LACK OF ATTRACTIONS.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 10 March 1923, Page 7

LACK OF ATTRACTIONS.

A HANDICAP TO ELTBAM

LOCAL RETAILER'S VIEWS "Eltham tradespeople suffer from competition with nearby towns; Tin which there is always some additional attraction .to'dra,W a buying publid from" the. country districts.'' This is the opinion of a prominent Eltham retailer, who holds the view;;Hthat the town should make a much more strenuous effort than it does to capture a greater amount of the conimumty's trade. :'.*.. ! His opinion is that Eltham (suffers | because during the year there 'arfe-'-.npt ■ j enough fixtures to draw7people 'from other towns here; Races.: are ah exr* ample. Whatever view one may hold concerning races, there is ho doubt they draw to any town"< a class of people who spend their money with freedom. j Races, sports, and 3hows:attract people '* who come to Tthem in holiday mood, ; and holiday mood means, spending money. Then whenmoney ff om outside is spent ih a town it means general 'de 7 yelopmeiit and prosperity.; : \ The retailer' cited to the Argus: several ' examples of how successive attractions i elsewhere draw the crowds. In New 'Plymouth since;the beginning; )pf* the . year there had vbeeh;^tennis $croquet, .** and bowling tourhamehts,' racesTa barnl contest weekj A. and P. ehow7and*innumerable '-picnics, j J. Eaehiirf Ltheserfix- , tures drew tbr3New Tpiymbutli: people: with money to spend; and ithelped^the 3 development of the ;,tpWn;;;3ln;Ha,w^rar|; .as- two instancesonly, ; there, had;; been "races; and 'motor;sports. :'yY.£Yy}. YY; 7"777 '"Eltham has not even7gbt:3 a race meeting," he said. Thepower show was; the one 'and only draw for people in 1 the Eltham district, 'aiid:v.a*s3 a conseI quence Eltham tradesp^eoplefwere handi- ' capped. 7, 7.,7V-'-'-\-77•■-.;.■-. jyyj-x 7"And in : addition,"^ he concluded, '(people will: go A into: New; Plymouth with the school picnic antl do enough shopping, to last them for months."