The Daily News TUESDAY, JANUARY 30, 1903. IMPROVEMENT OF TOURIST. RESORTS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue 16, 20 January 1903, Page 2

The Daily News TUESDAY, JANUARY 30, 1903. IMPROVEMENT OF TOURIST. RESORTS.

;M a Donne, superintendent of the Tourist Dep irtm nt, informed an Auckland jSW reporter on Siturday Miming that the Government had authjrlisedthe following expenditure on the improvement and for popularising New j Zealand. tourist lesorts; —ln ro -dn i along the shore * cf Lake Wakatipu, ,£1000; improvements to park and j esplanade, Queenstowc, ill 000; complbtion of Pukaki-Mouut O ok doviaj tion road, £9OO (a 1 iter wire from Wellington gives reduced figures for itbe foregoing); improvement to '!• | Aroha bath®, £SOO. Is is also in' ended | to eflect general improvement* at O a- ' kpikorako, to displace the M<ori ciuoe now utilised iu ftrrying tourist* on thp Waikato River by a serviceable boat. The Tourist D.*partment complste nego'iatkms for the purchise of.th Pukaka Hotel, and enttred into pos ses-ion lasb Thursday. Tee Depir - ment is calling for tenders for the erection of a 14 roomed building for thf. accommodation of tourists at Waimangu. The new building will be replate with every modern convenience, special provision being made to maut the requirements of visitors. The woi k will be proceeded n iih at once. This is a'l very satisfactory ; but, as far I as Taranaki is concerned, it would be interesting to know what is being done to develope that valuable olonial as e , Moun". As far as we can si e the position is wots 9 now than formerly. The local Boards of control have been practically done away with and a huge cumbersome Board established, but - , as it is altogether without funds, io is utterly unable to do anything in the way of opening up the Mountain in the way that it should be f jr tourist--. What is wanted is a gooi m eta'led road to the Mountain House, si uated *ell up to the slopes of the Moun'aiu, ths house to be fitted with all the comfort and conveniences of a modern fiigtcl si hotel. The class of people who are satisfled with the rough accommodation p-ovided at tt-e presont buildings are cot tourists in the sens* understood by the Tourist Department, and for which the Department was es ab-1 liehed to encourage. The class which it is desired to eDcourage are people who like luxury and are willing to pty fur i 1". If the value of the Mountain was properly recognised as a mearnt of , attracting this class of tourists, provision would soon be made for t"eir ; ccmfoit, and the result would mean 1 tb«is-»nds of pounds beirg spent in the ' district, instead of as at pr sent going' elsewhere. (