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Hokitika Guardian, 8 November 1923, Page 2

A MATTKtt of first importance to the district which might b<“ hiotight before Mr Coates is the sustained neglect by the Government of the tourist resorts of Westland. Travellers and others who come hero to spy out the laud never tire of belauding the scenic attractions til the district. Yet the Tourist Department as such, sadly neglects the Coast as a whole. Although Mr C'oates is not Tourist Minister, lie, as Minister of public Works, at least controls the purse strings as regards roads and trucks for tourist purposes. A £1,900 could h<* spent very usefully ill the Westland district t : o improve tuuiist roads and tracks. In other parts of the Dominion, thousands o! pounds are provided for the purpose referred to. yet "Westland is the Cinderella of New Zealand in regard to tourist expenditure. With the opportunities here offered by nature, there is scope hor much legitimate expenditure to further the traffic, and above all to advertise outside the notable features of the district. Many tourists drift here by accident and. are surprised to find a territory of such novel tit tractions. We would like the Tourist Department organised to send the tourists here bydesign and not by accident.

In Great Britain, opposition to tile policy ol" Imperial economic co-opera-tion, says an exchange, that is being shaped at the Economic Conference and by the British Government is still active and may not be overcome eomplete|v for some time to come. As opinion in the Dominions has long recognised, however, this policy idlers the best possible guarantee ’of the future prosperity. solidarity, and security of the Empire. There is no doubt that even in Britain, where traditional ideas and prejudices die hard, the results of the policy of Tm] erial economic co-opera-tion will more and more gain lor it approval and snppoit its it is carried into effect. The possibilities- <9 this policy need to be considered in the light of such facts as were set forth by Alt E. S. Amory when lie spoke >u anticipation of the meeting of the Economic Conference. AATiat- really mattered. Mr Amery observed, was not how many millions of people were willing to buy Biitish moods, but how much of these goods they were willing to buy. In the last, year before the war (he added) the whole of Europe bought from Britain £132 000.000 worth of goods, while the British Empire bought £195.000.000 worth. The United States. Germany atul Russia, with 330,009.090 of people, bought from Britain in 1913 £88.000.000 worth of goods, hut the Dominions with 15,0110.000 population, bought £91.000.000 worth of British goods. That meant that the 330.C08.000 of population bought from Britain on an average five shillings worth per head, while the ) eople of the Dominions bought C 5 worth per head. That was why Empire trade was important. The extent to which it is intended that the new scheme of Imperial financial cooperation should apply to the Dominions, as distinct from the colonies, of the Empire, is not yet indicated in detail. Tn face of such proposals as are taking shape in Great Britain, however, this country and other Dominions evidently should be prepared to adopt a policy of active enterprise in expediting development and settlement.