ATTRACTING TOURISTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18275, 16 December 1922, Page 1 (Supplement)

ATTRACTING TOURISTS.

US IT GOOD POLICY.

BT KOTARB. There are some things everybody can do. Stephen Leacock has noticed that a man may have no ear for music, and he will proudly trumpet the fact to tJi/J world. But suggest to him that h* is lacking a sense of humour, hint however mildly that he cannot see a joke, and you have touched him on the raw. From that time your path and his lio apart. Apparently every man can see a joke, a due perception of that fact must be at the basis of every friendship. And every man knows how to direct an army in the field. We never lack a full supply of potential generals and admirals. Auckland has hundreds of warriors that by the light nature has given them, can show you where French or Haig failed. It is idle to suggest that modern warfare is so complex and specialised, that only years of intense study can qualify a man io express an opinion. All that is wanted is some good, old English common sense, and that quality apparentry cannot co-exist with the technical knowledge of our military school. In all probability the man that sits beside you in the tramear knows how the Battle of Jutland should have been fought. Uur trouble is that we do not even try to make available for the nation the unlimited mihtarv and naval knowledge which nature has so lavishly bestowed on heroes that hardly know flie breech of a, gun from its muzzle. After all, this amiable delusion does no one any harm. And in a democratic community, of course, everybody knows how to run the country. At election times he is a, poor creature that does not see exactly what the country is needing, exactly what tho Prime Minister ought to have done, and ought to do in the future. Once again nature has given the light to the ordinary man that she has denied to the politician who is hourly in touch with the actual facts of the situation. And once again this does no harm to anybody, and gives a groat deal of quiet satisfaction to tho one that knows.

The Tourist Traffic. Among the panaceas for the financial ills of tho State, there has come to light once more the idea that most of our difficulties would be ended if Ave could induce a sufficient number of millionaires to visit us with their cheque books. And while they disport themselves at Rotorua or Wakatipu, we have lost all our dash if we cannot relievo them of some of their surplus cash. It sounds very simple. We have here in our keeping some of the wonders of tho world. Any normally constituted man would loose hi 3 purse strings if ho only knew the truth about our scenic resources. Have we not in Rotorua the finest thermal region in the world. If Yellowstone Park is not exclusive enovgh now for your American plutocrat, catch him and drag him down to Wairakci. If everybody is now heading for the Alps, and the Englishman finds himself in an Anglicised Switzerland, fetch him over to Mount Cook. If Scottish rivers have ceased to charm, and Scottish deer forests resound with the dropped h's of Southern profiteers, and the soft lispings of kiltea Semites from London, then wg have fish to offer that make the giants of the Highland burn, look like minnows, and mountain ranges in JJorth and South that will make the sport of the Homeland seem like a came of skittles. We have tho goods, But in our modesty, or through tho incapacity of the authorities, we have let concealment, like a worm i' the bud, feed on our damask cheek. We have not put our goods in the window, and so wo have lost much honest profit; and much red gold that might have been diverted fo our coffers to tho great relief of the local taxpayer, has gone otherwhere.

The Other Side. As usual there is another side to the business. After all, a country liko ours, with its natural resources, sufficient to maintain a population of ten millions at least, should think twice before it definitely sets out to become tho hunting ground of tourists. Naturally, we are proud of the exquisite beauty of our island home. Any ><ew Zealander that has travelled, "and the great war placed all our younger men in that category, returns home with a truer perspective, but also with a deeper devotion to his own country. The general conviction is: "New Zealand will do me." And naturally, too, New Zealand will not hide its light under a bushel. We are proud of our land, and we don't care who knows it. We, as guardians and custodians of one of the fairest spots on earth, are ready to share our treasure on equal terms with every visitor that chooses to come our way. Wo shall do the honours as best wo can, not as proprietors of so much natural beauty, but as stewards fortunate enough to have our lines fallen in such pleasant places. But there is all the difference in the world between the owner who proudly shares his estate with the visitor who stands on such common ground with him as thejr joint appreciation of the beauty of nature provides, and the owner who uses the natural beauty of his place purely and simply to contribute to his revenue. Looking at the question broadly, and from general principles we have a far higher course to pursue than that suggested so often during the days of electioneering. Wo have our self-respect to consider, and a people that will set a problematical financial benefit against an almost inevitable loss of seU-Respect, deserves tCie very worst that can come to it. The Tourist Attitude.. Tho tourist almost inevitably assumes a certain attitude to Ihe country he is visiting, and its inhabitants. Anyone that has ever joined a Cook's tour, or met a party personally conducted, whether in Europe, or Asia, or Africa, will recall tho typical tourist outlook. One falls into it automatically. You have it in its perfection in Mark Twain's travel books. There is the patronising touch, the general air of condescension. When one has paid for an article extensively advertised, one does not feel in any way bound to exhibit overwhelming gratitude to tho seller. It is a commercial transaction; and naturally you are out to get your money's worth." And as the return for your outlav is imponderable, a pleasure of the spirit if you will, it is always difficult to decide whether you are actually getting your money's worth. Anyway,' vou find yourself taking it for granted" that the local inhabitants aro part of the show. They almost ce*se to be human beings. They are exhibits. There is nothing more soul-doadening to a people than the presense o.f a superior class whom wo are. exploiting for our own profit. That we do exploit them gives them, at once, a hold over us. if they come as guests, on equal terms, the whole matter takes another form. But if they come in responso to touting, they naturally assume another attitude, "and that attitude must have, an evil effect on our Dominion. What that effect would bo we have already seen in practically every country that has put the attraction of a largo tourist element in the forefront of its national policy. There has developed at home an obsequiousness of demeanour That must sopn overlie and suffocate tho impulses of liberty. Liberty, the Mountain Nympth, was to John Milton the one' essential companion of mirth. The character of a people counts for morn dan everything else combined. Liberty is the very ah we here in this much-favoured land. Une of the .saddest sights on earth is the genuine flunkey, the man made in the image of God, who has ceased to bo a man, and become u piecft of furniture. There will bo' no more potent factor in the development of Qunkeydom in New Zealand, than tho adoption of a tourist policy on the big scale. Not here, but in the development of our natural resources, and in the building up of a strong self-reliant character, will our salvation lie.