"ON THE MAP"

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 126, 1 June 1927, Page 10

"ON THE MAP"

ADVERTISING THE CITY

WELLINGTON PUBLICITY FUND

The Publicity Committee of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce reported to a meeting of the council of that body last evening that it had considered the position of the Wellington publicity fund, and whether it was desirable to continue it. The fund was started in 1923, and reached a total of nearly £800, but has since shrunk to £58. The money expended out of the fund was utilised to send photographs of Wellington and; the district to the Wembley Exhibition, and these pictures were later distributed amongst Chambers of Commerce and other organisations in Great Britain. Assistance was also given to the Wellington Court at the International Exhibition, at Dunedin; and publicity regarding Wellington was also given in other ways. These efforts had, as correspondence received by the chamber continually bore out, helped to place Wellington ''on the map," and to show to the uniformed the capital city in its true perspective to the rest of the Dominion. ' The fund was now, stated the report, reduced to an inconsiderable amount. The committee was unanimous in the opinion that, the ■ continuance of the fund was desirable, and the suggestion was made that it be left iii the hands of the committee to appoint members to wait on the business men of Wellington to solicit contributions to the fund, and to consider and report to the council at a later date what form the publicity for Wellington should take. It.had been suggested by the Hon. G. J. Anderson, Minister in Charge of the Publicity Department, that local committees should be established in various centres to take charge of tourists when they arrived in their districts, to se« that they were properly accommodated, and to see. that they were advised as to the best tours to take. The Minister further pointed out that it would be necessary for the local committees to co-operate, so as to ensure close contact with tourists travelling from one district to another. In moving the adoption of the report, Mr. D. J. M'Gowan. expressed the opinion that it would be a great mistake to let the movement drop, • as much good work had already been done. Mr. S. A. Longuet remarked that when the movement was started the Government Publicity Department had not developed to the extent it had since done. ■ i' Mr. M'Gowan said that during the last three or four years the Department had been much better organised. Several members of the committee were of opinion that newspaper advertising might be tried instead of pamphlet advertising. The chairman (Mr. C. H. Bowden) thought the Minister took quite a sound view, and before a big scheme was launched he wanted to know what was intended to be done in regard to establishing district committees. The report of the committco was adopted.