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1905. NEW ZEALAND.

TOURIST AND HEALTH RESORTS DEPARTMENT (FOURTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE). (22nd August, 1905.) BY THE MINISTER OF TOURIST AND HEALTH RESORTS, HON. SIR J.G. WARD, K.C.M.G.

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by Command of His Excellency.

Department of Tourist and Health Resorts, Wellington, My Lord — 22nd August, 1905. I have the honour to submit to Your Excellency the report of the Department of Tourist and Health Resorts for the year ending the 31st March, 1905. I have, &c., J. G. Ward, Minister of Tourist and Health Resorts. His Excellency the Governor of New Zealand. The year under review shows that the phenomenal increase in the oversea traffic for the year 1903-4 over the previous year has been well maintained. There has been an increase from all countries from which our visitors have hitherto been drawn, the increase recorded being as follows: Australia, 166; United Kingdom, 230; United States and Canada, 146; other countries, 217: or a total of 759. The smallness of the increase in the traffic from Australia is no doubt due to the frequently cabled reports concerning the unsettled climatic conditions prevailing in New Zealand during the first half of the season. Many visitors from the Commonwealth have stated that owing to these reports quite a considerable number of Australians either postponed or abandoned their proposed tours of this colony. The very encouraging increase in the traffic from the United States, Canada, and Great Britain may be attributed in a very large measure in the former case to the St. Louis Exhibition and the advertising in connection therewith, and in the latter case to the very much more extensive advertising of the colony's attractions in the Homeland than hitherto, just prior to opening of last season. The numbers of oversea visitors from the several countries recorded for the past two years are as follows: — 1903-4. 1904-5. Australia ... ... ... 2,726 2,892 United Kingdom ... ... ... ... ... 1,795 2,025 United States and Canada ... ... ... ... 417 563 European Continent ... ... ... ... 102 146 Africa ... ... ... ... ... ... 64 113 India ... ... ... ... ... ... 61 86 Other countries ... ... ... ... ... 68 167 5,233 5,992 These figures, as stated in my last report, cannot be regarded as complete. Quite a large number of visitors have probably escaped being recorded. They, however, provide good evidence of the value and the rate of increase of the traffic. Estimating the amount of capital at £50 expended by each visitor, the figures of 1903-4 gave the value of the traffic in round numbers as £261,000. Estimating the expenditure on the same basis for the year 1904-5 the value of the traffic is shown to be £299,000, an increase of €38,000 for the year.

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