The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1929. TOURIST TRAFFIC.

Hokitika Guardian, 8 February 1929, Page 4

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1929. TOURIST TRAFFIC.

It should prove very satisfactory in the long run that Sir Joseph Ward has taken up the duties pertaining to the cnarge of the Tourist Department. The veteran Minister was the founder ol the Department in question, and under his guiding hand it achieved much oxij llent work. Of late, years under other Ministers the activities of the Department have declined very markedly, till it has reached, as one gentleman remarked lately, a morioiintl condition. No douht there were contributing causes to that state of lethargy. The Ministerial indifference was doubtless a prime factor, and while the decline was proceeding, the Railway Department became active in publicity -work. While later came a brand new Department styled Publicity, whi.h lurther overshadowed the operations o. the Tourist Department.. If there is to ..e legitimate reform regarding tourist work, there must Ik> a good deal of coordination in the departments referred to. And if there is that, there will he economy with greater efficiency. Probaby Sir .Joseph has sensed the position in that respect. If the Tourist Department is to he of value its work must he revised, and its activities centred along lines of real value. As between the business side of the Railways Department, and the work of the tourist Department there is a great deal of ovci hipping. These two Departments for instance, so far as their active work is concerned, do much of it in duplicate. If one enters the Tourist booking office in the palatial Dominion building in Wellington, it is found that across the hall, is the Railway Booking oifitne. Tile two separate staffs are each doing practically the same work. So it is in other centres, excepting that the two staffs occupy separate buildings in different locations, which must make the operation costs all the larger. And while the Tourist Department is busy with this booking office work which might he relegated entirely to the Railways (and he possible at every .Railway booking office in the Dominion) the Department should direct its main activities to legibmate tourist work Sir Joseph Ward (as others have done) found Rotorua (where so much public money lias been spent) going to seed. He proposes to alter that, action which is probably necessary to retrieve the general situation due to the huge public expenditure in the past in that quarter. But Rotorua lias only gone to seed because tne Tourist Department has been stormed financially in addition to Icing almost totally eclipsed by other Departments. While Sir Joseph is setting his mind on the rejuvenation of Rotorua, it is to he hoped some thought will he spared for Westland where there is a virgin field of natural tourist country to exploit It is due to other Departments that the reading of the district has gone so far. It is due, also, to private enterprise that the chief natural wonder of New Zealand, the Glacier regions at Waiho and Fox, are brought into prominence, and accommodation on a first-class scale provided for tourists. These two outstanding facts should he brought under the notice of iS.r Joseph Ward, and the Tourist DepnroiiKMit asked to give some attention to Westland to further attract more and more visitors to Hie district. Private enterprise has provided splendid motor transport to the scenic sights of Westland, and nothing is wanted but enterprise on the part of the Tourist Department to publish abroad the aitractions of the district and to equip them with all the special amenities which hitherto have been 1 lie staple features of Rotorua and other highly favoured locations.