The Guardian (And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times.) TUESDAY, JUNE 12th, 1923.

Hokitika Guardian, 12 June 1923, Page 2

The Guardian (And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times.) TUESDAY, JUNE 12th, 1923.

REMOVING AN OBSTACLE. 'l'm: action of the Exhibition Council at its important meeting on Saturday night, in formulating proposals to remove the obstaclo of the lack of accommodation, is a. step which will go a long way to assure the success of the Exhibition movement. Tho accommodation question naturally presented itself from the outset, and has been a bogey all along. There was talk of a new hotel, but, the difficulty about a license seemed to block that project, though tile finance for a three-storey building was tit sight. Then !( •largo hosted, or cafe was mooted, but. without a. license iiiiauce was the trouble. Matters began to drop .back, particularly as tho licensed victuallers showed a lack of interest in the direction of providing more accommodation. The possibility of the Exhibition falling through, combined with the remarks made from tho Licensing Bench, however, lias had a quickening interest, and it is now expected that all tho licensed houses will make special efforts to help to cope with the big influx of visitors who will find their way to Hokitika during tho period of the Exhibition. It has to lie remembered, however, that on various occasions in the past when there has been a large, inrush of visitors, the accommodation question, though it has been acute, has never Been desperate. At holiday season, race time, the last- jubilee, special conferences, etc., the town has managed to provide sleeping accommodation for a very largo number of extra people. This was so on the occasion of the visit of the Prince of Wales when tho town did really well. However, for Exhibition time, the period will bo extended, and tho volume of traffic will exceed anything like previous experience. There- will bo a large influx of people on t-cp of tho ordinary holiday visitors so that the town will lie overfull for some weeks, and it is essential, therefore, to make very special arrangements. Mr Jeff-rie-s while in Dunedin last week was ablo to glean an idea, which will be of great service here in overcoming the difficulty ahead, namely, to provide hostel accommodation at Victoria School, which it is proposed to commandeer with the consent of t«o authorities, and convert tho building into large sleeping quarters. Tho proposal is to place the building in charge of a matron and staff, and provide first-class berthing accommodation. It is expected fully 300 extra people can be so accommodated, and with the extras to l>e provided for hv the hotels and private people, some 7CO or 800 people extra, or more, should he accommodated nightly. This menus that the greatest obstacle to the assured success of tho project will lie overcome, and the Council is to lie congratulated upon taking up the matter so determinedly—the action really spells success. To aid in the complete success of the scheme, it will lie necessary to further increase the guarantee, and this no doubt will Ivj (lone readily by the townspeople who will be anxious to see the town come through the strain and stress of the Exhibition period with an enhanced and not a tarnished record. Hokitika has a reputation for undertaking these large public matters well, and the present is an occasion calling for the most sustained public effort yet put forth. It will be well, therefore, for the citizens generally to co-operate to that end.