"GO CANNY"

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 87, 12 April 1923, Page 10

"GO CANNY"

THE CARNIVAL MOVEMENT CHAMBER OF COMMERCE NOT ENTHUSIASTIC A QUESTION OF PUBLICITY Member of the Chamber of Commerce did not wax very enthu n tic at their meeting ye terday, when the lepoit of Mi J E Salt in connection with the proposed cainnal was under con ideration Mi Salt e\plamed that hi absence from Wellington accounted lor his inability to attend the meeting of organisations held, on Mpnda'y to discuss the question of holding a carnival, but he was in a position to make some observations regarding the recent carnival at Auckland. -

Mr. Salt said that if a carnival was to be held in Wellington those behind the movement would have to "go canny" about.it. The Auckland carnival wasa failure, and:-the deficit incurred was being overcome, by; the sale'of art union tickets. By holding the carnival before Easter the opposition, of certain Chuich people was encountered, because they considered it wrong to hold h during Lent. Then, again, country peiple did not attend, but withheld their visit to Auckland until the Easter. races, consequently the attendance was limited •. to people from the;,city and suburbs. - Although the carnival had been advertised all over New Zealand, the promoters didl not secure the number, of people they expected. Mr. Salt added that it had to be remembered, that two ■or. three years, ago a carnival was held at Lyall Bay, but it was not a success. "As a Chamber we have taken up a certain policy in regard to publicity," said Mr. Salt, "and I don't want to see our identity submerged in anything that may go out like a packet of crackers, or merely be a flash in the pan, and get nowhere. As far as the Chamber is concerned, I think we should continue our policy of merely getting information through the proper channels."

Another aspect of publicity was touched on by Mr. Salt. In Auckland, he said, very little news appeared in the papers concerning Wellington. If a man cut his throat, or a murder was committed, that appeared, but actual information of interest to business men 1 was j not seen: On the other hand, the Wellington newspapers published extracts from Northern boosting towns in the North. Something might ,be done to encourage the. Wellington ' papers to give more support to local business men and send out good news that would interest the people of the Dominion. Whakatane had been boosted daily by the local Press Association agent. Wellington had to boost itself through the Press Association, and get published statistics regarding Wellington as a port and centre of commence. The.chairman (Mr. A. F. Eoberts) conidered that July was quite a wrong month in which to hold a. carnival here, because the weather then was the'worst during the year. The carnival in July would be a failure; if a- carnival were to be held at all it should be in the summer. A voice: "It needs twelve months' preparation." Mri;-H.'-Hv Oxley moved to''trie effect that the Chamber express its sympathy with the idea of a carnival, provided it was; held on .proper lines, but-stating that the time chosen was not suitable." Mr. H. D. Bennett seconded the .motion, j • , . Mr. L. A. Edwards remarked upon Auckland being a very "live" city in various ways as compared with Wellington. He thought that Wellington would be well advised to take no part' in 'a carnival movement: ■ ' Mr.. A. Fletcher said that the Auckland carnival was a huge fiasco: from heginning to end. • -„ The motion was withdrawn, and' Mr. Salt's . report was r received.