VISIT TO LONDON

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 32, 7 August 1923, Page 3

VISIT TO LONDON

MR. A. HARPER'S IMPRESSIONS

OUR TOURIST TRAFFIC ASSET.

Mr. Arthur Harper, national secretary of the New Zealand Welfare League, has returned from a business visit to London, interviewed by a "Post" reporter, he stated that it was tea years since his last visit, and that many changes were noticeable. "There- is on the whole less slavery to convention at Homo than betore the war, and, of course, the great burden of taxation has made many changes socially, especially in the large county families, but what struck me," said Mr Harper, "was the steady and determined manner in which everyone is tackling- tho post-war difficulties in spite of much apparently manufactured industrial unrest." As secretary cf the Welfare League, Mr. Harper devoted as much time as business obligations would permit to studying the various phases of the Communist movement as it appears in England, and has collected much interesting data.

As an old member of the Alpine Club and president of the New Zealand Alpine Club, he read papers on the Southern Alps in London and elsewhere, and in this connection he confirms much that other travellers have stated as to the grave want of "push" in our Tourist Department of one of our greatest assets—the tourist traffic. Inquiry at the High Commissioners Office showed a, woeful lack of sound information. "What is wanted," said Mr. Harper, "is a small booklet, well illustrated, which can be handed to an inquirer to. show the various routes to Newi Zealand, and what to do when there. For I am not exaggerating when I saj that many in (.ending travellers calf at our Strand Office who have, say, five or six montlis' holiday .md want to" travel. They come in and ask particulars about the routes to and from New Zealand, coat of living here, and what to see, etc. In short, they want to know what expenditure they can reckon on. Such a caller docs not want to havo to take a pencil and paper and jot down notes of verbal instructions; he wants something printed to take home to consider, such, as he probably has already received from Australia House, Canada, and South Africa. The New Zealand Office has no such convenient form of information, thus our traveller goes to one of the other Dominions, who have given him what he wants. In other directions,' our New Zealand Office is lacking in information, but please understand," said Mr. Harper, "I am not blaming the London Office. They have, I am informed, suggested the preparation in London of a suitable booklet, but were told from New Zealand that one was being sent from here."

Alpine matters are M.r. Harper's specialty, and he points out how, until recently, the lantern slides in London were hopelessly antiquated, and that even in the Official "Year Book" they have inserted a very incomplete summary of our ALpine districts. A better one could have been written by any member of the New Zealand Alpine Club. "If," asks Mr. Harper, "I find such woeful ignorance about a subject which I know by heart, it is probable that similar ■ want of information exists in other subjects, such as sport» etc The Government Departments in charge of these things are not pushing them 86 they ought, and do not give the New Zealand London Office a chance to circulate information in' attractive form." It is the same, said Mr. Harper, at the permanent Empire Exhibition at the Imperial Institute. What they have got has ben largely collected outside Government circles, after many attempts to get them officially, and Mr. Harper saw no stags' heads on exhibition, and had personally to correct four or five wrongly named Alpine pictures. "The fact is our Tourist Department wants waking up. It is hop«lessly behind the. times, and does not seam to know what travellers, from abroad want. The other courts at the Imperial Institute are points ahead of ours," added Mr. Harper.

In answer to a, question as to how he found business in London, Mr. Harper says ho would bo a bold man who ventured an opinion on such a question. The conditions in Central and Eastern Europe are naturally against thoroughly sound returns to commercial activity, but there seemed _ to be a feeling that things vrere improving. "I was surprised," he said,

"to see so many preference shares and debenture issues in old-established industrial firms, offering 7J, and 8 per cent, interest, during my last month in London. I do not know what this signifies, as I am not an economic expert, but it does not seem, on the face of it, to be quite healthy." Mr. Bonar Law's resignation took place just before Mr. Harper left, "and he says there was unanimous approval of Air. Baldwin's appointment, as he is a strong man, and also has great business knowledge. Politically, the position was much the same as here—three parties, ons tainted with communistic ideals—but slr. Harper preferred to say no more on this matter until he had reported to the Welfare League.