THE HOLIDAY TRAFFIC.
QUESTION OF ACCOMMODATION. NO EXPANSION OF HOTELS. THEIR INSECURITY OF TENURE. Discussion on the encouragement of holiday and tourist traffic to New Plymouth during the annual meeting of the Tourist and Expansion League last night led to some remarks on the subject of the accommodation available for visitors, and the fact that in the summer months difficulty is experienced in providing for the many who wish to make a sojourn in the town. The fact that the amount of hotel accommodation in New Plymouth has practically remained the same for the last twenty years was pointed out by Mr. J. H. Quilliam. This, he said, seemed to be an inseparable objection to asking the tourist to come to New Plymouth. Not a single room more, as regards hotel accommodation, had been supplied for the public during the period mentioned, and the hotels had catered merely for the ordinary trade requirements—if they had done as much. For this state of affairs the publican was not to be blamed, for he did not know but that at the poll next year he might lose his license. Mr. Quilliam said he was convinced that if the hotelowner was given some security of tenure not a single hotel in the town would remain as at present, and they would probably see a building of 150 rooms on the An alteration was needed in the law which set the country in a state of turmoil every three years, which obscured much more important issues, and which left the position as before. This law had failed, and would, he ventured to say, continue to fail. He thought it would be better if the people who were opposed to licenses of any sort got down to realities and realised this position as affecting hotel accommodation. SEEKING PERMANENT RESIDENTS. Mr. Quilliam said he was, no doubt, leaving himself open to the cheap sneer of the suggestion that he was actipg in the interests of the publicans, but the latter were well able to look after themselves. The time was opportune for an effort to do away with the present unsatisfactory state as regards tenure. There were few places anywhere which had the attractions for holiday-makers which New Plymouth could provide, and if the accommodation was available he had no doubt they would be inundated with visitors. When it was known that the accommodation to-day was practically the same as that of many years ago it would be realised that there was something radically wrong. The chairman of the league (Mr. T. C. List) said there was much in what Mr. Quilliam had said. Many people were coming to New Plymouth, and the league was dealing with about 500 enquiries each year, besides which many were turned away. Unquestionably further accommodation was wanted. The league had considered the subject more than once; at one period they thought there was a possibility of securing further hotel accommodation, but the plans did not materialise. An effort was then made to arrange temporary accommodation on the foreshore, but the consent of the Railway Department to use the land (on the western, side of Kawaroa Park) could not be obtained. There was no trouble about persuading visitors to come to New Plymouth, and he believed the league could get two or three thousand more if they, set out with this object in view. Realising the accommodation difficulty, the league had concentrated their efforts upon inducing people in the south, who now went to Auckland, to take up their permanent residence in the town. They now aimed at diverting the flow of people from Home who were coming to New Zealand towards New Plymouth. DECREASE OF HOTELS. Mr. E. Whittle said he was one of the original members of the Tourist League, and bad noticed from time to time the accommodation question had been raised. There seemed to be an unfair impression that the hotels were not providing accommodation in keeping with the town, but he pointed out that the shortage of accomI modation existed throughout the country. In 1903 there were 1504 licensed houses in New Zealand, the population of the country [ then being 795,340, which meant there were 529 people to one licensed house. In 1916 there were 1207 hotels for a population of 1,099,443, or 911 to a house. This showed a decline of 297 in the number of licensed houses, which meant a 20 per cent, reduction, and an increase of 382 to the population. per hotel, a total of 74 per cent, increase. In 1921 he estimated the increase on these lines would be 86 per cent. As had been mentioned, the fact that existing hotel accommodation had not been increased was due to the insecurity of the tenure.
In regard to the remarks of the previous speaker, Mr. S. W. Shaw said that while the lack of hotel accommodation was a stumbling block, there were private boarding houses. It was. possible to have a wellrun private house, and on payable lines. If they could have a building of the size of the nurses’ home erected near the foreshore it would be a great attraction to visitors. The question was purely one of money.
Dr. Leatham, while- agreeing that a better tenure for hotelkeepers would result in more accommodation being provided, said that there were many people who wished to avail themselves of private boarding houses. He thought the town might follow the practice in England of having municipal private hotels. Mr. J. R. Cruickshank said the league were alive to the difficulty mentioned, and that was why it had concentrated of late years upon attracting permanent residents, and looking after the visitors who came. He expressed the opinion, however, that the problem was more or less a political question.
Mr A. McHardy spoke similarly, and the debate on this aspect of the league’s work came to an end.
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Taranaki Daily News, 20 October 1921, Page 5
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983THE HOLIDAY TRAFFIC. Taranaki Daily News, 20 October 1921, Page 5
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