THE TOURIST TRAFFIC.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 11667, 29 January 1901, Page 1

THE TOURIST TRAFFIC.

TO THE EDITOB.

Sir, — As an old traveller, well acquainted with the tourist traffic of the old world and the requirements of this new country, allow me to draw your readers' attention to the Hon. J. G-. Ward's far-reaching schemes about the improvement of our tourist traffic, which deserve. to be well considered. No one will seriously question the necessity of bringing our magnificent climate" and scenery more prominently before the travelling public, especially the globetrotters from other lands. The main question on this matter is, how can it be done to the greatest advantage and with the best possiole results. Your readers will undoubtedly remember my last Paris letter, in which I expressed my deep regret at the unpardonable neglect of our Liberal Government to be, in some way at least, represented at the grandest International Exhibition which the world has ever seen. When enquiring at the Agent-General's office in London about the steps New Zealand had taken with regard to participation in this affair, I was at once confronted with the query: " Where is the money to come from ?" Had I known then what was going on just about that time in our New Zealand Parliament, I would have answered without hesitation that the money devoted to the unnecessary increase of Ministers' number and salary alone would have allowed a splendid display Of New Zealand products in Paris, that the £2800 wasted in the shape of a £40 bonus for each of our hard- worked members would hare amply paidforan excellent, all-round representation of our colony at the late World's Fair, or that the £1200 to be thrown away on toy medals for our school children might have worked wonders in bringing our vast resources most thoroughly before the 48,000,000 of visitors who hare lately thronged the Paris show. As it is, this peerless chance to make New Zealand known all the World over has unfortunately been missed, and our energetic Postmaster-General and Minister, of Bailways is. pondering day and night over the ways and means which might tend to turn the world's tourist traffic to our shores. He is even sanguine enough to advocate narrow-gauges railways to every tin-pot picnic ground, the erection of tourist hotels, the construetion of commodious palace-steamers to bring tourists over from Australia and America, and a 13-knot Government white elephant, holding 1000 passengers, is to ply soon on the still waters of Lake Wakatipu. Well may our struggling settlers in the roadless North cry out for better means of communication, and well may the sober taxpayers throughout the length and breadth of the colony ask : " Where is the money to come f rt>m ? How far does Mr Ward want to go ? Where will it end?" It is. and remains a deplorable fact that while New Zealand could afford ' to bo well represented at former International exhibitions, she was, unlike plucky little Westralia, short-sighted enough, to be wholly unrepresented at Chicago and Paris, the very exhibitions which would have done her the most good. From this penny wise and pound foolish policy of the past, our Government seem now to be in danger of running head over heels to the extreme by planning all sorts of costly experiments, which might better be left to private enterprise. With Mr Ward I think that the colony will not grudge judiciously spent money, but I feel quite sure, that it will not tolerate any waste of untold sums on wild cat-schemes, far ahead of present requirements, as long as so many pressing public works are incomplete. What we want here to attract certain tourists are above all cheaper railway fares and better accommodation in the trains and stations. To this should be added :—: — 1. The establishment of Official Inquiry Offices in the different centres 2. The issue of attractive pamphlets, cards, mars, posters, &c, for extensive distribution at Home and abroad. 3. Inspection of and reports on .English, American, and Continental pleasure and health resorts. 4. Magio lantern lectures, descriptive of our colony, delivered abroad. 5. Advertising kiosks at .the coming, great exhibitions in Glasgow and Buffalo. An expenditure of from £3000 to £4000 during the current year would achieve all this; if more can be afforded, I would recommend as another means of advertising, the establishment of a permanent display of New Zealand products in a central hall in London, where intending immigrants, visitors, relatives of .colonials, in fact everybody directly or indirectly interested in our colony might be enabled so see and study our resources, read our papers, meet friends, &c. During my short stay in England as well as on board the steamers I noticed with pleasure how much New Zealand is thought of in the Old Country, and it is well' for us to encourage this friendly feeling by placing every possible inforf mation about the country .within the reach of our kinsmen abroad. On the way out Archdeacon Willis, from Cambridge, won golden opinions amongst the Omrah passengers by bis welcome lee tores on New Zealand to young immigrants, of whom a good many were on board. Books, pamphlets, maps, papers, &c, about our colony were eagerly perused, and it strikes me that if somebody boarded every departing steamer in London, Plymouth, San Francisco, and Vancouver with a load of descriptive matter of the kind referred to, our

colony might derive the greatest benefit at a comparatively small cost. Much more might lie said, bnt I am afraid I have already tivspn^ed too much on you? sYvi^e and n.u^t merve tho rest for a future occasion. — I am. &c. r T.. F^-o-iv.B. Auckland, 25th Janipry. 19C1.