NEW MOTOR CAMP.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 214, 10 September 1928, Page 9

NEW MOTOR CAMP.

SITE AT MOUNT HOBSON. r a s CRITICISM OF CRITICS. * 1. f "AUCKLAND BEHIND T*6E TIMES." ® I \ FACILITIES NECESSARY FOR 1 VISITORS. a a "It is clear from the remarks of some t of those who Htive commented upon the * proposed motor camp at Mount Hobson s that they have no conception of the \ scheme," said the secretary of the Auck- f land Automobile Association (Mr. G. W. j Hutchison) this morning. "Motor camp- ] ing has become so popular that cities overseas vie with each other in providing facilities for motor campers, realising that an influx of summer tourists by car means increased trade for the city. Apparently one idea of a modern motor camp is a resort where people who own motor cars take their friends and indulge in the pastime of throwing bottles (presumably empty) and papers and other 1 rubbish all over the place late at night. • As a matter of fact, a motor camp, pro- ' perly designed, could be located in the centre of any garden city scheme without in any way marring its surroundings. It must be made clear that the establishment of a motor camp is the duty of the City Council, and in this respect Auckland is lagging far behind other centres. Up to the present 85 motor camps have been established in the North Island, and of these 61 have been established and equipped by local bodies. The association's difficulty will be realised when visitors from these 85 districts come to Auckland and ask the location of Auckland's motor camp, and have to be told that although they have provided camping facilities for Auckland touring motorists no similar provision is afforded in Auckland, with the exception of the delightful camping ground at Tui Glen, ; Henderson, which is privately owned, but . is considered too far distant from the ; city by those whose stay is not longer! . than a day or two. Exception is taken to the use of publicly-owned land for this purpose, but the difficulty is that the City Council has no legal authority to expend money on equipping a camp except on land vested in it, and after * more than one inspection of all the avail--1 able City Council property in Auckland ■ the marshy piece of land on the southern 1 (not western) slope of Mount Hobson 3 was selected as suitable in view of its ? present disuse and improbable future use 1 for any other purpose for very many years to come. * J

"Part of the scheme would be to beautify the area, thus making it attractive to the public except during the few summer months when it would be reserved for motor campers," continued Mr. Hutchison. "With regard to the suggestion that the Automobile Association should provide a camping ground, it is only necessary to point out that the fluids of the Automobile Association are subscribed by members throughout the Auckland province, and if such a project were undertaken by the association in Auckland members in all centres of the province would have a good claim for similar expenditure in their towns. As already pointed out, it is not the function of the association, but of the City Council, to supply this public need." "Apart from the question of expense," said Mr. Hutchison, in conclusion, "a man with a family—particularly young children—is not always welcome at a hotel, and if he does not travel it means that towns that he intended to visit lose business."