EASY MONEY REJECTED

Evening Star, Issue 19774, 26 January 1928, Page 4

EASY MONEY REJECTED

TOURS FOR VISITING MOTORISTS New Zealand is keeping motoring tourists out of the country and declining to accept easy money by its absurd regulations, according to Sir Benjamin Fuller. _ The theatrical magnate, Lady Fuller, and daughters are in Dunedin. They have been touring the dominion in a car of aristocratic make, which has been the cynosure of thousands of eyes even in Dunedin, where cars are plentiful. “They don’t welcome motorists in New Zealand,” stated Sir Benjamin today. “ I hate to be a man with a grievance, bnt I had to pay a deposit of £250 on my car before it was landed, and had to pay a license fee for one yyar and also pay registration fees. I am not complaining _ about that, but tho method is very different from that in force in other countries, which not only appreciate the presence of cars, but the money brought and left by the tourists.”

The lees were ridiculous, inasmuch as the tourist also paid 4d per gallon petrol tax. During his reven weeks’ tour bis petrol tax would amount to £lO, and if the dominion dropped its stringent regulations, one could reasonably expect 1,000 motoring tourists yearly'. The revenue towards the upkeep'of the roads from the petrol tax alone would be £IO.OOO. It was easy money for the country. Although Sii Benjamin has travelled the length and breadth of the dominion many times, this is the first occasion on which he has travelled as a tourist. He has visited the Franz Josef and Fox glaciers, and he avowed to-day that lie had not seen anything more beautiful on his world’s travels. The roads in the dominion were good. When more extensive accommodation and conveniences were available. Sir Benjamin predicted. New Zealand would become one of the playgrounds of tho world.