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SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15, 1960 IAGARA FALLS, honeymoon city and tourist attraction, has relied on its natural advantages almost since the mighty cataracts were discovered by Jean Louis Hennepin in 1678. Particularly during the last 50 years the city fathers have relaxed and let nature be the drawing card which has filled the cgeffers of the greater Niagara municipalities with tourist dollars. Since 1870, when it was formed, the Niagara Parks Commission has built up a parks system which extends the entire length of the Niagara River (about 35 miles) and has pre- served and enbanced the beauty which r-ture has bestowed on the area. But until a year ago the most exciting thing a visitor could do -- except ride through Queen Victoria Park in a horse-drawn surrey with a fringe on top -- was to view the mighty falls which plunge 167 feet into the Niagara River Gorge, An added thrill (?) was to risk the spray near Table Rock house in the park during the evening and see the illuminatiot of the falls nightly. Such thrills are fine for honeymooners ~-- 50,000 of whom have received honeymoon certificates from the local chamber of com- merce in the last decade -- but don't do much to keep the average tourist more than one night, As a holiday centre, Niagara Falls has the reputation of being a one-night stand, Motel owners seemed to think that any- thing was good for the "one-nighters" Five years ago, however, they awoke and realized they were passing up a million dollar gold- mine by not providing the best in accommoda- tion and persuading visitors to stop over two or three nights, = An estimated $20,000,000 has been spent in new motels and tourists courts in the past five years, Dozens of owners have provided pools and sunbathing gardens for visitors who want to relax, Everyone has suddenly joined .in the 'scramble for the tourist dollar, The surrey with the fringe on top has to fight its way through scores of sight-seeing cabs, the drivers of which now realize they have to sell Niagara Falls and its beauty to keep tourists here and to attract more visitors, But though the drivers hawk their wares on every street corner, and, in fact, raise the ire of many tourists by their persistence, they have found nothing to sell but the natural beauties of the area, J. A. 'Bus' MacTaggart, salesman and advertising executive, himself a local motor court owner, has long preached the need for more attractions to hold the attention of tourists, - "We have a potential goldmine here" he proclaims, "and we don't take advantage of it. We could make Niagara Falls the richest tourist centre in North America," Louis Tussaud's English Wax Museum was opened in the Foxhead Hotel through his efforts last year, Well over $100,000 was sunk in the venture and the backers and 'Bus' sweated it out for the first few weeks, Then 'Bus' an- nounced that 100,000 people had paid a dollar admission in the first 55 days the museum was open, Many people in Greater Niagara woke up to the fact that 'more tourist dollars were to be had for the grabbing, providing something was offered in return, The quiet dignity of Queen Victoria Park was shattered when beauties from all parts of Canada, competing in the Miss Dominion of Canada contest, strolled amid the flowers, A couple of Indian camps sprang up and visitors can see Indians in traditional dress at work and play in rep- licas of Indian villages, Thousands of dollars were poured into the two ventures, one of which provides Indian tribal dances every half hour, Both sell Cana- dian-made Indian souvenirs, Murray Ruta, local real estate broker turned promoter, has sur- rounded his village with a stockade of logs 35 feet high, He is aided by Indian Chief Lone Wolf (more prosaically known as Raymond Logan). Fearful motel-owners, the quiet of the neighborhood shattered for honeymooners, wonder where it will all stop. One Anthony Sclose, whose cabins over. look the Falls, wrote Stamford Township Council: stockade and over the fence it comes, with Indians peeping over the top of the fence and jumping over to find it and chasing on our property, ; "Besides the beating of their tom-toms and yelping and hollering" says Mr, Solose, "we also have to put up with the continuous smell and smoke of their bonfire , . . Tourists with families have always favored our cottages, CONTINUED ON PAGE 23 "The Indians play ball inside the. rl