TRADE WITH INDIA

Evening Post, Volume CXX, Issue 136, 5 December 1935, Page 5

TRADE WITH INDIA

TOURISTS AND RICE

Suggestions for the improvement of New Zealand's tourist traffic from India were made by Mr. C. P. Mehta, a Rangoon diamond merchant, in an interview today. Mr. Mehta spoke from his experience of a two-months' holiday and business visit to both islands of New Zealand.

"People who come to New Zealand can hardly see the country from a train or service car," said Mr. Mehta. "They miss a lot of the beauty and splendour that way, and would see more by going about on their own." Mr. Mehta instanced the service car trip in the Westport and Greymouth districts, where one missed a great deal of the splendid scenery from the car. Stops by the wayside were the ony proper method of fully appreciating the natural beauty of the country.

An endeavour should be made by the Government to reduce hotel and travelling charges, continued Mr. Mehta, who considered that the present rates were too high. He also suggested that New Zealand could be more extensively advertised in the newspapers and on the railway stations of India. From his own experience of travel in India he could say that New Zealand was not very well known there. Indian visitors to London were specially catered for in the matter of diet and he thought New Zealand could profitably do the same.

Burma had felt the depression like the rest of the world, 'said Mr. Mehta, but conditions were now on the upgrade. Rice was Burma's principal export, and Mr. Mehta, while in New Zealand, arranged for some of it to be sent here. A difficulty was that there were only.three direct ships a year between Burmal and New Zealand, but Mr. Mehta hoped that if the trade proved large enough it would be profitable to export rice to New Zealand by transhipping it.

Mr. Mehta is to leave on the return trip by the Marama on Saturday.