AMERICAN TOURISTS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22468, 11 July 1936, Page 14

AMERICAN TOURISTS

PACIFIC CRUISES POPULAR MONTEREY'S MANY PASSENGERS When, with 090 passengers, the Monterey left Los Angeles at the beginning of her present voyage, she had one of tho largest complements she has carried. A number disembarked en route, but tliero were .335 travellers on board when the vessel reached Auckland yesterday. The reason for the large number travelling, it was stated, was the rapid increase in recent years in the number of Americans making tours in the Pacific during the long summer vacation, which starts in the mfddle of June. Australia and New Zealand were becoming better known as holiday resorts, and this contributed to tho increased traffic.

A considerable proportion of the passengers were teachers or students, and there were many parties on board organised by various travel agencies. A typical one was that led by Dr. H. C. Slater, Pastor of the First Methodist Episcopal Church, Bed lands, California, b'or several years he has been in the habit of leading parties to various parts of the world during vacation under the auspices of a travel bureau, as a hobby. A particularly pleasing feature of tiie present trip, he said, was the way other passengers had co-oper-ated in making the tour a success. On several evenings lectures had been given by New Zealanders. An address on the Dominion's scenic* attractions was given by a Nevf Zealand dentist, and a Taranaki dairv farmer spoke on M aori legends. Other talks had been arranged for the run to Australia. Such tours, Dr. Slater said, were doing a great deal to make for better understanding between countries. The party will return to America via Australia and tlio East.