H—3B

spent on increasing the bar accommodation of hotels. Perhaps the Campbell and Ehrenfried Co. would have spent more on improvements if they had not spent a substantial amount in acquiring hotels. Since 1935 this company has acquired the following hotels £ July, 1935 .. .. .. Northcote Hotel .. .. 14,000 January, 19§6 .. .. .. Helens ville Hotel .. .. 4,500 July, 1938 v .. .. .. Grand Hotel, Te Aroha .. 22,140 April, 1937 .. .. .. Marine Hotel, Howick .. .. 9,099 October, 1941 .. .. .. Edinburgh Castle Hotel .. 64,965 August, 1944 .. .. .. Edinburgh Castle Shops .. 7,375 ' November, 1944 .. .. .. Mon Desir, Takapuna (share only) 6,600 - £128,679 Of the total of £128,679, £64,965 was paid for the Edinburgh Castle Hotel. 604. The Campbell and Ehrenfried Co. has spent less than Hancock and Co. on purchasing hotels and has spent only about half as much as Hancock and Co. on new buildings and improvements during the same period. We think that the Campbell and Ehrenfried Co., which is a very wealthy company, could have done more in the direction of improving hotel accommodation than it has done during the ten years preceding the war. 605. New Zealand Breweries has shown the following capital expenditure on the erection of one new hotel and on items of main improvements in other hotels during a period of ten years ended 31st March, 1945 :

606. After allowing £llO,OOO for the Hotel Waterloo, there remains the sum of £41,049 which the company has spent on structural improvements to its hotels. The company explains that it is not responsible for capital improvements to hotels held under lease and also that during the last five years practically no major improvements have been carried out. New Zealand Breweries has spent over £1,062,000 in acquiring hotels since 1933. These moneys, no doubt, reduced the amount that could be spent, on improving hotels. 607. Dominion Breweries in their return show a yearly lump sum for expenditure on renovations, improvements, and repairs to hotel properties. These sums amount in all from 1931 to 1945 inclusive to £220,590. Expenditure exceeding £lO,OOO was incurred in the following years : in 1938, £10,579 ; 1939, £29,833 ; 1940, £40,477 ; 1941, £31,504 1942, £14,380; 1944, £25,651 ; and 1945, £45,931.

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Hotel and Location. Nature of Improvements. Amount. Waterloo, Wellington New building £ " 110,000 Canterbury, Methven Alterations, bedrooms and bathrooms 1,017 Foresters, Greytown Bedrooms, restoration after fire 758 Katikati, Katikati Additional bedrooms 500 Old Bank, Timaru Complete interior renovations and new bathrooms 7,583 Post Office, Onehunga New bar, bathroom, and toilets 2,364 Pukekohe, Pukekohe New bedrooms, bathrooms, and showers 11,418 Terminus, Wellington New store room 526 ■ Wellington, Christchurch Complete interior renovations 9,380 Terminus, Napier New bar and lounge and living-quarters 2,368 Tolaga Bay, Tolaga Bay Proportion cost new bedrooms 307 Maungaturoto, Maungaturoto Extra bedrooms, bathrooms, and water-supply 986 Royal, Featherston Improvements, bedrooms 469 Masonic, Wellington Extra bathrooms and renovations bedrooms 1,203 Mon Desir, Takapuna Proportion cost new bathrooms, showers, hot and cold water in bedrooms 1,060 Masonic, Southbrook Renovations, electrical and plumbing, bathroom and 1,110 bar accommodation 151,049