OUT IN THE COLD.

Taranaki Daily News, 10 February 1934, Page 6

OUT IN THE COLD.

If it were not so serious from the Taranaki point of view the spectacle of two Australian farmers who are at present travelling surreptitiously through the province while their fellow travellers are “doing the sights” at the Government’s luxurious but somewhat unfinancial tourist rendezvous in the centre of the North Island would be almost GUbertian. A party of farmers has been brought over from Australia on what purports to be an educative holiday for the primary purpose of making themselves acquainted with farming conditions in the Dominion. Under an itinerary arranged by the New Zealand and New South Wales Tourist Departments they find on arrival that their tour does not include a dairying district. Protests are naturally made by some of the members interested in dairying, and they are advised by officers of the Department in Wellington to make a call of a day or two at Wanganui, which they find when they get there is a wool-growing centre. So finally they reach Taranaki, but according to reports are requested “not to say too much about it, for fear the other members of the party might hear about it and want to come too.” With the scenic attractions Taranaki lias to offer it is bad enough stagnating in a bureaumade backwater and watching the stream of normal tourist traffic from overseas pass by, but the circumstances of the New South Wales farmers’ tour make the ignoring of one of the richest dairying centres in the world inexcusable. It is to be hoped that the recent shining examples of the Tourist Department’s policy will awaken the people of Taranaki to the true position, and that efforts to secure just recognition will be redoubled until thej' are successful.