Tourism And 6p.m. Closing “Incompatible”

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30177, 8 July 1963, Page 13

Tourism And 6p.m. Closing “Incompatible”

A tourist industry and 6 p.m. closing were not compatible, said Mr I). A. Puritz, a senator in the legislature of the American Virgin Mands, in Christchurch yesterday. Mr Puritz said tourism was the main industry in the \ irgin Islands, and had grown greatly in the last five years. Five years ago the industry realised five million dollars, he said, but last year it realised /0 million dollars.

There were no set licensing hours in the American Virgin Is.ends. "It's a tourist resort The bars close when the last customer leaves.” he said. Mr Puritz is at present on a three-month world tour with his wife. He is visiting Europe and Japan on business but his visit to Australia and New Zealand are purely for pleasure. He arr;ved in New Zealand three days ago and will leave on Thursday.

Three main islands and s me smaller islands made up the American Virgin Islands, he sa d The capital ci'.j. of C r irlotze-Amalie was on the island of St Thomas. .The biggest island was St. Croix, about 40 square miles. St.

Thomas was about 32 square miles, and the smallest of the three. St. John, was about 10 square miles It«was mainly a national park. Mr Puritz is a senator for the district of St. Thomas, chairman of the committee on housing, community renewal and commerce vice-chairman of the committee on Government operations, and the comm :tee on inter-state co-oper-ation.

He is also the president of Sparky's Incorporated. Sparky's on the Waterfront Incorporated. Sparky’s Gem Gallery Incorporated. Caribbean Distributors Incorporated, and Europa St, Maarten. These first are mainly concerned with catering for t jurists and selling such goods as cameras, watches, jewellery and radios. Mr Puritz was born in the Virgin Islands, where his grandparents went in the 1880's His wife comes from

New York, and Mr Puritz met her when he was at college in the United States They have three children. The legislature of the American Virgin Islands comprised 11 senators elected by the people and a Governor who was appointed bv the President of the United States However moves were afoot for a form vt selfgovernment.

The British and American Virgin Islands were not only close geographically but also m business and in family ties It was hoped eventually an arrangement would be reached between Britain and the United States so the two groups could come together, said Mr Puritz.

Although 85 per cent, of the 33.000 papulation of the American Virgin Islands was negro there was no colour bar of any sort. Education had been compulsory since before the American civil war, there was a very comprehensive social security system, there was no unemployment. a high standard of living and a minimum wage of one dollar an hour.

Recently the first university in the American Virgin Islands had been opened: formerly those taking a higher education had gone to the United States. However the islands had the highest pc- capital college degree rate of any place in the Caribbean. and one of the highest in the world.

It was hoped that eventually African students coming to study in the United States would be sent to the islands, where they would find no colour discrimination of any sort.

The islands had a substantial rum industry that brought i. 16 million dollars a year in tax from the United States This was because there was a tax of about 10 dollars a gallon on rum imported into the United States, and in the case of the islands this was returned, although it could be used only for capital development. There had been vast and far-reaching improvements and growth in the islands in the last 10 years, Mr Puritz said, and he felt this would be tripled in the next 10 years.

One of the problems in St Thomas was parking: there was one car for every three persons on the island. Wages were slightly lower than in the United States and the cost of living was about 40 per cent higher, as nearly all food had to be imported New Zealand could possibly sell such things as crayfish to the islands, but lamb would have to be carefully graded, trimmed. prepacked and frozen The land was too valuable to farm to any extent. On St Thomas it could be sold for about 15.000 dollars an acre

The population was increasing rapidly, but mainly because of the influx of Americans coming to the islands to live In Christchurch Mt Puritz and his wife are staying with Dr. G. K Cordell, an American who worked formerly in the American Virgin Islands and is now with the Department of Agriculture in Christchurch.