TOURIST TRAFFIC

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 225, 19 June 1929, Page 11

TOURIST TRAFFIC

INTERCOLONIAL SERVICES SHIPPING COMPANIES’ VIEWS A deputation from the Wellington Chamber of Commerce (consisting _ of Messrs. Salmond, Fletcher, Greig, Kerr, Longuet, Myers, and the secretary) waited upon the intercolonial shipping companies (represented by Messrs. D. A. Aiken and Falla, of the Union Company, and C. W. Jones, of the Huddart-Par-ker Company). The Government had proposed to make increased efforts to foster tourist traffic from Australia, and it was observed to the representatives of the shipping companies that the council of the Wellington Chamber felt that, before a large augmentation of tourist traffic from the Commonwealth could be expected, some bettering of the connecting steamer service might receive attention —one or two of the vessels were felt to be behind modern tourist standards; and occasionally a vessel had to be pressed into the service that was not of the speed that tourists looked for. It was pointed out that while large modern ships had in recent years been put into the services to Australia from the Old and the New Worlds and further passenger steamers were about to enter the trade, many of the vessels on the run between Australia and New Zealand were not new or large, and were not likely to encourage tourists to tranship in Australia to visit New Zealand. The trans-Pacific mail steamers were the most popular vessels in the service, but there was an uncertainty as to the location of berths to be obtained on these steamers until about three days before the arrival of a vessel. In replying the representatives of the shipping companies pointed out that with but limited populations to give an interchange of tourists they also had to contend with very heavy working costs, and were not subsidised as were the United States mercantile marine service. The wages paid in the intercolonial service were the highest in the world, and freight revenues had diminished considerat' due to the tariff barriers that had been raised between Australia and New iland. Without increasing passenger fares, which the companies were loth to do, cargo freights were required to make the service a payable one. The tourist traffic also was concentrated into about four months of the year, and the maintenance of the service (luring the oth r seven or eight months was a heavy item Some figures were given of the number of passengers travelling at this time of the year, to show that the accommodation! was not by any means taxed in the off season. Australians would come to New Zealand to escape the heat of their summer, but would not come to the Dominion to spend winter here. An effect upon tourist traffic was touched upon in that the Australian Press were only too prone to publish headlines regarding cyclones in the Tasman Sea and earthquakes happening in New Zealand, were emphasised out of all proportion to their severity, and this factor created a very wrong view in, the minds of those who thought of visiting the Dominion.