TOURIST TRAFFIC

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIII, 17 July 1929, Page 10

TOURIST TRAFFIC

NO iUONOPOLY QUESTION IN PARLIAMENT (By Telegraph) (From "The "Mail's" Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON, 10th Julv. Mr J. O'Brien (Westland) asked tho Prime Minister in the House of Representatives to-day it' he had seen the statement that the Mount Cook Motor Company was attempting to establish a chain of hostels and motor services' throughout New Zealand, thereby creating a monopoly of tourist traffic throughout the Dominion; and whether steps would be taken to prevent such a monopoly. Sir Joseph Ward replied that he had noticed a paragraph stating that the company .wag: contemplating establishing a chain of hotels throughout New Zealand. The company was a private concern, and the Government had no control over any enterprise in that direction by tho Mount Cook Motor Company or any other company if they cared to risk their money in such directions. At present the company was a lessee of one establishment of the Tourist Department, the Hermitage. at Mount Cook, which was, leased for a term of fifteen years from Ist October, 1927. Tho only motor service run by the company was from Timaru to tho Hermitage, and from there to Queenstown, where the company had owned an hotel over which the Government had no control. No private company would be able to maintain a monopoly of tourist traffic "in New-Zealand. If any such scheme was m contemplation, those responsible for it would be'well advised to reconsider their proposals before taking any definite steps.