Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-07-06
British Columbia Supports thei
Institution Referred to; Man.
ayers Not Ornaments
BY Alexander Hume Ford.

| BY Alexander Hume Ford.
LONDON. Eng, June l5.--ln London
I visited the most perfectly equipped
government tourist bureau of any |
have seen, and it was that of British
Columbia 1t was on the second floor
in Salisbury House, and it took me, a
stranger, half day to find the place.
I also visited on Cannon Street the
tourist bureau Of the Malay States,
and the old offices OF New South
Wales, while other days were spent
| in seeking information bureaus of the
| other Australian and Pacific states;
4 all OF which accentuated the wisdom
of Victoria, New South Wales and
| Tasmania combining and erecting the
magnifice Mt Commonwealth building"
| in the most, prominent location in
| London, just bordering on the great
/ open area on which Earl Grey hopes
| to erect the Colonial building, and /
| trust il will be completed as a Pan
| Pacific building. At present IL would
| take two weeks to explore London
and discover the different information
bureaus of Pacific lands. Some Of
these are splendidly conducted. others
are merely resting places for those
| who hold official jobs. In Melbourne
House, for instance, among the forty
or fifty men engaged in working for
I the Australian states. doubt II there
is one over forty years of age, and
| the work they accomplish is certainly
equal to that of all the other Pacific
/, states in London combined. This is
| an age of youth and energy, especial
| Iy in the tourist and immigration
work. ~. -.
In the British Columbia offices
] there are Mr.. Turner and Mr.. j. A.
tTTurner. the one being the son of the
other. the father acting as splendid
advisory board, and on the son falls
| the effort of interesting those who
come to inquire about British Column
| bia, and this / know he does briskly
and splendidly. He has hundreds OF
pamphlets from every part of British
Columbia tastefully displayed, and he
knows where each one is to be found.
In ten seconds he will have as many
pamphlets in your hand, and then be-
gin to tell you with whom you may
communicate in each district of Brit
ish Columbia for further information
Moreover, there is an excellent library
of British Columbia magazines and
newspapers There is an atmosphere
of British Columbia about the place.
and you begin to realize that this sec
ton of the world must be a pretty
live, go-ahead sort of proposition.
! The young clerks about the place are
energetic and enthusiastic, and more
over, they are intelligent. Evidently
British Columbia has appointed them
to be of use and not as ornaments or
in payment for some political debt to
their fathers.
Possibilities for Hawaii.
l am paying very little attention in
Europe. or elsewhere. or to anything
not closely connected with promotion
matters, and realize now, more than
ever, the wonderful possibilities for
Hawaii when she takes up the adj
vance methods being rapidly adopted
by the most progressive countries,
not only of the Pacific. but of Europe.
1t was therefore with some delight
that | read a communication just re-
ceived from Burton Holmes. in which
he informs me that he shall visit Pa
cific lands, including Hawaii, New
Zealand and Australia, In the summer
of 1915, and make these countries the
subjects of his lectures during the
following season which is the winter
following the San Francisco Exposi-
ton, and now is the time for us to
play up these lectures and reach out
for the round-the-Pacific tourist, not
only from America but from Europe,
for very low rates are promised from
European ports by Suez and by rail
across Siberia to those who will join
the round.the-P Pacific cruises.
In a few days / shall be in New
York, and my first visit will be to
the Pan-American building, one of the
new skyscrapers that l understand
has been built in the great New
World metropolis as the home of the |
commercial museums of the Latin |
American countries, for / have by no
means lost hope that we shall yet
have a Pan-Pacific building in New |
York City where every tourist bureau /
of the Pacific, every immigration bu-
reau, and all of the transportation I
companies of the Great Ocean will
have their American headquarters; !
from whence in America the attract
tons of Pacific lands to the tourist,
immigrant and investor will be sent |
broadcast. Already Japan has her Of
fetal tourist bureau and commercial
museum in New York. City, and is as
ready to unite with other Pacific
countries in a plan to have Pan
Pacific building as are Australia and
the Philippines, while the tea people
of Java will make a desperate effort !
to have the Dutch East Indies en-
bark in the venture.
To Study Pan-American Work.
In Washington shall visit the Pan
American building there. and study |
the methods of the Pan-American
Union, which has done such wonders