H.—2
2
The work of the different bureaux has been heavy, and the amount of tours booked has totalled £73,597, an increase of £4,915 over the previous year, and the amount of commission actually earned has been £3,747, an increase of £278. A number of important tours were organized by and carried out by the bureaux of the Department, including visiting tennis and football teams, the American scientists, and others. The American professors were greatly pleased with the manner in which their varied tour was arranged, and the head of the party, Professor Nutting, stated that he knew of no other country in which the visitor was so well cared for in this respect. In connection with the booking business, I would draw your attention to a complaint frequently made from the Otago and Southland Districts, that visitors are advised not to visit the South, but to confine their attentions to Rotorua. Various statements of this nature have appeared in the Press, and have been mentioned by different tourist leagues. In every case coming under my notice I have asked the sponsor of the paragraph to give specific details of any instance where a Government Tourist Agent has given such advice, but in no case have they attempted to justify the statement, which is definitely contradicted by every Tourist in New Zealand. As a matter of fact, each Agent vies with the other in endeavouring to show a bigger business than his brother Agent, and obviously there is nothing to be gained by the Auckland Agent sending people to Rotorua in preference to the South. Every person, sent to the South enables him to show a substantial commission to the credit of the office, while those going to Rotorua only are of no use in this respect, as we get no commission from the Railway Department on a mere booking to Rotorua —in fact, we cannot issue a ticket there unless in combination with another trip. It is by the commission earned on the tickets issued that the agencies are judged. These statements have also been made in regard to bookings to the West Coast and South Wcstland, and on investigation I found that practically our heaviest bookings were for people leaving Wellington or Christchurch and doing the Buller, Otira, and Franz Josef trips.
Statement showing Financial Position at Main Resorts.
Return of Receipts. The following table shows the receipts of the Department from all sources from 1916—17 : — 1916-17. 1917-18. 1918-19. 1919-20. 1920-21. 1921-22. 1922-23. £££££££ Receipts ■.. ..33,137 32,935 33,689 42,218 51,038 50,822 40,246 Return of Expenditure. The-following is a comparison of the expenditure for the past six years : — 1917-18. 1918-19. 1919-20. 1920-21. 1921-22. 1922-23. £ £ £ £ £ £ Consolidated Fund .. .. 48,732 53,656 68,858 93,720 86,944 59,647 Public Works Fund .. .. 967 1,620 6,194 19,041 17,996 5,435 The following is a summary of the work of the Department at the different resorts under its control: — Rotorua. Revenue. —The general revenue shows an increase of about £200 above the figures of the previous year. The total receipts from passenger bookings for this year are appreciably less. As far as this agency is concerned, a very material factor in the reduction of passenger-booking revenue is the keen competition in the hotels and boarding-houses, which book all their boarders for the various side trips. This practice, of course, deprives the Department of a large amount of business, which would otherwise pass through the agency.
Year 1! 122-23. Year 1921-22. Resort. | i M p o a • %$ M ■» Ph »r3'S • So M PhM o n 12 e 5 t § H g is •-g I H H M B w C og * S fi o § » M PhPh s <d i 8 S § H o p8 3 'fi Q M Te Aroha Rotorua Rotorua Acclimatization District .. Waitomo Caves Lake House, Waikaremoana Queenstown Glade House and Te Anau - Milford Track £ 1,489 22,876 1,677 6,143 1,240 217 1,467 £ 3,106 28,463 1,060 3,983 1,732 747 1,940 £ 1,617 5,587 492 530 473 £ 617 2,160 £ 1,947 25,746 1,307 6,909 936 257 1,994 £ 4,354 37,420 1,177 4,929 2,275 821 2,900 £ 2,407 11,674 1,339 564 906 £ 130 1,980