Use Of Bank Funds For Tourism Suggested

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29853, 20 June 1962, Page 17

Use Of Bank Funds For Tourism Suggested

To allow funds from the Canterbury Trustee Savings Bank to be used for tourist development and publicity in the South Island the Minister of Finance (Mr Lake) will be asked by the South Island Publicity Association to alter the Trustee Savings Bank Act which at present restricts the allotting of surplus funds to charities.

A common complaint was tack of suitable hotel accommodation for tourists and a project for the improvement of such services would be deserving of contributions from the bank, said the Canterbury Public Relations Officer (Mr E. G. Beckett) at a meeting of the association yesterday. Mr B. H. Paton said “charities” was too narrow a definition of works deserving of support by the trustee banks and that tourism and publicity, as industries which would be of great benefit to the country, were worthy of support Motorways In the provision of muchneeded motorways the South Island was being sadly neglected, said Miss M Burrows when it was decided that “strong representations be made to the Government and the National Roads Board for the construction of motorways at appropriate points of access to main centres in the South Island." Although the association naturally wanted every possible facility for the South Island the meeting was being probably too parochial in this request, said Mr Beckett These projects were governed by availability of funds which were naturally expended

where the density of traffic most warranted it. The need in the North- Island was greater than here, and it was not democratic to ask for motorways just because the North Island had them, Mr Beckett said. “When the need arose motorways would be built here,’’ said Mr A. Wright. Miss Burrows said the association was a South Island organisation whose work was to improve facilities here and It could afford to be parochial. It would have been a heavy penalty for the port and the surrounding district if the Conference Shipping Lines had not revoked their decision to make no first-calls to Lyttelton, said Mrs A. Schumacher when she moved that a letter of appreciation be sent to the companies for their recent guarantee to send at least six overseas ships a year direct to Lyttelton. The association also decided that all shipping companies be urged to make as many first-calls as possible to Lyttelton and also that most of the ships should come direct from Britain.

The six ships guaranteed to make direct trips to Lyttelton were really not doing so as they would all be travelling via Suva, said Mr Beckett.

Primitive Art.—A large and rich collection of primitive New Guinea art amassed by Michael Rockefeller before his disappearance will be on exhibition in New York in September.—New York. June 19.