The Potential

Nelson has a tremendous potential in the industrial field, but even more so in tourism. Both are revenue earners for the local bodies. The Nelson Harbour Board might argue that its grant is sufficient, since it gets little value from the tourist. How wrong. An increased flow of tourists means more consumer goods across the wharf; the working tourists drawn to the district for the seasonal work mean a greater flow of apples across the wharves. And we need the working tourist to help harvest the apple crop. And the harbour works themselves, whether the board likes it or not, are a major Nelson tourist attraction and one of which the board should be proud. Let's go a step further. The board would like to see a roll-on, roll-off ferry here. But we won't get it until the volume of business has increased. It won't increase until it's Brought here. Who's going to bring it? Surely the P.R.O.

And what of the counties and the boroughs? An influx of visitors, to the counties, means sales of more produce, of meat, of fruit. All grown within the counties. Not to mention the spending of the tourists in the shops within their areas. The boroughs benefit likewise.

Other local bodies obviously do not hold with the views of Nelson local bodies (as expressed in their contributions). The Hastings City Council runs the town's P.R.Office and contributes $16,000 to its revenue. The South Canterbury organisation is more like our own. Combined local bodies in that district make grants of $7690. There are many, many more examples. Why has Rotorua progressed? Because the Rotorua City Council has got behind the P.R. Office so well that today its annual budget is $40,000. Our own city council's grant is a miserly $1500. If the P.R.O. does have to close, the council is going to have to spend a much greater sum than this to handle the work being done by the P.R. organisation. We base this on the reasoning that visitors seeking advice and information go to the town's major organisation. And that's the city council. Officers of the council would have to handle these inquiries if there was no P.R. organisation here. And that would cost plenty in time and money. This is fact. It has happened elsewhere in New Zealand and in most cases has led to the creation of public relations offices.

Finally to you, our readers, Nelson province residents. We've heard it said: "Tourism doesn't help me. It's the shops that make the money." Wrong again. At present the tourist puts into circulation in Nelson city something like $4 million a year. Treble that amount. More money means expansion; expansion means employment and employment means jobs here in Nelson where there were no jobs before; more jobs, more money in circulation.

The Public Relations Office in Nelson is vital to this province's future welfare. Don't let's jeopardise it for the sake of a few dollars.