National Publicity

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23477, 4 November 1941, Page 6

National Publicity

Since the report of the Economic Stabilisation Conference recommended the Government to improve its methods and raise its standards in publicity, many occasions have shown the need for this advice and exposed the Government’s failure to take it. The mistakes of the publicity with which the national savings scheme has been supported, for example, have been lamentable. A voluntary savings plan has no chance of success unless the public is shown what the demand upon it really is and why it must be made. But the public has never been told, systematically and convincingly, that its ordinary savings are not enough; that the savings wanted are extra savings; and that the way to make them is to cut down consumption, and that some ways of cutting down are much more useful than others. If the savings campaign is making poor progress, one of the reasons is that these things are not understood, and they are not understood because they are still not said. But this is only one example out of many. Within the last few days Ministers have added two more to the dreary list of their unnecessary or ineffectual visits to the microphone. The Minister for Marketing broadcast last week a long statement on meat export prices. As an account of the conditions under which the trade will be carried on, this season, it had importance enough to be broadcast; but there is no reason whatever why routine summaries of that kind should be broadcast by Ministers. They do badly what an ahnouncer could be left to do well. When the time comes for an important development of policy to be announced or a critical appeal to be given personal weight, a Minister’s is the right voice to be heard; not until then. During the week-end the Minister for Defence broadcast a service talk, explaining that chatter ashore may endanger ships and men at sea. He was followed by a military intelligence officer, who very effectively developed the same theme. It may be inconceivable, in Wellington, that an anonymous soldier should launch a campaign. If so, the reading of a short message from Mr Jones would have been ritually sufficient. It would have left more time and scope for a speaker far more impressive. The truth, long familiar to listeners, is that Ministers have thrown away the advantage of broadcasting. They have seized all occasions, instead of choosing essential ones; and they alone, it seems, do not know how commonplace and wearisome they have made them. The Censorship and Publicity Department, finally, has only fitfully and feebly developed the second function specified in its title. Within the last week or so, however, it hgs produced a pamphlet, “ New Zealand’s War “Effort," a plodding, unimaginative summary of “two years’ achievement.” Here are the 93,000 pairs of service-dress trousers and Mount Olympus, in almost the same number of words; here are the 38 items of 'food, clothing, footwear, fuel, light, and public utilities selected for price-stabilisation, in three lines, and the

River Plate battle in two. Publicity should have a clear aim and be concentrated on it. It is impossible to tell whether this abstract of information is intended to be read widely in New Zealand or to be distributed oversea, and nobody has explained; but it makes little difference. It has almost no value, except as a very sketchy guide to poorly prepared speechmakers. This is not publicity; merely 20 pages of dull print. A curious fact is that, compendious as this pamphlet is, it has nothing to say about national savings.