WAKATIPU STEAMER FARES

Lake County Mail, Issue 42, 24 March 1948, Page 2

WAKATIPU STEAMER FARES

Concessions to Tourists but Full Rate to Settlers

Government steamer fares for lakeside residents has been a bone of contention for many years. Various organisations have taken the subject up but have been unable to achieve any marked success. Although the facts have been presented to the Prime Minister, Mr Fraser, the position is unchanged.

Mr D. H. Cockburn, chairman of Lake County Council, told the council last week that he had had further requests to take the subject up. Cr Bryant said that when Mr Fraser visited the district last year, he had made a point of presenting the facts to him. Mr Fraser, he said, was amazed that such circumstances existed. Gr Bryant said that he later received a letter from him pointing out that the matter had been handed on to Mr Semple. Mr Semple later wrote to the effect that nothing could be done. Mr Cockburn said that he would be going to Wellington in the near future and that he would see that the case was fully ventillated. The position is that lakeside residents are obliged to pay full steamer fares while tourists receive substantial reductions, over a period extending from Boxing Day to the first Wednesday after Easter. Only for about two weeks at Christmas do lakeside residents receive any concession and then not as much as tourists.

Where else in New Zealand Do Tourists Receive Concession Rates on Government Buses or Trains? The steamer is the Government service in place of buses or trains. Why is it that it should be treated so differently ? Here is a case where the producing community, for whom the service is primarily operating, carrying goods to and fro, is not considered when concession rates are introduced. Because .they have been prepared to isolate themselves they are penalised. Because they have no other means of access, they are at the mercy of the Government and are bound to accept whatever conditions they may desire to impose. The return fare for the privileged tourist in the concession period, for the Queenstown-Glenorehy or Kinloch trip, is Bs. For the Glenorchy resident, it is exactly double, 16s. Worse still is the Queenstown-Elfin Bay or Greenstone trip. Here the tourist pays 6s 3d return. The resident pays 17s 6d return. If a private individual were to operate such a racket it would be the Government’s duty to have the matter rectified. While they are operating it themselves it appqprs that it is quite in order.