IS ROTORUA SO ROSY?

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1022, 11 January 1911, Page 6

IS ROTORUA SO ROSY?

, . . ANOTHER SIDE OF THE PICTURE. MANY DRAWBACKS ALLEGED. (By Telegraph.—Special Correspondent.! Auckland, January 10. Tho. present season is bringing .various complaints from' Rotorua, the Government town. Two correspondents, writing t.i tho "Herald" this morning, voice several grievances. One says: |"Tho gardens, lawns, and the tennis court have sadly deteriorated, and. the fences and buildings, with few exceptions, are calling aloud for attention. The cages of tho birds are rat-infested, or, at least, some of them, and that of tho, pretty and interesting Canadian duck . particularly so. I have witnessed ten of the rodents at one time eating tho grain provided for the birds. The caretaker ludicrously tells the visitor that these birds will not breed in confinement. A Distressful Piccolo. "For the hundreds of visitors here little or ■no amusement of ■an evening is provided, except by the miserably small orchestra, reduced from eight instrumentalists to four, playing in the pump-rcom in the evening, at which performance the piccolo is distressingly at the top all tho time, through no fault of the performer, however, as the other instruments are not sufficient in number .to harmonise with tho piccolo. Rotorua .will soon cease .to be a place of attraction if the present state of affairs be allowed to exist. Complaints are loud and numerous, not only from visitors but from the local press. Some Queries. ' "In conclusion, can any of your readers say why- the.-. far-ranpwned 'Spout Bath' "at Whakarewarcwa should have been leased without public or any competition to the proprietors of the Geyser Hotel at that place? . Why so valuable a water should be given over to . the Trade instead of being kept, as it ought to have been, as an adjunct to the thermal attractions .of tho place?- Why was the water leased .without-giving public notice, of the intention by calling tenders -under conditions duly advertised?- If Kotorua is to increase its attendance, as it will if properly administered, then the lessees will probably have a valuable private concession, seeing that the attendance during the holidays has reached'probably 350 per week." •An Angler's Complaint. The other correspondent, -writesr—"l would like to make public' what I consider a crying shame. A certain area on Lake Rotorua, as in the past, has been reeved for. fly-fishing, notably the .'mouths of the Kgongotaho, Waitcti, and Awahou Streams, and no" angler. was allowed to troll, use a minnow,.-. or .spoon-bait -within this area, but now the Government are . .netting at the mouths of theso streams two or three times a week, Last Friday morning at least 800 fisli, weighing li- tons, were netted at the'mouth of the Ngongotaho alone, and they were all in the pink of condition. This netting has completely spoilt these localities' for flyfishing, and I would like to advise anglers ,who intend visiting Rotorua for fly-fishing to consider well before coming here, as I.am sure it is a waste of time and money. I have-, fished. these streams ' for seven , years, and never have 1 1 had such .poor sport. ' Several anglers have already left., one having' only caught three" small iisli, as.' the result of a week's fishing."

MK Poolo, Has Investigated. Regarding the first-quoted letter, Mr. C. H. Poole, to a- reporter In connection with,'., the' rodents and tlio birds: "I saw two of them diving in the water to get at the grain. It might have" been the-samo. two going in again and again, or there might have been'a number. I at once drew Mr. Birks's attention to the fact that, rats were not con-, sidered good assistants to poultry-rearing, and that gentleman said lie ivonld see about exterminating them at once." . ."Spout Bath" Lease Condemned. Asked how the'peoplo of Rotorua like the idea of the Government leasing the "Spout Bath" at Whakarewarewa, 3Ji'. Poole says: "I do not with leasing that bath-house to the hotel,: considering it. cost about' .£ISOO to erect it. I consider.it is an illogical position, for the Government to expend public money for. .a-bath-house and then lease the placo for a number of years, and it is utterly wrong for the Government.to,allow a private firm to run one of the most beneficial baths controlled by the Department. I feel certain that before long public opinion will resent-this act, and'l,intend to do all in -my'.power to see that the' State Departments are'run by State officials."