THE ACCOMMODATION QUESTION.

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 12569, 11 August 1906, Page 10

THE ACCOMMODATION QUESTION.

SECOND-CLASS HOTEL ASKS £10 . $ 10s A WEEK. " | "PIRATICAL EXPLOITATION OF .*$ THE STRANGER." I, (special to "thh kikss.'") 7 WELLINGTON, August 10. ;| Another Exhibition trouble hag arisen. A correspondent, writing in -■? tho "Times" to-day says:—"l think it ; may do some good to call attention to ;" tho extortionate tariff being asked by ." some of the publicans in Chrisbdiuralt . during the Exhibition. I wrote for a ' r ' bedroom in a second-class hotel (ordi- - nary tariff from 30s to 40s a week), end ' *> the reply came in due course asking * £10 10s per week, or 30s per day. No :.' - one oan pretend to bolievo that tho pro- Jt prietor of the hotek in question could i-i possibly give anything like value for, *_$ the money demanded. Would it not b<r V\ possible for a maximum tariff to' be 5 arranged by the authorities as is tbe *.'.'« case with cabs, railway restaurants, and "k other institutions licensed for tho con- - j venienco of tlie public." ' <\3 Dealing with th© subject editorially- '/)j the paper says:—"Should this represent the general attitudo of hotol-kecpera ~,i wo can promise that Wellington people '_} will stay away from tho Exhibition in *>$ great numbers, and with a good deal of I* arngry enthusiasm. Nobody will gram- .1 bio at reasonable elevation of board and' Jjfc aeoommodation rates," but there is an' easily discernible line between the fair ; hardeuing of prices and the piratical.& exploitation of tlie stranger who wan-/ii ders into a camp of freebooting oppor-Tfti tunists. Against the statement of out, »if{ correspondent must be sot tho repeated>i| assurances of the Exhibition'authorities" ti that &$. oxhaustive canvass of the cUy'H has opened up a rich field of accomnro-- 1 "If dation, although we arp bound to,say; 0 ! that tho policy of what may fairlyboVj called flagrant optimism has taught 'tis, f t <j to discount tho Utopian ecstasies- of people in charge of the Exhibition. Pre* ; ',-Jj posterously high hotel tariffs will oer*''>,l tainly forbid the. attendance of thon-feff sands of people who would o'tlierwise •& visit the big show." ...-'.-'. ~ ;-';M