FOREIGN TOURISTS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 11, 14 January 1935, Page 9

FOREIGN TOURISTS.

NEW ZEALAND'S REGULATIONS

WORSE THAN" AUSTRALIAN?

(From Our Own Correspondent.}

SYDNEY, January 8.

The complaint of Mr. W. Goudriaan, managing director of the HollandAustralia, Holland-British India and Holland-East Asia lines of the "indignities" to which he was subjected in Auckland owing to the Customs regulations is already known in New Zealand. It cannot be doubted that insistence on such formalities is always rather vexatious, especially to tourists, who generally have not much time to epare. Mr. Goudriaan has no complaint to make about the officials, who, he says, were always courteous and helpful. But he thinks that legislation of this kind, which involves inconvenience and delay to strangers, is not well calculated to attract touriste to the country. Personally he was so annoyed by these things that, if lie could, he would have returned to Australia at once.

Presumably there is some rational ground for the trouble that Mr. and Mrs. Goudriaan experienced in trying to get into New Zealand. But they made a point of mentioning that no such difficulties were raised by the Commonwealth regulations; and it seems a pity that a comparison of this sort should reflect so unfavourably on the Dominion. If tourists are worth attracting, it would seem that they are certainly worth a cordial welcome when they arrive.