UNITED STATES TOURISTS.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 19852, 13 February 1930, Page 10

UNITED STATES TOURISTS.

ARRIVAL IN CHRISTCHURCH large party under CONDUCTED SCHEME.

A party of American tourists, representing many branches of professional and commercial life and from many parts of the United States, arrived in Christchurch yesterday morning from Wellington, which city was reached on Monday. Mr J. L. Wheeler, American representative of tjio New Zealand Government Tourist Railway Vepartmeut, is in charge of the visitors, and is personally conducting them on their tour through part of the ® ou 1 Island and most of the North Island. They leave this morning for the West Coast. The personnel of the party is as fol-lows:-Mr and Mrs C. H Dakm, Mr and Mrs W. H. Gilbert and Miss Bounell (Grand Rapids, Michigan), Mr and Mrs A. Mayer and Mr and Mrs -k. D. Buslmell (New York), Mr and Mrs Howard Gilniore Massachusetts), Mr and Mrs A. Gainer (U^ B Angeles), Mrs P. Griflin and Miss M. Griffin (Portland, Oregon), Miss M. Inman (Worcester, Mass.), Misses E. Jan|ieson and C. Fisher (Newton, Mass.), Dr. A. E. Kauffman (Chicago), Mrs E. T. Liddle (Cedar Rapids, Iowa), and Mrs T. W. Sturgts (San Francisco). They are travelling under the new scheme for personally-conducted tours from the United States.

The partv were met at the ferry yesterday morning, and were taken for a drive over the hills and around the various points of interest. In the afternoon and evening the individual members amused themselves by visiting the different institutions and amusement places in the City. All were enthusiastic last evening about New Zealand, although they have spent such a short period here.

[ A Full Itinerary. The itinerary to be followed by this party includes the West Coast attractions, the Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers, a motor trip through the Buller Gorge, and to Nelson via Reefton, where some special cruising has been arranged around the Sounds in private launches. The Tamahine will take them from Picton to Wellington, and the North Island tour will include Mt. Egmont and Taranaki, the Mokau, the upper reaches of the Wanganui river, the Waitomo Caves, Tongariro National Park, fishing at Lake Taupo, and short stays Wairalcei and Rotorua. The party will leave by the Aprangi on March 25th, after having spent 29 days in New Zealand. The New Zealand agency in America encouraged independent travellers to come here as well as parties, said Mr Wheeler to a Press representative last evening. This was the only organisation in the United States which specialised in the Dominion tourist traffic, and greater stress was beiug placed on the South Island, as \t was desired to make it well known.

<' The running q£ the from Bluff to the southern sounds is going to be very beneficial to tho Saut* l Island," said Mr Wheeler. "The more major attractions ypu can offer here the better it will he foy this Island. Each attraction should not be regarded as the rival of every other. Tourists may not come down here for a visit to one resort, but if all resorts were advertised and bound together they would be sure to come. The attractions of the North Island are so much better known that tourists insist on 'taking them in,' and when they have a short stay in the country it is impossible for them to dp justice to both Islands. A similar party which is at present touring the North Island could not be induced to spend more than two weeks ip the Dominion- A nupiber of independent travellers, however, are making a more extensive trip, and are visiting Milford Sound and the fsemthem Lakes.

"Southern," Not "Cold" Lakes. "That reminds me," said Mr Wheeler. "People should he very careful not to call them the cold lakes. The word 'cold' has q. repellent pound to intending tourists, and has «i decidedly bad psyphpjogical effect. 'Southern ' has the added advantage that it immediately places the Jftkes, in the mind of the ignorant, in the South Inland. M South Island people should also encourage the use of 'Mount Aoraugi' in preference to the nams of 'Mount Cook.'"' The latter had no romance attached to it where overseas visitors were concerned; it was not intriguing, and was too commonplace. Mount Cook might possibly be anywhere in the world, but Aorangi could only be in New Zealand. Typical New Zealand names should be uspd a# much as possible. Ppqplp should think how uninteresting it would be to tourists if tlie steamer Aorangi had been named Cook. Those who had heard "Aorangi" once would always remember it, while "Cook" would never be thought about twicp. The mountain was a wonderful one, and would bp a groat asest to .the South Island if it were only more widely known in the world. New Zealand was npt well known iji the United States. A great many of the tourists sent here by the agency had been interested in Australia, and the organisation had simply switched their attentions to this country by outlining to them some of New Zealand' 3 attractions.

One of the main attractions in the Dominion was the climate. Many of the world's mpst interesting countries possessed a dangerous climate for, delicate travellers, while the weather here was usually ideal for them.

Steamer Sendee Unsatisfactory. "Another feature which is holding back the development of the tourist trade with the United States i§ the type of steamers on the San Francisco service," said Mr Wheeler. "Americans are accustomed to very fine and large steamers such as those of the Orient Line, sipd the new vessels pf the New Zealand Shipping Company. They will not travel on boats of spiall tonnage such as those on the Union Company tine. Th© Aorangi and Niagara are certainly good steamers, hut they ply from Vancouver, which adds several days on to the journey of any tourists from the United States. This acts as a great deterrent. Large steamers substituted on the service from San Francisco to New Zealand would undoubtedly double the passenger business." I

The New Zealand railways will be used a good deal while the party is in this country. Mr Wheeler said that 50,000 miles of first-class rajlway travel had been sold through the agency to Americans during the past fpw months. Mr C. H. Dakin, a prominent manufacturer, stated last evening that he never met a more hospitable and kindly people than in New Zealand. In his opinion, while Wellington was a very interesting city, it suffered greatly in comparison with Christchurch. The surroundings of the houses in the Canterbury capital were much more pleasant, the buildings themselves werp very beautiful. "If m y impressions of this country are carried through as thpy already have been during our short stay," said Mr Dakin, "I will leave the Dod&ed 0 ' 11 ' avoura bl® views in-

United States Trade. Trade in the United Stateg w&s only fair in 1929, said Mr Dakin. The stock market debacle had put a great deal of fear of the future into the purchasing public as well as the man uf a dure rs. This year it was hoped that conditions would improve greatly. As a matter of fact, all sound securities were worth qiist as mtich now as prior to the break. Mr E- P* SwslwpJJj Ne^v York banker, stated that Labour Bureau statistics in America for the last few months showed a considerable in* crease of labour. • Since the big break in November business had slackened off in several ton snd xvpfiljen industries. TJip pe H n r tr y _W3S, however, ip $ strong economic position, and from general conditions prevailing at present the United States was on the mend. Greatly Impressed with Dominion, " With what.l have seen of New Zealand " said Mr Bushnell, "I have been greatly impressed. Americans know littlp about the Dominion, and I think the tourist traffic should be improved. Christehurch, with its parks, gaifiens, and public buildings, is a fine city, and it is apparent that the local people take welfare >? tereSt in its a PPearance and Dr. A. E. Kauffman, of Chicago, who V??it tQ th 6 Pacific, ttrt / ,7 as both surprised and j,! v. vourj ». bl y impressed yvith what he had seen in New Zealand. " He had the excfelience pf tj, e harbours, WeJlinaton Harbour and Lyttelton. "Chrigtchurch is a beautiful City," Ba i d th e Doctor f% Was astounded on my visit to cSfleetW"' IfVn * +„ , ? _- e spoke jn praiseworthy terras also of the Canterbury College the ijity; BDd b « Sines ' Dr. Kauffnian, who is a retired instructor ,n chemistry at a l arg e Chicago University, intends to tafee efpecial notice while in the Dominion of the scenic and natural wonders in comparison with those of America. •