AMERICAN TOURIST ON NEW ZEALAND HOTELS

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 5, 1 October 1929, Page 12

AMERICAN TOURIST ON NEW ZEALAND HOTELS

Sir, —One can only be surprised at the prominence given in your columns to “An American tourist’s views on our hotels”; but-one is not only surprised, but somewhat shocked, to find the cause of this prominence to be the Minister of Publicity. It may not be a particularly easy task to successfully advertise this country, but surely it is one that could be accomplished in a somewhat more dignified manner than by a Minister of the Crown asking us to feel elated because 1 an American tourist has expressed approval of our country in general and our hotels in particular. One recognises the fact that we. want Americans to come and spend their dollars .here; and we also hope that they get their money's worth; but one can only hope that the Minister of Publicity does not think that we are going to be impressed merely because they are American tourists. Nor are we going to listen with bated breath for the pearls that fall from their lips; and having waited, and collected, a particularly fruity specimen, to rush to the nearest newspaper office and ask the editor to flash to New Zealanders the good news that .Silas K. Bloggs (Boston. Mass.) reckons that “Auckland puts Boston, Mass., in bad.”

I do not care two hoots what any American globe-trotter thinks of our

hotels, cities, rivers, drains, railways, or anything else on which he cares to air his" views. Nor does it worry me if he likes to have his views'expressed through the medium of our Press. But it does worry me that his views should be expressed through the medium of a Minister of the Crown, and expressed in such a manner that we are asked to believe that they are of some vital importance.—l am. Pte.. DAVID R. PHARAZYN. Martinborough, September 26.