TOURIST ATTRACTIONS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16159, 22 February 1916, Page 8

TOURIST ATTRACTIONS.

NORTH VERSUS SOUTH.

DEPARTMENT'S ATTITUDE.

[BT TELEGRAPH.—CWN COEEZSPOSnEXT.3 DtTKrors". Monday. The Minister in charge of Tourist and Health Resorts, the Hon. Dr. McNab, said this morning that he had made inquiries regarding the statement that influences were at work to prejudice tourists against the attractions of Southern lakes-

"It is clear from information I have obtained," declared the Minister, " that this can have no reference to the officers of the Tourist Department.. Ail agents are just as zealous advocates of the Mil-ford-Te Anaa track as of any other place. There is certainly no reason why our officers should boom Rotor in preference to the South Island. With the great expenditure at Mount Cook and the money spent annually in maintaining the MDiordTe Anau track, it seems to me that the Department cannot reasonably be accused of favouring the North at the expense of the South. '

" It must not be forgotten, however, that Rotorua is famed throughout the world as New Zealand's chief scenic attractionIt is natural that tourists from Australia —with limited time at their disposal should visit that part of the Dominion in preference to any other resort. But the fcoutn Island restarts have been advertised in Australian and New Zealand papers jusi j as largely as the northern resorts- The Department has been preparing, at considerable cost, a poster showing the Alpine districts, (which is to be circulated in New Zealand, Australia, America. India and elsewhere. A similar pester of the Otago lakes district is now pracUcaliv ready for issue. " There is no doubt that the number of visitors to the Mflford - le Anau track lias decreased of late, but this is due, I think, largely to the lessening of the direct service from Melbourne to the Bluff, which prevents people with limited time proceeding further south. Last season arrangements were made with the Union Cornpanv to run their beats from Greymouth to MOford at stated intervals, so that people could make the round trip from Wellington to Dunedin and back via Miikrd. Unfortunately, the war upset these calculations. The project will again be gone into when circumstances are more favourable.''