8
Monday, November 5, 1973
University Daily Kansan
Kansas Staff Photo by DAVE REGIER
What's the Bid?
Among the items for sale at an auction Friday afternoon in the Lawrence Community Building was this Singer sewing machine. It was a chance for the town's bargain
hunters to choose from such valuable as a brakeless wheelchair, a percolating drink fountain, a 1952 Hotpoint refrigerator for chicken dishes, 75 dressing chairs, and an old piano.
Support Sought for Youth Hostel
Local Man Looks for Others to Share Dream
BY JOHN BROOKS Kansan Staff Reporter
Looking for others to share his dream of establishing a youth hostel in Lawrence is George Latham, manager of Gran Sport Cyclery.
Latham is an active member of the Lewis and Clark Hosteling Council in the Kansas City area. He also is affiliated with the Organization of American Youth Hostels, Inc.
Latham said his interest in hostels was easily explained.
"I got involved simply because it's just a great idea," he said.
Although the physical organization of hostels differs from one country to the next, the general features are basically the same, he said.
"Hostels exist to help people get to know and experience the countryside. They provide low-cost overnight accommodations, usually only one or two dollars a night, and are geared towards people who are self-propelled," he said.
Latham said the only operating hostel near Lawrence was the Robin's Nest Youth Hostel in Kansas City, Mo. It was registered 601 visitors last year, he said.
LATHAM SAID HE advocated a well-organized host system in the United States as well as the establishment of a hostel in Lawrence.
He said many people from Lawrence and throughout the country had gone abroad during the summer and had used the excellent hostel systems in Western Europe.
"Unfortunately, we have done a rather poor job of providing the same sort of facilities for ourselves and for our visitors in this country," he said.
Latham attributed the low number of
hostels in this country to lack of public support. He said the only way things were going to improve was if people worked together to create a worthwhile hostel program.
There is an interest in hostelling at KU, Latham said. The Kansas Union sells American Youth Hostels which are good for the American as well as the Indian. They sell two courses and five hostels were sold, and the number could be even greater this year, Latham said.
"KU IS AN ideal spot for a youth hostel, and the creation of one would open the door to some amazing possibilities," he said. "Student support and interest is the key in obtaining school and public support of a youth hostel program at KU."
Latham said, however, that the primary purpose of a youth hostel in Lawrence would be to provide low cost accommodations for people traveling around the country.
"This is something KU is capable of giving to other people," he said. "You are helping your fellow man and at the same time furthering the development of recreational facilities throughout this country."
He added that KU was a prime spot for a hostel because of the different activities that went along with a university community.
THE HOSTEL can fulfill many secondary functions, he said. Most people travel to a hostel, but it also can be a base of operations for hotels, restaurants and plan trips out of the hostel, he said.
Latham said that a hostel could be a common meeting place where people could talk about their interests and plan activities. A hostel also would be conducive to sharing travel experiences and meeting other people.
A person needing information about
biking or backpacking routes would be able to obtain it at a hostel, Latham said. He could also find the locations of other hostels throughout the country and perhaps even the names of others interested in traveling with him.
Latham said that support was needed to get the youth hostel proposal off the ground. "WE NEED TO get those groups and individuals who are interested in this type of program together so that we can take some positive action," he said.
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Latham said that once a group with positive, concrete goals was established, it might be possible to obtain the public support that is presently lacking.
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"Nothing has been decided yet about the establishment or operation of a hostel, but we need to get the people together and what organization it has organized." Latham said. "This is the only way we can make the advantages of a hostel system a reality in Lawrence."
No one has ever tried to promote a youth hostel in Lawrence, and the present proposal was conceived only within the last month, he said.
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Latham said there would be a meeting at 8:00 p.m. Wednesday in the Oread Room of the Kansas union for all groups and individuals interested in the host program. If there is enough student support and an organized group is established, the next objective will be to find the necessary funds and facilities, he said.
LATHAM SAID THAT he didn't know where the funds or facilities would come from, but that he hoped that if students showed enough interest, the University might be willing to provide some of the support.
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He said a hostel would provide a common meeting place for various student clubs at KU and could conceivably provide the leadership needed to promote and sponsor a variety of activities of interest to students. Latham said that the youth hostel program could lead to more extensive travel, camping, canoeing and mountain climbing. He said the possibilities were unlimited once the ground was broken.
Nov. 5-26
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