WHERE N.Z. LEADS

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 892, 8 February 1930, Page 1

WHERE N.Z. LEADS

COMFORT OF RAILWAY SLEEPING-BERTHS

TOURIST LEAGUE’S WORK

The reason why sleeping berths are fixed transversely and not longitudinally in railway carriages in New Zealand was explained by the chief mechanical engineer, Mr. Lind, in a letter read before the meeting of the committee of the New Zealand Tourist League, held last night, Mr. G. M. Fowlds presiding. In the United States of America the practice is to build the berths longitudinally in order to conserve space and provide convenient dressing accommodation. The chief engineer, however, after sampling American sleeper berths, was emphatic that in New Zealand the transverse method was best. The roll of the carriages was from side to side, and a person reclining lengthwise would suffer in a maximum degree from this roll. In an American train, Mr. Lind found he had to pack himself up with a suitcase In order to keep himself from rolling over on his face while asleep. The curves and gauge of the New Zealand railways would aggravate the sidewise roll. WATERSIDERS WILL HELP Some of the visitors on the Malolo, recently,, were subjected to jeering remarks by people on the wharf the folding “belltopper” being one of the things that aroused mirth. Some of the people so transgressing the rules of hospitality were said to be watersiders. In view of the fact that one company ceased to run these excursion;} to New Zealand owing to the annoyance given to visitors by certain persons in New Zealand, the league, in a friendly way, asked the watersiders if they could help sheet home the blame, pointing out that the tourists left good money in the country. The Watersiders’, Union wrote, in reply, that it thoroughly appreciated the fact that outside money was brought in by tourists and that all classes benefited, and that it was had policy to annoy visitors and make fun of them. It maintained that none of the bona-fide members of the union had anything to do with the reported occurrence, and that so far as the union was concerned it would not tolerate any such practice. PACIFIC CONFERENCE The Honolulu Tourist Bureau is calling a Pacific Conference of Tourist Groups in May at Honolulu. One of the vice-presidents of the league is likely to attend, and it was reported that probably two of the highly-placed Government officials would be attending. Mr. Armitage, of the bureau, who passed through New Zealand in November, submitted a detailed report on the manner in which the mid-Pacific islands organised their tourist business, which has now reached more than double the proportions of the New Zealand business. The Hon. P. A. de la Perrelle, Minister in charge of the Tourist Department, intimated that, the Departments of Tourist, Publicity and Commerce, were now organised under one departmental head, but that there would be three sub-heads, and he was sure that under the new scheme there would be greater activity in the work of the departments.