Report On Hermitage Fire And Future

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28385, 18 September 1957, Page 14

Report On Hermitage Fire And Future

(New Zealand Press Association)

TIMARU, Sept. 17. A full report on theflre which destroyedthe Hermitage at Mount Cookwwly on Monday morning, the possibility of providing ' limited facilities until a new hotel Is built; and ideas for the future of the area will be presented by the general manager of the New Zealand Tourist Hotels Corporation (Mr Erie *C. Colbeck) to a special meeting of the corporation's board in Wellington on Thursday. In a telephone ’Conversation from the Hennitage today, Mr Colbeck said that since he arrived there on Monday night ,he had been examining'the whole question of the future of the hotel, especially in relation to the coming summer season. At the moment there were no facilities for preparing food for tourists, even if they could be accommodated in the hotel’s annex, the Sealy Cottage. Urgent consideration would also have to tie.given to the provision of facilities to comply with the JLicensing Agt,' * . Threefold Problem The corporation now had a three-fold problem—the rebuilding of the Franz Josef Hotel, Hermitage, and the reconstruction of Eichardt’s Hotel, at Queenstown. The big problem of the Hermitage was the high cost of building in such a remote area. “One must judge the reinstatement of the hotel in relation to

the tariff the travelling public will pay,” he said. “There is quite a difference between the requirements of overseas travellers and those of the New Zealand travelling public, which provides the bulk pf our trade.” Mr Colbeck described the fire as an “absolute tragedy., The South Island has lost 63 very important beds, and this will have a very noticeable effect on South Island tourist traffic,” he said. A total of 111 tours, involving 5543 “nightly units,” had been booked for the Hermitage between next ihonth and April, 1958, and the problem now was to find accommodation elsewhere. Records Safe

“Fortunately, the hotel records were saved, and we know who was booked to stay at the hotel in addition to the tour people,”

Ihe said. Mr Colbeck said that the manager of the . hotel,. Mr W. Davidson, his staff and the many other helpers were due for the highest praise for the manner in I which they fought the Are and protected the guests. “I would like to compliment .Mr Davidson on his control of the emergency. There was no panic, and the evacuation was completed calmly and coolly. "Little was salvaged from the building because of the danger of the roof collapsing and the heavy pall of smoke.” he said. "I think it was fortunate that the fire did not occur a week ago when many school children were on their holidays at the hotel.” Mr Colbeck paid -tribute to the

members of the staff who worked |to rescue the office records and cash, and lost some of their own property when doing so. He aaid (that the members of the staff who required employment would, be

placed by the corporation. There had been many offers from hoteliers throughout the Dominion to find employment for the staff.