COMPANY FOR PUBLIC BENEFIT

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 154, 26 March 1938, Page 9

COMPANY FOR PUBLIC BENEFIT

Objects Of Exhibition SOME DISTRICTS UNAWARE OF ITS VALUE “Although leading citizens in the principal provincial towns are proving that they,have an admirable appreciation of the national character of the New Zealand Centennial Exhibition, there is some misunderstanding in a number of country districts,” said Mr. T. C. A. Hislop, chairman of directors of the exhibition company, yesterday. “This company is wholly and solely an organisation for public benefit. It hasL to be repeated that any profits—after a refund of shareholders’ subscriptions—will be devoted to charity. “It is mainly in the matter of provincial courts that members of some local bodies are inclined to discount the value of spectacular publicity for their exhibits.- I do not wish to lecture members of any local body, but I believe it is advisable to remind them that the exhibition will offer a very good opportunity to put their districts ‘on the map’ in the eyes of many thousands of visitors from overseas as well as New Zealanders whose knowledge of their own country is not as extensive as it should be. New Zealand in Miniature. “As far as possible the promoters of tlie exhibition will try to make it a miniature of New Zealand. Such an ideal requires the enthusiastic co-oper-ation of people of all provinces. It can be assumed that visitors from other countries will regard the exhibition as representative of the Dominion from various viewpoints—industrial, commercial and tourist—and they will feel naturally that the non-rppresentation of a district* would be due to a belief of people in the locality that they had nothing worthy of special display. “More and more the trend of tourist traffic is toward lands of the Southern Hemisphere. The publicity branch of tlie Tourist Department will be using a large sum of money in advertising the Centennial Exhibition overseas, as one of the means of attracting much of the traffic to this Dominion, which is becoming widely known as the ‘Wonderland of the Pacific.’ That fact should stimulate all provinces to make their courts appeal to visitors. “There is an occasional complaint from South Islanders that their wonderful scenery is not brought sufficiently tinder the notice of tourists who land at Auckland or Wellington. The Centennial Exhibition will give the South Islanders all the scope they need for •selling’ their marvellous scenery to tourists. Nothing could be better than a friendly competitive spirit between provinces of the North and .South Islands,in staging their spectacular natural assets, in this respect there is pleasant evidence that Auckland province will take full advantage of the opportunity. Excellent progress for the exhibition enterprise is being made in Auckland city and district. Small Shareholders Welcome. Mr. Hislop again appealed for the puliiie-spirited support of people who may be able to take a small number of Shares, even a single £1 share, in the exhibition. At a conservative estimate, the directors expect to return at least 16/- of every £1 to the subscribers, and ihere is indeed a good prospect of refunding the full amount of share money. “Every share is a gesture of goodwill for New Zealand, proof of confidence in the country and of a willingness to help in assuring success for New Zealand’s big national enterprise,” declared Mr. Hislop. Inquiries for forms of application for shares should be addressed to The Secretary, N.Z. Centennial Exhibition Company, Ltd.. Wellington.

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