PLANS FOR BOOSTING

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 85, 10 April 1923, Page 2

PLANS FOR BOOSTING

WELLINGTON BEHIND THE TIMES ; PROGRESS LEAGUE'S PROPOSAL 1 AN ENTHUSIASTIC MEETING.' 1 The meeting of business men and others interested in the scheme for boosting Wellington, convened by the Central Progress League for last evening, was a great success as far as preliminary enthusiasm went. There was a,n almost unexpectedly large gathering, and a motion to the effect that steps should be taken to inquire into the prospects of such a week was carried without dissentient vote. Mr. J. G. Harkness was in the chair, and briefly stressed the need, in his opinion, for some scheme to bring Wellington before the favourable notice of other towns and people living outside the city. The secretary of the Progress League, 1 I Mr. Gr. Mitchell, spoke of the considera- ' : tion already given to the question by the league, the idea being to make Wellington known outside New Zealand and to advertise Wellington in New Zealand. The Dominion was a young country, and it was a. duty upon it to make known ■ what intending immigrants mi^ht ex- , pect. Wellington was. the only large [ centre in New Zealand which did not . provide for publicity overseas. It had been considered by the league that a 16-page folder, setting out the routes ' to New Zealand, the position of the country—and of Wellington—the har--1 b'our, the bays, the industries, and the [ farm lands round about would be the best means of giving publicity overseas. ■ Sport, too, would not be forgotten. '.) CARNIVAL WEEK SUGGESTED. , I Other towns had their boosting [ ' schemes; Wellington had rfcne. The > carnival weeks in Dunedin or Christ- ! church meant much to these towns, both ■ in keeping them before the people and [ by bringing money to the business firms. | Auckland easily led in town boosting, , ; not alone by its one big carnival, but . by a continuous stream of propaganda. . Auckland people boosted enthußJasticalI ly; Wellington people did not. There • was something wrong with them in that 1 regard. 1 Wellington was the centre, and so, in fact," had a handicap upon other centres. . It had a wonderful waterway, but bad railway facilities, and worse roads. Nature had given Wellington all the features of a really great centre, and if the town failed to progress as it should with those natural, endowments the failure would be upon the people. The carnival week, should that be decided upon, should embrace audh a variety of attractions that it might draw people from all surrounding districts into the city. Race meetings, sports'meetings, an industrial exhibition, supplemented by the extra special attraction, mi.ght be sandwiched in together into one thorough week. Nothing could be done without money, but once the initial money—for advertising of a kind wh)ch might very well be expected to bring a good return—had been found the thing would run itself. Mr. C, J. 8.-Norwood congratulated the league on its decision to do something to help along the city. Cjvio pride and feelinsr had been wanting in the town but it was very Drobable- that that Jack Jiad been due to the want of leadership and iniativei In Mr. Mitchell the. town had a live-wire booster, a man who would start things under way, and, once started, the scheme would' go ahead. "WELLINGTON A DULL PLACE." Mr. A. E. Whyte, .secretary of the Wellington Racing Club, said that for long he had been of opinion that Wellington should have its carimals, one in the summer and one in winter, as with the Christchurch November and August carnivals. It might hold its carnivals i>i January and July, and it was pos- • sible, he i suggested, that the Racing Club would subsidise the carnival,' as I had been clone in the case ol the Unemi ployment Fund, if special permission were given by the Government. Throe clays' racing, football and hockey, boxing and shooting might form an important part of the programme. Street programmes, with bright lights, open shops, and plenty of music should bring people

from their homes and keep them gay fa a couple of nights. A public ball, per haps a paper oall, would, help, and i children's fete would please the kiddies. After all, there was nothing like musk to amuse the people, as witness the. effects of community singing. Wellingior was a dull place, and a carnival woul< go a long way towards brightening it up He moved, therefore, and Mr. F. J. Oakes seconded, that steps should be taken to promote a carnival to be held ir July. i Guaranteed funds, say, £10 each from one thousand firms, were referred to by Mr. W. Stewart Wilson, who alao expressed *he opinion that there should be a much greater membership of the Wellington Chamber of- Commerce and of the Progress League. Business men in all American and Canadian citie? joined up to'boost their towns; Wellington business men should, in duty to their town, join up and do the same. He fully supported the motion. Mr. D. M'Gowan, representing the Carriers' Association, said that he doubted whether the scheme could be worked up for next July. The guarantee list he considered essential, and an even more important point was that of the appointment of a paid organiser. No better man than Mr. Mitchell, he considered, could be found for that work. (Applause.) If a carnival week were decided upon the Carriers' Association would be willing to carry out free cartage work for the committee to the extent of £100. . ■■■■■'■"■ A RETAIL POINT OF VIEW. A.carnival week as far as the retailer was concerned was a failure" from .the strictly business point of view, said Mr. H. South representing. the retail booksellers. People came to the town, for the sport and to see the sights, but the business was not done. The consensus of opinion among retailers in Auckland and Christchurch was that they did not benefit. . Mr. 'Whyte: "If you bring £30,000 to the city everyone must benefit in the long run." Mr. Wilson remarked that Continental and American cities had proved beyond any doubt that everyone reaped the benefit. " Mr. T. Forsyth agreed that the carnival week would not mean a'shopping week, and therefore would not benefit the retailers. Personally, he liked the idea of a winter show, as in Dunedin.' To talk of one thousand £10 was simple, but to get the poueds in was a more difficult matter, and he was afraid that unless it could be shown that retailers would benefit they would not be enthusiastic over the scheme. It was not possible, in his opinion, to work up a carnival by July, and Christmas-New Year week might prove a more suitable time of the year. Mr. 'Mitchell replied that definite shopping intervals should be set aside. If the people were in Wellington they would have to live—they would buy. After further discussion upon the vir--1 tues of a carnival week, chiefly as it could not or was bound to (according to the point of view of the speakers) affect the interests of retailers, Mr. Whyte's motion was 'put to the meeting and carried without a. dissentient vote. PRELIMINARY COMMITTEE. The following were appointed a preliminary committee to inquire into the prospects, the advisable date, and programme of the carnival or boosting, week, and to report to a meeting to be held in a fortnight's time:—Messrs. R. A. Armstrong, Father Kane, A. Sando, H. S. Smith, D. M'Gowan, A. E. Whyte, H. L. Shallcrass, H. Combs, C: J. B. Norwood, N. Aitken, and-J. G.'Harkness. Members were agreed that Mr Mitchell, as secretary, should receive some adequate re- . muneration. , . _.