SCENIC ATTRACTIONS

Grey River Argus, 9 March 1928, Page 5

SCENIC ATTRACTIONS

North v. South TOURIST OFFICIEB’S CHALLENGE TO PROGRESS LEAGUE’S ALLEGATIONS. CHBIbTUUUKCH, March 8 At a meeting of lhe Executive of thCanterbury Progress League, a hitter was received from Mr B.M. \\ ilson, General Alanagcr of the Tourist Department ,denying that the South Island was negicctcd in prepaiativn of itineraries. The letter ends: “To end this matter I give you a straight challenge to prove your statement, if you can show to the satisfaction of the Minister, or I’ublic Service Commissioner, that any responsible officer of the Tourist D« partment has advised visitors not to go to the ISouth Island, as there was littie or nothing lo see thesre. or has iu any othei way tried to divert tourist traffic from the South Island, I shall call upon that officer to resign. More than that, I shall send in in/ papers at the same tinu| This challenge is contingent on your placing your position on the other side of th« scales. ’ ’

Replying to Mr B. AL Wilson re tourist propagaedaji A) / Dan says in a letter:

“I must confess that the tone of your letter surprises me very much coming from one holding such a responsible position. Your reputation and the esteem in which you are held precludes anybody for a moment suggesting that you personally would contribute to the causd of the South Island complaint regarding tbfc tourist traffic, or that you would in anf tvay encourage such a policy, so why take the criticism in such a personal manner.’ There is no gainsaying the fact that the South Island has not Lad its fair share of this tourist traffic. Some people here suggest that sinister influences are at work is the far north, but T think the reasons are to bci found in natural causes. It is astonishing how few South Island people have been to Rotorua and how few North Island people have been to Alount Cook, and so if your officers in the North and particularly in Australia. arn not men who know the scenic wonders of the South Island, then it is easily explained why the Rotorua district gets ugch a prefer-