QUEENSTOWN.

Otago Witness, Issue 2589, 28 October 1903, Page 31

QUEENSTOWN.

October 24. — On Thursday evening la3t our Jocal Brass Band gave an excellent concert, preparatory to leaving next week for the contest at Port Chalmers. The members of the band have alt worked hard and spent a good deal of time <jyer the contest selection, an<3 naturally we wish them to show up well on ' the 28th. The soloists are all well up in their work. Great credit is due to Bandmaster Praser for the way hs has kept this upcountry band together for & number of years ander great difficulties. After the contest two of the be3t players are leaving to settle in Dunedin or some other town. Then the bandmaster has to train other two to take their places. It is this sort of thing that Unices the position so trying, and it is mo3t discouraging to have to keep on training new hands. The Tourist Department now give the band a small subsidy to play in our park during the eeagon, and the music ia much appreciated by the public. Dining Car. — At the end of the year the contract -with, the providore of the steamers «zpires, and it becomes a question whether it would not be in the public interest/to put a dining-car on between Gore and Kingston and Invercargill and Kingston via, Lumsden — one contract to be let for the dining-cars and provisioning of the steamers. Experience has ah own-that during the eeason a difficulty exists in providing the travelling public with refreshments and. meals. As matters now stand the refreshment room »t Lumsden is far too small, and if a. traveller waits until he boards the steamer, he often finds' then that he cannot get what he wants; or if he gets a meal he is £O crowded and hurried that the game's har&l'y worth the candle. Now, if a good man got the dining-cars and steamers under one contract he could run the businea wi£h benefit .to the- public and profit to himself. It is to be hoped that the Railway authorities will .look carefully into the matter before entering into new contracts. Weather. — The weather has been lovely for .some time past. Tourists and visitors would to simply charmed if they came up here now. 'It is always cooler in November than later on, and this is an advantage. Baths. — A grsat drawbaok to Queenstown is ' the absence^of public hot and cold baths, and though tHe question crops up now and then ' in tho local, paper and Borough Council, we «re no nearer getting what is wanted than ] we were 20 years ago. It seems very funny to think that with the lake right at their ] dcor there are boys and girls here who cannot swim. It would not cost so very much to ' erect suitable baths, which would ba patro- J nised by strangers in addition to the local people. A reasonable charge could bo made, ; ond there docs not seem to be any reason j why the concern could not be made pretty well self-supporting. At anyrate, it> is a question that 13 well worth our Borough Coun- 1 cil discussing, and perhaps approaching the | Government" for reasonable monetary assistance. , Electricity.— The lighting oi Queenstown by electricity stands very much in the same posi- I tion as the public baths. The corporation holds the right to the water of the creeks near Queenstown, and the ccunci! ought to take tho matter up seriously, and do tha work, charging a fair prico for the light. It would, no doubt, pay all parties. Head of Lake.— At the last meeting of the County Council, Councillor B.rley (tiie wellknown guide) brought up the state of the | tracks, crossings of creeks, and several other | public matters of great moment to the tourist traffic, with the result that the various requirements will be attended to. During the past year more horses and vehicles have" been procured Ifor the Head, and altogether *n. honest attempt is being made to supply the reasonable wants of the travelling public. Oil Launch. — Mr Searle's oil launch Vera is •"being very fairly patronised by the residents, and tho charges levied are very low indeed. As the little boat gets better known more business will be done.

Tea Rooms. — It ia rumoured that we are to have no less than four tea 100 ms in the town this season. I wish them success. It look 9as if prohibition vas coming along by "leaps and bounds "