THE TOURIST DEPARTMENT

Greymouth Evening Star, 26 August 1905, Page 4

THE TOURIST DEPARTMENT

[UY ELECTRIC TELEGUArit.]

THE ANNUAL REPORT. (Our Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, This Day

The annual report, of the Tourist Department was laid on the table of Iho House yesterday. The report says that the year under review shows that the phenomenal increase in the oversea traffic for the. year 1903-4 over the previous year has been well maintained. There has been an increase from all countries, from which our visiters have hitherto been drawn, the increase recorded being as follows: Australia, 166 United Kingdom . . 230 United States & Canada 146 Other Countries. . .. 217 Total .. ..759 The smal loess of the increase in the traffic from Australia, is mi doubt due to the frequently cabled reports concerning the unsettled climatic conditions prevailing in New Zealand during the first half of the season. Many visitors from the Commonweallh'have staled that: owing to these reports quite a considerable number id Australians either postponed or abandoned their proposed tours of this colony. The very encouraging increase in (hi traffic from the United Stales, Canada and Great Britain may bo attributed in a very large measure in the former case to the St. Louis Exhibition and the advertising in connection therewith; and in the latter case to the very much more extensive advertising of the colony's attractions in the Homeland than hitherto just prior 1.0 opening of last season.

The numbers of oversea visitors from the several countries recorded for the past two years are as follows:

These figures, as stated in the last report, cannot l>e regarded as complete, as quite a large number of visitors have probably escaped being recorded.

They, however, provide good evidence of the value and the rate of increase of the traffic.

Estimating the amount of capital at £SO expended by each visitor, the figures of 1003-4 gave the Vttltto of the tfßlTw hi Muni iuuaW* m £2Ol/009*

Esli'mulhiK I'm nsim'iiililiiiT" mi i" n hn Ihihih I".' Hi- jmi IWH n Hi" valuo of Hi" h'nllli' i" plntwli l" I'" ;■■■:;> ii in, l„ mil mi in. i. MM. i.r i 1 ■n.o | ' | i r,.'r lli.i y-nt The .1 I ' |'l" "> "•" ''"I"" 1 menl am,.in.1..1 h. «lri,l)lll •"•■> Id, klimuii.!'. mi iuiMwiw id' J.TiVVi I'll 'M ~V e r Hi.i pri'vi.Hi'i V l '" Tfiliiiiii, ml.. iMiimii|i'i'iili»M Hi" ' 4 ~i local linlli.' .'tuised In union M'h> elMiidli" i-i.hdili.tiio mi.l I In* ml«|i|ih»" ~l \\ ililUilllJ.il, "1.1. Il 111 il'adl . IHIsIM [( u|inul.iij'." I'ldiiuiili-'l m npunidq id .I,! U.llll, Hie Illl.lliri.il r..Biill l-.i Hi" •.mil' unn lie l.'iiiinl.'.l "'• v.'H '"' ll! I i'l i .

Til,. Illl..:'. Illlivilll 11111 l l|.'|.MllUl"« l„, 111., i. a. ..u.lin... '.I»l I''" 1,,.,, hum, «„i,. I.l.nnii. ,i., iimiiiiihl |,o,.|!i| 1,.i HHI,'., i\U»\\ Ili" :l "■" ii»"iii.iviii>« Iriillin "i 'III'' I Ilnnii • III" I'".. \' ■■"" ll "' "' I'" 1 Hiolil I.a. I'""ii '" "I" l"ll " ,-iv.i- P"|-Hl •" V! ' 1 " '"'"' ,1, |» -. ha.. I.""u rimilh ."' • ..r „i... I'i.n -1.1 " '•■< ' """ hi I'.llll ■I „,,, 1,. 11l L.'M I'.v I''''' „„..,„., |", M ., | , .V.,l'l'l "ii H'" u |,ol" ll." lull"'. li'i" l "" " "' " rl "'•'■' 1,,,,,,,,,,. medio., I lil>'d.\ I ''''" ~M'oi'l.'lll. .ili-'i'lia •|'|„, i,nniil I clellillll.", ll"' ">"" ,„, I Hi.. I ...pnrlm. ul 1.. v opening has 1..... U ii. Ml.-r •• ..d".ali..n, Ul .... delinil.. a.ln.n has vel 1.cc.1 decided up.. 11

The iv.ln,'lion of III" ral" f">' I'"' haiisini iM.ill I'.V ' "■ li«'WS|Hi|.i'l-« 1,.,.. | i;il | ||,,. nnlicipalcd ivsull "I cans ~.,.■ main addiliimal llioiisands ..I III" we.'kh "illusl rated newspapers which ~,,. „„ w produced iu such an arlisllc manner, I" b.. sen! abroad thus vastly, inereasihig llm kiu.wh-dgc "I Hi" e'nli.iiv's progress and al trad mils in ~,her" lauds.' The l.esl results may 1,., expected from I lie enlarged cirrii|.uui;,' ~f su.-h valuable adverl.sn.g '"ounprehonsivc exl.il.ils were during ,| lt , year sent to Hm Crystal I alar-, | il>m i, in , together will, a large • l uunLit> „{ literature, for .list rilnit i.m. ,\ hug" number ..f pamphlets and hooks were also distributed ut the Liverpool Rroduco Exhibition. Recognising the value of sport 1- ~„,, ( ~|,I UV ami the advisability «•• el nek in" with suitable annuals mil Hi-.rn area sof waste lands, consisting J-lifeliv of mountain tops, the department'lias during the year given considerable attention to the introduction ~f suitable animals and birds for .rung purposes. The liar and lniiaiu'so deer presented by the Duke were liberated on the Southern Alps and the Kain.arwara Ranires respectively. A further consignment of twen y wapiti, twenty-four deer and 119 buds (ehicflv water fowl) was procured from America and distributed among acclimatisation Societies throughout the eulonv. . , These animals and birds ill the fuluiv should add materially 4<> lbvalue "f our spoiling attractions. The Superintendent of the Department adds:—"l regret to find that the indiscriminate slaughter of native

game si ill continues, and f must again urge the necessity of an amendment of the Animals Protection Act, s.o as to ,rj V e power t" limit the number "I liinls to be killed by any one sportsman in asi yen time. During the early pari of the present shooting season'ii was common to hear of bags of one to two hundred ducks being taken in a few hours by two or three guns. This is mere pot hunting, not sport, and if the native game is to bo saved from coin.dele extinction, this slaughtering must be ended. In my opinion short" of absolute prohibition of Ihe shooting of native game, the limiting of Ihe number to be taken is the only means of preventing the ultimate exiinclion of native birds, which in irse'li'. apart from cVmsideran'fns of sjiovt, would bo most deplorable."

Country 1903-4 1904-5 Australia . 2726 2892 United Kingdom5 .. 1795 201 United States & Canad a 417 563 European Continent . Africa . 102 64 146 113 India 61 86 Other Countries 68 167