N.Z. ABROAD

Dominion, Volume 19, Issue 97, 19 January 1926, Page 3

N.Z. ABROAD

WHERE IS PALMERSTON

NORTH?

PUBLICITY OFFICER'S WORK ITS ACTIVITIES SURVEYED Is New Zealand receiving the proper amount of publicity abroad? This question, which follows in the wake of the difficulty a Philadelphia commercial firm is reported to have experienced In locating Pal. merston North, was put to the Government Publicity Officer (Mr. A. H. Messenger) yester. day morning. Mr. Messenger replied in the affirmative, pointing out that a survey of what had already been accomplished by the Government should prove that a studied campaign was being undertaken with every prospect of ultimate success.

Aii article was published in The Dominion on Friday last referring to a letter recently received from a business house in ’ Philadelphia which asked where Palmerston North was. Yesterday the cutting was brought under the notice of Mr. Messenger, who agreed that Palmerston North should be known abroad, as should also be every one of our towns, and in due course they all would be as the result of the" work of the office became better known. "As a matter-of fact,” said Mr. Messenger, “an inquiry at the Philadelphia University library would have probably cleared up the mystery, as a very large number of these institutions in the United States are being supplied regularly with year books and general information about the Dominion. Sense of Perspective. "At the same time,” lie continued, “aren’t we just a little in danger of losing our sense of perspective over this publicity business abroad ? How many business men are there in Yew Zealand, for instance, who can provide definite information about the hundreds of towns of a similar size to Palmerston North which exist in the States? The same thing applies to the United Kingdom where countless towns similar in size and population are never spoken of in this country Even in the case of the Commonwealth of Australia, our very next door neighbour, one can point to m.iuv important towns the names of vliicii are rarely if ever mentioned n the business world of New Zealand, simply because no direct trade is carried on with them. Where Is Rome?

"A keen American medical man who recently called at the Publicity Office happened to be discussing this very phase. ‘Now,’ said lie, ‘why should your people feel hurt because we don’t know all about you in the States? Look at the countless towns and cities we have in Amctica, many of which our (own citizens are never likely to see, or rarely ever hear about, unless something sensational happens there. Take my own city of Rome. Just imagine me, a worthy representative of this great and important centre, being asked, as I was on landing, whether I was an Italian or an American born in Italy! Why, man, Rome looks upon New York as one of its suburbs, and New Zealand doesn’t know anything about us 1 Dis,graceful—l should think so.’ "However,” proceeded Mr. Messenger, "the doctor returned to Rome armed with a formidable array of folders, year books, general literature, and lantern slides, with the avowed intention of instilling into the minds of his fellow citizens the fact that New Zealand is a live and flourishing country. On the maps with which he was supplied every town in the Dominion was plainly marked.” Distribution and Literature. Mr. Messenger said that cases were frequently quoted where a New Zealander bad travelled right through the United States without finding information regarding the Dominion on the bookstalls. His reply to that complaint was that the work of supplying material to all the bookstalls in the United States wduld be a colossal task, and one which ,any Government would be justified in declining. What had already been done was to supply important points of contact along the great travel toutes with material relating to New Zealand which was placed on. view and could be obtained on inquiry. This represented the “thin end of the wedge,” and was being steadily followed up as means and material permitted. A recent letter received from the Canadian National Railways, who, with the Canadian Pacific and Santa Fc line, were co-operating heartily with the distribution of the Publicity Office’s material, stated that supplies were proving ample, and that New Zealand was coming very much to the fore as a result of it. “This is satisfactory as far as it goes,” added Mr. Messenger, “but it lias to be sustained and improved upon in order that the full value of the work may become apparent.” Mr. Messenger had recollections of a recent visit of an Australian publicity official, who expressed surprise that New Zealand as a whole knew so little about Melbourne and Sydney, and complained of the lack of Australian tourist literature in the Dominion’s bookshops and booking offices. It was indeed a case of people from other countries voicing the identical complaint we raised ourselves. Activities Surveyed.' “A survey of what has already been accomplished by the Government,” concluded the publicity officer, “should prove, however, that a studied plan is being undertaken with every prospect of ultimate success. With the aid of kinema film, still photography, lantern slides, and booklets, the fame of New Zealand as a tourist resort and a land of great natural resources is being steadily advanced. Every outgoing mail carries its quota of publicity material abroad. Great exhibitions, such as Wembley, and others equally important in their way, which are to take place shortly in Canada and the United States, are being taken full advantage of. Specil displays of framed photographic enlargements are being made in the big hotels in the East, in Australia, and in America In short, every likely avenue is being explored. It is a matter of time, money, and material, and if, as one of the outcomes of this activity, the children and citizens of Hie United States and Canada shortly learn to pronounce ‘Ngatiruhoe’ correctly and point out its position on the map of the world just as surely, as they can locate and pronounce ‘Pittsburg’ and ‘Pennsylvania,’ it will be felt that tiltiiT* is