UNFAIR TREATMENT

Taranaki Daily News, 19 September 1940, Page 6

UNFAIR TREATMENT

The Minister of Mines avoided very adroitly the question of the unfair treatment of Taranaki in regard to the omission of Mount Egmont as a tourist resort in a recent official publication. Mr. Webb is not the Minister in charge of the Department responsible for the booklet, and he was doubtless correct in saying that the discovery of an "oilgusher" in the province would give Taranaki all the advertisement it could wish. But such an oil well has yet to be discovered, and not even the Minister's pleasantry overcomes the fact that in a publication purporting to be a State guide to visitors to the Dominion there is no adequate mention of Mount Egmont and the Egmont National Park. It is quite understandable that the Government should desire to emphasise the attractiveness of the tourist resorts in which the State is financially interested. No one would object to efforts in that direction made by those in control of such institutions and amenities provided the publicity was issued and paid for by them and did not purport to be a review of the general tourist attractions in the Dominion. The booklet in question has doubtless been provided out of public funds — to which Taranaki taxpayers contribute — and it is only fair to ask that in such publications the merits of all tourist resorts should be reported impartially. Nor is Jack of official publicity the only grievance in regard to Mount Egmont. Those who have tried to arrange for parties of overseas tourists to visit the mountain have found the extremely limited time allowed for such visits in tourist itineraries arranged by State officials has given little opportunity for the visitors to Lppreciate the mountain and park. Meanwhile the park board is obliged to function with funds that do not represent a tithe of the State expenditure in more fortunate localities. _________________ 7