Another Plan Promised For Franz Josef Hotel

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28619, 23 June 1958, Page 10

Another Plan Promised For Franz Josef Hotel

(New Zealand Press Association) GREYMOUTH, June 22. “When I return to Wellington 1 will see the Minister of Finance (Mr Nordmeyer) and put up a proposition to him that capital should be provided for building a new Franz Josef Hotel,” said the Minister of Tourist and Health Resorts (Mr Mathison) at Hokitika on Saturday, when he met a deputation from Canterbury and West Coast local bodies and other organisations. “I am glad to see that there is general agreement that the new hotel should not be palatial, but reasonably good and comfortable at a reasonable tariff,” the Minister said.

“I don’t know whether it could be built for less than £300,000, but I shall get the Tourist Hotel Corporation to prepare another set of plans—the fourth—although I didn’t agree with the first or second set, nor, for that matter, with the third.”

Saying that he realised that the tourist trade was being retarded by the loss of the hotel which was by fire in 1954, Mr Mathison added: “When the money is available, we will lose no time in seeing that the hotel is built. When it will be built, however, I haven’t the slightest idea.” » Other main points made by Mr Mathison were:— High Tariff On the basis of the most recent amended plans, the hotel would cost £450,000. necessitating a tariff of from £5 to £6 a person a day. He was not agreeable to this. A tariff of £4 10s a day at the Hermitage was “more than enough.” The Tourist Hotel Corporation’s loss last year was £lOO,OOO. Its current capital programme had been prepared, including £23,000 under the heading “Franz Josef Hotel”—mainly architect’s fees for the last two plans. It would be impossible for the corporation to finance the hotel this year. An approach to the Government was the alternative. The corporation—the chairman, Mr R. W. Marshall accompanied the Minister—did not consider the hotel to be necessarily a “must” until the Haast Pass road had been completed. Suggestions had been made that money should be provided to im-

prove and extend the accommodation at the Fox Glacier Hotel--16 miles from Franz Josef. This compromise would “tide us over until finance is available for the new Franz Josef Hotel.” the Minister said.

The West Coast should put up the money to re-build the hotel, and lease it to the Tourist Hotel’ Corporation for a few years until the corporation had the finance for a take-over.

The theme of many of the Minister’s comments was: "If you can tell me how to raise the finance, I’ll be able to answer ‘when.’ ” “Shock to West Coast” “I know you are taking office under difficult conditions, but what you’ve told us tonight will shock the people of the West Coast in general and the people of the South Island as a whole.” said Mr M. Wallace (Westland County Council).

He said that the shock was not because “we don’t appreciate your difficulties, but because of the promises made-over the last four years.”

Referring to the re-building of the Hermitage and the Milford Sound Hotels, and commenting on the £lOO,OOO loss of the Tourist Hotel Corporation, Mr Wallace asked: “Is not the taxpayer on the West Coast bearing a share of that loss? Why should the Coast be denied the same facilities when it is bearing the loss on a prorata basis?”