BOOSTING NEW ZEALAND.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 7 September 1925, Page 10

BOOSTING NEW ZEALAND.

IX AMERICAN FLEET

DETAILS OF PUBLICITY WORK

New Zealand publicity work i« con-m-otiou with the recent visit of the American fleet commenced at Honolulu to which port was despatched, prior to the- ships’ departure for Australia spin fm'.U. of iitlvniioc copies of var.o»| publications dealing with Now Zealanc (savs an official report). As the inaioritv of the ships were fitted , w ith cinema projectors, a comprehensive programme of film, comprising oO,OOOtt c f the best selected pictures obtained during the last two yeais, was forwarded for showing during the voyage to Australia and New Zealand. quiries among the officers of the fleet on its arrival elicited the fact that the film was highly appreciated by all ranks. In addition a- great deal of information concerning the ports of call to be visited by ships, of the fleet, together with 2000 maps of Wellington and Auckland cities specially printed for the purpose, were forwarded for inclusion in publications issued by the printing divisions of the fleet. •' On the arrival of the fleet in Melbourne and Sydney, two consignments of 3500 selected 1 publications conveying all manner of information about the Dominion was distributed among the ships. On the arrival of the fleet in New Zealand over 30,000 copies, of various tourist attractions, to farming and industrial subjects, were issued 1o all ranks. The special souvenir booklet prepared for the occasion proved most popular, no less than 20.000 copies being taken, practically exhausting the whole edition. Two presentation albums, beautifully bound by the Government Printing Office and containing the best photographic gems of the Publicity Office collection, were presented, to Admirals Coontz and Robinson respectively, while twelve smaller albums were presented to commanders and captains of the fleet. Other officers received selected sets of photographic copies of the history of the wars in New Zealand, and the official Year Book, together with a number of presentation volumes.

All manner of - information was available at Hie bureau, ranging from railway ami steamer time-tables to 1 ran! anrl taxi fares and t’ne tariffs of the various hotels and boarding establishments in the city. Officers of the battleship Pennsylvania, showed their appreciation of the bureau by requesting to be allowed to take baeik to America with them the welcome sign placed above the shed entrance depicting sailors of the fleet being greeted on landing by a stalwart figure representing New Zealand under the caption “ Welcome. O Cousin.” Their renuest was granted. The greater majority of the publications taken by the personnel of the fleet were posted to friends in the United States. Over 40.000 selected photographs were eagerly bought up. at the bureau. One of the most important features of the visit from a publicity standpoint- is the fact that representatives of the various big film organisations in the United States, together with Government and naval publicity men who visited the Publicity Office, have arranged to keep closely in touch with the New Zealand office in the future. They intend making the fullest use of material provided for them during their visit and will make special features of it in the various big newspaper and publishing houses which they represent in America. Prom this standpoint alone the effort made by the Government will have important and far-reaching results. These figures speak for themselves: — Total publications issued during the visit, 50,500; photographs distributed,5130; cinema film presented to fleet, 50,000 ft.