the junction of Yim Po Fong Street and Argyle Street, Mr. DUNNING saw rioters looting the premises of Jones Wong & Company and Yee On Hong. Goods were being taken from these premises and some had been piled in the road and set on fire; road signs as well as cars and scooters were also on fire but the looters fled on the approach of the police. One looter was arrested and
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