Tourist Trade Discussed In House Today

Greymouth Evening Star, 8 October 1948, Page 4

Tourist Trade Discussed In House Today

(P.A.) WELLINGTON, This Day. In the House of Representatives today, urgency was taken for the passing of several classes of estimates.

Mr T. L. Macdonald (Opposition, Mataura), discussing the vote’for the Department of Tourist and Health Resorts, said the tourist trade could not be built up along the lines that what was good enough for ourselves should be good enough for overseas visitors. It should be realised that many tourists came from countries where there were higher standards than ours.

Maruia Springs

Mr E. R. Neale (Opposition, Nelson) urged the development of Maruia Springs, where, he said, some remarkable cures had taken place. The Minister, Mr Parry, said he was eager to see more modern tourist accommodation provided, but most of the resources of the building industry were still devoted to the housing programme. Were conditions normal, nothing would please him better than to go ahead with the programme which had been prepared for more modern tourist resorts in various parts of the Dominion. Mr Parry said that in the past five or six years, despite the curtailment of overseas tourist traffic during the war years and after, there had been remarkable expansion in the department’s turnover, indicating the success of the policy of encouraging New Zealanders to travel freely in their own country.

Mr J. R. Hanan (Opposition, Invercargill), Mr W. T. Anderson (Government, Auckland Central) and other speakers urged the provision of facilities at leading tourist resorts for those who could not afford to pay the relatively high hotel tariffs. Mr Hanan said that at .Milford Sound there were many public works huts which at little expense could be made suitable for workers and others on low incomes who wanted a cheap holiday. Mr Anderton said that many workers, especially from Auckland, could enjoy cheap excursions to the Chateau if the facilities were available. The Tourist Department’s first duty was to provide for New Zealand workers, not for American millionaires.

“Disorderly Swilling” Mr R. M. Algie (Opposition, Remuera) urged the provision of liquor licences at the Chateau and Waitomo Caves, even if legislation were required. He knew of no _ obstacle, save an apocryphal, mythical thing called the Treaty of Waitangi. It was just drivel to let this prevent provision for the orderly consumption of alcohol, which was much better than the disorderly swilling of alcohol at tourist resorts. The vote was passed before the House adjourned for lunch at one o’clock.