FOR U.S.A. FRIENDSHIP

Grey River Argus, 17 February 1945, Page 7

FOR U.S.A. FRIENDSHIP

BETTER AUSTRALIAN PUBLICITY URGED. (Special to N.Z. Press Assn) SYDNEY, February 15. Australia must act now if she wanted to attract trade, tourist traffic immigrants, and capital from the United States, safd Mr. P.' C. Spender, M.P.. a member of the Australian War Council, who has just returned from a Lour of America. He urged a drastic overhaul of Australia's expanding publicity service in the United Stares. The service, he said, was still illeauipped, and insufficiently financed. Many of the publicity methods employed were of no value. "A greater and lasting American friendship is of vital importance lo this country, if Australia is to figure appreciably in the post-war world,” declared Mr. Spender. “We need a broad public relations programme, much wider than we have thought 'of before.’ Among new publicity methods advocated by Mr. Spender were: Talks by Australian lighting men and women to key groups in the United States; an exchange 'of trips between Australian ami American workers; a wide circulation of suitable Australian documentary films; and a travelling library of Australian books for distribution through school systems. Included in publicity methods which Mr. Spender described as useless, was the sending of mimeographed statements about Australia to various newspapers and magazines. He commented: “These have only one repository—the waste paper basket.”