ANNUAL REPORT.

Hokitika Guardian, 15 September 1927, Page 4

ANNUAL REPORT.

DEPARTMENT OF TOURIST ANT) HEALTH RESORTS. (Hansard Debate). Air Seddon (Westland). —Sir, it hns been so often stated that the North Island is favoured by tho Tourist Department that I am very hopeful that in tho report which is being submitted to-day the Minister will remove that impression. We have hoard over and over again that when the stream of tourists comes to New Zealand it is always directed towards Rotorua and other places in the North Island, and the South Island is accordingly sacrificed. I do not know whether the Minister lias had liis attention directed to a resolution which was passed at a conference in Christchurch recently, when a number of representatives of Progress Leagues met and discussed this question. Tho resolution was in these terms;— “That this conference of South Island Progress Leagues is of the opinion that the attention of the Minister of Tourist Resorts should be drawn to the necessity of a more vigorous campaign in Melbourne and Sydney in. the interests of South island tourist resorts.” That is‘a. direct indication that as far as the stream of tourists from Australia is concerned, they have all the attractions of the North Island, and ( particularly Rotorua, given to thorn. t Wo know that we shall hear a very

earnest speech this afternoon, from the honourable member for Rotorua, and we shall Jbave all the attractions of that place placed before tho House and the country. But. at the same time, we must realise that as far as the Tourist Department is contented Rotorua is quite a pot child. Its attractions are more than necessarily bolstered up, to the detriment of those of tho South Island; and when the Minister replies 1 hope that lie will, in his wisdom and generosity, realise that apart from Rotorua there are attractive places, particularly in the South Island, and more particularly in the district which I have tho honour to represent. There is one quesi tion to which T would like to draw ! the Minister’s attention, though ho ; may reply that it is hardly within tho 1 scope of his Department. I refer to the necessity for having good roads to i give access to these m-enio resorts. | -For instance, wo have time and time I again pleaded witliT the- Minister of Public Works in reference to the oom- | plotion of the road from Westport to I Greymouth. That really is a matter which also interests the Minister in j charge of the Tourist Department, 1 and when that road i.s completed, if . tho Minister ever has the good fortune to go over it he will realise that i it is one of tho most interesting roads I in the' whole Dominion. It will be | an extension of the main road from. Nelson right down through tho Bailer ’l Gorge to .Westport, thence liy tho 1 J wonderful Pnuaknika, Bluffs to Greymouth. That road is nearing com- ’ pletition, and I hope the Minister will ' seriously collaborate with his colleague , the Minister of Public Works to see j that the work is expedited as mucii !’ as possible, so that when the jubilee ■, of the West Coast is celebrated it will I Ivi ini accomplished fact and enable , tourists to Greymouth to travel by that road. There is another question , in connection with roads which will interest the Tourist Department. For J many years the road over the Otirn j Gorge from Canterbury io Westland j was kept in a. good state ;>f repair. ; Coaches went over that tri-weekly to j I,ho Otira Gorge—a gorge which was I world-famous for its scenery. It is Lu be feared that the Government is going to allow that road lo gm into such a state of disrepair that motorists will ;bc unable to use it. That would be a. tremendous loss to ihc tourist traffic of this country. 1 hope, therefore, that matter will be looked j into by the Minister. There is nnI other road the construction of which wo hnve represented to the Government time after lime; that is the construction of the road from Lake Kanieri to Dorothy Falls, thence to the pastoral region of Kokntahi. That road is under construction by the Public Works Department; and when it is completed it will bo one of llio finest drives imaginable, through busli country at first, then past the lake, and on to the pastoral valley at Kokatahi. T hope the Minister is taking a. note of these suggestions, as they have been represented by me time after time. There is the further question of providing better facilities for getting down to the world-famous Franz Josef Glacier. I must say that tho Government- lm.s done everything possible to construct bridges over (lie rivers. Those are now completed, and all that remains i.s to complete tho bridges over the creeks. If that were done it would be possible to visit the Franz Josef Glacier no matter what, t-lie weather might be. In regard to the communication between the Franz

Josef and tho Fox Glacier, a protest has boon sent to the Government on account of the 'imperfection of tho road between those two glaciers. It is a beautiful rotate, leading over spurs and through heavily lavished beautiful valleys. The complaint jis that tho road has bonds with such sharp curves that motorists cannot get round these corners without stopping and hacking their cars, and the operation is extremely dangerous. The matter has been .submitted to the Minister of Public. Works, and now that I have brought it under the notice of the Minister in charge of the Tourist Department T hope tho present unsatisfactory condition will he j altered. There is another matter, but this concerns the honourable member for Wakatipu—l refer to tho construction of suitable lints on the Haast Pass Track. From Paringa leading down to the Haast there is only one small hut, accommodating two people at one time. It is ased, I believe, by stockmen driving cattle from South Westland. We know that, at Milford Sounds the Government, lias erected quite good huts for Hie. accommodation of tourists, and I suggest that at 'Blue Diver and at the Maori Saddle and from there through the Haast Pass similar accommodation huts should he erected for those tourists who do not undertake the journey on horseback, but who make the jour-

ney on foot. At the present time it is impossible to do that, because the distances between the settlements a;-e too great but were these huts erected I feel sure that would be one of the finest walks in the world, excelling even the track over to Milford Sound. Mr Wilford—Who wants to walk? Mr Seddon—Many energetic people wish to walk, taking their own time to see the scenery, instead of hurrying through op horseback. T think I have mentioned the roads I wish constructed, and 1 am glad that the two Ministers who are concerned arc giving earnest attention to my remarks. I would like to draw the attention of the Minister cf Public Works to another road that I should like to see included jn hi? estimates instead of in those of the Tourist Department. I refer to the road from Inchbonnie to Lake Brunner, which would permit the Greymouth people to drive from Kumarn. over to Lake Brunner and then round by Incliboiinie and on to the old road leading to Christchurch, or hack to Greyouth by way of Rotomnnu. I think I have given a programme large enough to keep the two Ministers

busy for the next two years. Seriously, .1 consider that the tourist resorts I have mentioned to-day should attract 50 per cent of the tourists who visit New Zealand, but we cannot say that anything like that percentage goes to these places. I hope, therefore, that tho Tourist Department will give due consideration to these facts, and provide all the facilities necessary for the encouragement of tourist traffic to the South Island, and more particularly to Westland.