WORK OF TOURIST LEAGUE

Taranaki Daily News, 18 December 1929, Page 11

WORK OF TOURIST LEAGUE

SERVICE ON THE MOKAU RIVER. A meeting of the New Plymouth Tourist and Expansion League was held last night. Present: Messrs. F. Amoore (chairman), H. C. Baker, G. W. Browne, S. Teed, J. Bennett and J. L. Mander. All the leading hotels in the Dominion and all passenger ships plying between New Zealand and Australia and New Zealand and America had been sent large framed pictures of Mt. Egmont, reported the secretary. The balance-sheet showed a credit of £163. The receipts included a balance of £9l and £l4l from the drive. Expenditure showed a donation to the Otago farmers’ entertainment £l2, secretary’s salary for six months £52, and sundry items £5. Correspondence was received. relating to the request of the Tourist League Department for a tourist launch service up the Mokau River. Mr. Bennett proposed that the league should have nothing to do with the matter. The Government, he said, was doing its best to advance its own interests and showed little consideration for New Plymouth. It arranged tours to suit its own institutions at Rotorua and the National Park. Waitomo Caves had a Government hostel, and everyone had to go there, said Mr .Bennett, even if only for a night’s rest. The Government arranged for its hostels to be patronised. He was certain that if the hostel at Mt. Egmont were a Government hostel there would be many more visitors. Visitors arranged their tours through the Government department and found that they were allowed only one day in New Plymouth, had time to visit the parks and the breakwater and then, next day, before they had time to go up the mountain, they had to leave. It was decided to write to the Government asking it to subsidise a river service and stating that if the service was subsidised a bi-weekly or triweekly service could be arranged.

It wae further resolved that the secretary write to the Mokau Progressive Association asking if it was prepared to meet the league and discuss the whole question of the river service. The secretary stated that he had been able to obtain accommodation for all visitors in the town up to the present.