SAFETY OF CLIMBERS

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 118, 22 May 1939, Page 7

SAFETY OF CLIMBERS

LICENSED GUIDES

NEEDED IN MOUNTAINS

The need f or*mountain guides in New Zealand to be given a status that would encourage good guides to take up the work of making climbing safe was stressed at the annual meeting of the Federated Mountain Clubs of New Zealand on Saturday afternoon.

The president (Mr. G. G. Lockwood) said New Zealand had reached the stage where visitors could not secure reliable guides, and something would have to be done. They had been told that if they wanted licensed guides, the leaders of amateur parties would have .to take out licences. That was quite unnecessary, and would cause great inconvenience, but he considered action should be taken even if it meant inconvenience to them all. He moved that the mountain clubs should be recommended to take steps to get the alpine guide legislation amended and made operative.

Mr. A. P. Harper (Wellington) seconded the motion, and said that they had put forward a Bill which passed the House, of Representatives only to have a clause cut out in the Legislative Council so that it became inoperative. All they wanted was the replacement of that clause. They wanted the guides to have some positive standing.

They should not make up their minds in a hurry about anything that might restrict the amateurs, said Mr. J. D. Pascoe (Wellington). If helping overseas visitors to climb mountains would mean preventing hundreds of amateurs from climbing, harm would be done. It should be pointed out to the Minister in Charge of Tourist Resorts (the Hon. F. Langstone), who wanted to include amateurs, that it would be impossible to force all amateurs to get licences or to stop them from leading parties. A STRONG CASE. Mr. R. Syme (Hawera) said the clubs had a strong case, and he believed they would get what they wanted if they presented that case to members of the Government. After further discussion, Mr. Harper said what they wanted was to have the men who were paid to take parties into dangerous country licensed, but they did not want the amateurs interfered with. Mr. A. H. Hines (Wellington) said it was not a fair thing to send tourists out with inexperienced guides, and if licensing would do away with that .they should ask for licensing. It would be better, for the amateur to have to go to the trouble of getting a licence than to leave the professional guides in their present position. Mr. G. B. Wilson (Wellington) said he thought they should suggest to the j Government that if all guides were to be licensed tramping clubs should be given, club . licences for leaders of parties, the club to take the responsibility of issuing them to experienced men. Mr. R. B. Gray (Wellington) said (hey should make it clear that their objective was to secure reliable guides for dangerous country, to protect climbers who did not know the country visited, and to preserve the freedom of amateur'climbers. LICENSING PROFESSIONALS." Mr. Lockwood said the Federated Mountain Clubs did not agree to the imposition of licensing on amateurs, but they should insist on licensing professional guides even if it brought about the utterly silly position of having to license amateur leaders of parties. His motion merely meant that they should use every endeavour to get legislation passed to improve the position of professional guides.

The motion was carried without dissent.