WANTS OF TOURIST RESORTS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3017, 10 January 1912, Page 52

WANTS OF TOURIST RESORTS.

HANMER DEPUTATION REBUFFED WELLINGTON, January 8.

Five bosiness residents of Hanmer waited on the Hon. T. Mackenzie, Minister in charge of the Tourist Department, with reference to the bore put down on No. 1 pool, selected by the Rev. Mr Maeon (the water diviner). The contractor had got a 15gal per minute flow, with a 15ffc rise, at 90ft, but, acting under instructions from somebody, he had got through the water to complete the contract of a 100 ft bore. In doing so he had lost the benefit of the well at 90ft. The Minister informed the deputation that the place ought to be leased and managed. It was distinctly difficult to look after these places from such a distance. Did it not all show that the Government was very foolish to bother with these places at all? Ministers should have something else to do than to be bothered with the administration of these resorts. They could never be made to pay under existing conditions. As Go-vernment-run institutions they would never be permanently satisfactory. “Take Rotorua,” he continued. “We have had more objections from Rotorua proportion, ately than from any other place. A great deal of this opposition is carping criticism, but there* is a lot of it merely political. If Rotorua is not satisfied with what has been done what can be done with other places? A place like Hanmer could always be best managed by those who were resident, and interested in the place. Those people could do a, great deal of minor work, which did not involve big cost.” Ho pointed out that the Government had spent something like £IO,OOO in the last three years in improvements in and about Hanmer. He reiterated that in his opinion the best thing that could be done was to lease the place as a sanatorium.