TIMARU POPULAR

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVIII, Issue 23316, 27 September 1945, Page 4

TIMARU POPULAR

• Christmas Holidays Accommodation Fully Booked Travel Facilities Will Be Strained The Christmas anil New Year j holiday period in Timaru may well be a record one for the town as far as tile tourist traffic is concerned. With thousands of soldiers travelling' on furlough warrants, and a general public planning to make Timaru their venue for Christmas in their first real holiday since the war Timaru hotel and boardinghouse proprietors have been inundated with inquiries for bookings over the Christmas and New Year holidays. The majority of these establishments have been booked out for that period since Easter. Every hotel keeper, both private and public, and every proprietor of a boardinghouse had the same answer when interviewed by a representative of "The Timaru Herald” yesterday—they were lull up for Christmas; were liable to be for some time after that period and had been booked out since the early months of this year. In a number of cases, bokings had been made last January. People as they left, booked in again for the following Christmas. "If I had twice as many storeys on my boarding house I still could not cope with the rush thij 1 Christmas,” commented one proprietor. “Anyone who is leaving his booking till now will probably miss out. People are coming from both ends of the Island and I have had inquiries from the North Island. From Auckland to the Bluff, the public seem to want to travel this year, and I really do not know how we are going to fit theni all in. Naturally our regular visitors get the first preference” Booked Since Easter Nearly every hotel has been hooked up from as far back as April of this year and every proprietor had the same cry of “full up,” and that he was turning away prospective bookings for the holiday period every day. "I am getting five and six letters a day from people who wish to come to town over the holiday period, and I simply cannot do anything about them unless there is a cancellation at the last moment,” said a hotel proprietor. “There is a big rush especially with people whose sons, and husbands are returning from overseas and wish to go to Timaru. for the summer holiday." Everywhere in New Zealand the same demand for holiday bookings is being experienced and with the present war-time restrictions regarding travel still in force hotels in Most centres are having diffifficulty, more especially with the shortages of staff. Timaru hotel and boardinghouse proprietors are confident that they will be able to cope with the Christ-J mas rush as the staff shortages are not accentuated to the same extent as elsewhere. Last year the situation arose where the travelling public secured accommodation satisfactorily in the town, but when it came to getting a seat on the train found that they were unable to do so. The Gilbertian situation arose whereby they had accommodation arranged, but no way in which to get there. Dependent on Coal With travelling in the holiday period, and the greater majority of the public dependent on the railways, as to whether or not that department can cope with the situation depends entirely on the coal miners. “At the present time I cannot see any likelihood of an improvement in the train service,” said the stationmaster at Timaru (Mr A. Black). “Unless the coal situation Improves. Bookings can only be made nine days ahead, and even now the expresses are taxed to capacity going both north and south. I cannot see that the Railways Department will be able to run extra trains, over the Christ holidays. For every person travel there is a soldier travelling on a warrant which usually means himself and mother or wife. There will be thousands of soldiers on furlough travelling during the Christmas period so it is difficult to see how things will work out.” Possibly some relief to the rail transport situation may be afforded by the relaxation of the petrol restrictions and in anticipation of this, the many camping grounds around Timaru have had a brisk inquiry for space for campers, and motorists with caravans. Two camps are already known to have been practically booked out for the Christmas holiday period.