HANDICAPPED IN WORK

Taranaki Daily News, 12 November 1934, Page 4

HANDICAPPED IN WORK

encouraging tourists SITUATION AT NEW PLYMOUTH. POSITION OF TOURIST LEAGUE. LACK OF FINANCIAL SUPPORT. The withdrawal of the Government subsidy and the apathy on the part of New Plymouth business men were the principal factors contributing to the dormant nature of the New Plymouth Tourist and Expansion League, according to the chairman, Mr. F. Amoore, in an interview with the Daily News. There was ample scope for the league’s. activities but a complete lack of financial assistance handicapped work at every turn.

The resuscitation of the league was entirely dependent upon the amount of support given by the people of New Plymouth. Mr. Amoore’s remarks were made when a letter, that appeared in the Daily News correspondence columns, suggesting a revival of the league as an active body, was submitted to him for comment. Good work had been done in the past, said Mr. Amoore, but unfortunately the league was hit very badly by the difficult times. Arrangements were set in train to collect funds to enable the league to carry on but the advent of the Napier earthquake had made a cancellation of all arrangements inevitable. The withdrawal of the Government subsidy left the league to carry on without a penny. “If the citizens of New Plymouth would wake up to the necessity of such an organisation and provide funds there would be no difficulty whatsoever in reviving the league,” said Mr. Arqoore. “But what can we do without money? The Government certainly does not help us at all and now has its own tourist agent office in town. . x , * “We are all doing our best for the town but are handicapped considerably. Attempts have been made to give greater prominence to Mount Egmont but we do not appear to be getting very far. However, we are hopeful that the Government will give relief as far as the mountain is concerned,” said Mr. Amoore. “If the business men of New Plymouth would give us £2 2s each we would be able to start again, but will they let us know that?” he asked. Continuing Mr. Amoore stressed the importance of the personal touch in such work and suggested that business people could give valuable assistance in this direction also. The fact that the league had not met during recent months was not because it had no work to do but simply because it had no money to do the work with.