PARLIAMENT

Lake County Mail, Issue 16, 10 September 1947, Page 4

PARLIAMENT

Points from Speeches

Protesting against the scale of fares residents of the area were called on to pay on the Lake Wakatipu steamer, compared with the low tourist rates, Mr W. A. Bodkin (Nat,, Central Otago), said in. the House of Representatives, that it had to be remembered that the Lake Wakatipu service was simply a section of the New Zealand Railways, and that there was a substantial loss in the operation of the railways as a whole. The steamer serving the isolated areas along the shores of Lake Wakatipu rendered a valuable service to a highly productive, though sparsely populated district. There was no alternative means of transport. There was no justification for charging visitors to Queenstown a smaller fare than that charged to residents. No small section of the New Zealand Railways was expected to be self-supporting, and the Government should give sympathetic consideration to the matter. Mr Bodkin said he supported the request for a road to Glenorchy as an alternative means of access. The price of scheelite had increased substantially, and there would be a number of miners working in that locality. Owing to climatic conditions, the scheelite, which was found on high mountain tops, could not be mined during the winter, and the Minister should consider entering into contracts with the miners to make an immediate start on the construction of that road during the period they could 4 not carry on their mining operations.

Display of Native Fauna A display of specimens of several native birds and fish by the Lakes District Acclimatisation Society at Queenstown has created considerable interest among many visitors and local resii dents. Amongst the birds on display are two specimens of the Crested Grebe family (male and female), a Bittern, a large Kakapo, together with eggs, a Parakeet, and a Californian Quail. Several fish are also included in the display window.