DOMINION'S WARES

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 83, 4 October 1930, Page 11

DOMINION'S WARES

PUBLICITY ABROAD

COMING TOURIST SEASON

The tourist season now approaching was/referred to to-day by the •■Minister iii Charge of the. Department (the libn. P. A.de/la Perreile). The Minister expressed'the: opinion that never .before■has -such a comprehensive and attractive scheme been undertaken to attract •overseas visitors. The expenditure of all Departments had been cut down, but there wouldnot/bc any slackening, iv .the/work, .ofthe .-"activities of the Tublieity.Department. . ■ .' ...

" "National publicity cannot properly. be confined to -'any one avenue," said Mr. "■ de" la Perrelle, -/'and there baa. always been, "a tendency on the part of the New-Zealand public-to assume that film" production and distribution constitute ' tjie -main work' of this branch of the' Department's: functions. -;-Over several--years':-past, many very line scenic': films .have been produced and widely distributed, and the circulation of: these- 'silent' pictures through the Dominion, no doubt, brought that phase of the publicity work :under, special notice; 'The films are still being shown extensively overseas, and • particularly in the United Kingdom,; where our silent. s'ceuics are appearing in moro than fifty theatres eacii week. The wide range of subjects available allows for constant changes, and the films are doing excellent work over an extensive fiold. -.Arrangements have recently been made for the ro-sliovving of some' of the best films in some twenty important theatre's in Australia, and they will be supported by screen advertising:" -. '. ABREAST OF THE TIMES. ~ lecturers in America., said the Minister,', had been supplied with selected subjects, but silent fil^ns wore not ac-ceptable-for.general showing. In con^ sequence of .the world-wide change from- silent .to* sound films, the.Department's- production programme, and to soino extent its plans for distribution, had to": be re-cast. A local firm which has. done a great deal of film work for the Department has'.ndw imported the necessary, sound plant, and. would [work in co-operation with the Department in the production of suitable sound Elms; The existing "silent" negatives could be utilised—there was no special need to re-phqtograph many of the scenic subjects—and by the introduction of "reporter" or "guide" talk and a "background" of music, the best of the existing silent material could be made acceptable to distributors of sound films. Technical tests had been made, and one trial''film had already been "set to sound." The Department would now go right.ahead with a full programme of work, and already offers had been received from film distributing com-, panics.. Tho adaptation of silent films to sound would bo backed by tho first production of sound pictures in tho field. Production of 10 millimeter (small) filnis from standard negatives was under way ami some hundreds of copies ■-would go into distribution immediately. • '. MATERIAL FOR OVERSEAS. ' Printed-/publicity::; matter .had- recently, gone, overseas: in large, ties', aridfurtherfb'lders.and guide-books were'-now with tho printers,. the Minister stated. An adequate range,of this class of material had been planned, covering the. Dominion a3 a whole and dealing also with special ov district attraction's;---'Sonio of the best of the Department's' compilations were .being reprinted" to meet the' demand abroad, and the-total-ofr-the- publications now being produced ran : into. several hundred'thousaiids. .Several thousands of posters for display'in- America, Australia, and elsewhere had recently been shipped, and now poster designs were in- production,-' and will go' overseas immediately,-.' delivery could be given I?y the ..printers. -,■.. -. ■ - SA^NEW. DEPARTURE., ' , ■ Window, display designs and 'similar, jnatorials had been shipped in appreciable quantity to our best tourist market—Australia— and further supplies were in course of preparation. These would be shown, throughout a chain of agencies, extending- ■ from North Queensland to Perth, • , Hundreds of largo coloured photographs had ■ been sent during recent njonths to Amorica and Australia, and representatives abroad had been, suppliod with large numbers of whole plate photos, slides, transparencies, and similar matter. The Now Zealand Trade and Tourist Gotomisajoner in.Australia had- completed agoncy arrangements throughout the Conimonwealli and is himself now worldiig from a in'ominent ground floor office location opposite the General Post Office in Sydney. The publicity work in Australia would in future bo backed by an effectivo "booking." organisation.. The Department's newspaper - and periodical ..advertising campaign-in Australia had now commenced, and as a result mauy inquiries from prospective tourists were, coming in. The newspaper campaign was being: supported by thousands .of illustrated letter-folders addressed by mail, to selected . lists of prospectivetourists. .All resultant inquiries would be f ollowod up by the local agents.. ' '■'. . ' • " • . ■ IN CANADA AND XX.S.A. .: •' Heavy shipments of all classes of. publicity matter were going forward to tho. Commissioners in Canada and ■U.S.A., and to other representatives in America. Further suitable contracts had been made in South Africa and tho: Bast; and arrangements for tho supply of printed matter and films to those' areas were in hand. "In many less i'm-. pbrtant aspects,'' said Mr. Perrelle, "tho Department is takiing evury. opportunity to advertise Neu- Zealand abroad. New Zealantlers leaving for overseas aro supplied- on request with publicity matter, and ou requost photographs, folders/and booklots aro dispatched to friends and business associates overseas, who may bo induced to travel to the Dominion."