TOURIST TRADE AFFECTED

Chronicle (Levin), 4 May 1946, Page 8

TOURIST TRADE AFFECTED

-Press Association

WATERFRONT DISPUTES^

By Telegraph—

AUCKLAND, May 3. Tlie future of New .Zealand's tourist trade, particularly in view of the recenl waterfront disputes, was tlie subject ot a discussion at a meeting of the Auckland Clianiber of Commerce. ' A letter was reeeived from a sliipping company stating that inquiries were being made into the eft'ect the restricted liours of work on tlie waterfront would have on the tourist trade from the United Htates. Tourist vessels were run on st-rict timetables due to maii contracts and these timetables were fixed six nionths in advance. . The letter continued that air competition was a" seriotis factor today, and it was essential that the tourist liners should be handled with the utmost speed. The present restricted liours' of work on the waterfront, together with the slow rate of discliarging and loading, would force ships to either carry no cargo for New Zealaud or else conline thenvselves to the transportation of small quantities of essential cargo, resulting in a Joss of reveiiue. Othei^fahtors to be considered Were the possibility of bad "weather, stop-work meetings, and strikes, and the company was comnmnicating with its principals to determine ivhat the future position would be in regard to the tourist vessels, • Attention was drawn by Mr. A. Wilaon to the shortage of aceoinmodation in New Zealand and he questioned how tbe c-ountry • could possiblv accomnu)date tourists. In pursuing the matter, the clianiber was putting the cart before the horse. •I# tourists eame and were poorly accommodated and were given

; bad service, the future tourist trade would be seriously aifected. | "The tourist trade is New Zealand's iinvisible export and must be encour- | nged, ' ' stated the president (Mr. T. M. jDavis). " It will be 18 months to two ! years before tourists begin to arrive in i New Zealand in numbers. " He eonsidjered the shortage of accommodation j would have eased by that time, as a i contributing factor today was the large jiramber of returned men who were still I travelling around the countrx'. Auelri land was admittedly in a very bad posii tion regarding good hotels, but the au jthorisation for new hotels could not be j obtained at present. I It was decided to leave the matter, in jabeyanee until more definite iuformaj tion had been obtained from the sliipping companv.