ADVERTISING THE COLONY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 12801, 23 October 1903, Page 5

ADVERTISING THE COLONY.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, October 22. Mr T. A. Grady (representing the Ocwuiio Steamship Company) and Mr V. A. Sprout (passenger representative) of tlio company at Auckland) have arrived in Wellington after a trip through the North Island. They had a rather exuitiug experience the other day when at Waimangu, showing that tho area of danger in tho vicinity of tho goyser is becoming greater. They were standing hear tho shelter shed wlic-n tho oiitiro contents of tho crater, including large boulders and inud, spouted un to a height of 900 ft, and at <ho came timo a crosi action took place, which spurted a quantity of muddy water and volcanio debris at (heir very feot. They had to take to their heels to avoid trouble-. Ifr Grady is strongly of opinion that tliero is nothing like Waimangu in the worlil cus a tourist attraction, and when this marvellous geyser becomes _ known in America the tourist traffic will 1» onormora. Both gentlemen continue their tour of Vho colony on Saturday, when they leave for Pioton, Nelson, and tho West Coast. Their intention is to visit- overy fipot with pretensions to seenio beauty, including thoßuller Gorge, tho Ot-iro.Gorge, and other places of interest -to tourists; thence overland to Christchuvch and Dunedin, and on to tho Lakes. The purpose of this tour is to gather information of Now Zealand from a- ccenic aspect, to be embodied in illustrated books and pamphlets to bo scattered broadcast over tho American Continent by the Oceanic Steamship Company. It is alleged that some 150,000 t>3oplo leave tlm citics of the Eastern States every spring for -the West, a great number of them really ignorant as to whero they will spend the summer, and threo people scatter themselves over California, and- some visit Honolulu ami Japan. Wero tho scenic wonders of this oolony put before sucli people, tho travellers nro convinced that a rush would sat in annually for New Zealand, and it is their mission, as far as lies in their power, to sond the exodus this way.