INACCURATE PUBLICITY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20601, 27 June 1930, Page 16

INACCURATE PUBLICITY.

SEMI-OFFICIAL GUIDE. OBSOLETE INFORMATION. ' MUSEUM IN PRINCES STREET. The Governments commendation has been given by the Prime Minister, in an official foreword, to a " New Zealand Tourist and Commercial Guide," published in Wellington. .An introduction ha 3 also been written by Mr. A. H. Messenger, Government Publicity Officer, and it is stated that the publication will be dis tributed through all Now Zealand Gov ernment tourist bureaux, municipalities, chambers of commerce and leading booksellers throughout New Zealand, and tourist bureaux, chambers of commerce and shipping offices throughout the British Empire and the United States of America. In many respects the publication is unsuitable for such widespread circulation, as its primary object is obviously not tho information of prospective visitors to New Zealand. So much of its contents as is de voted to that purpose contains many glaring inaccuracies. For instance, one pago describing "what to seo in and around Auckland," contains tho following statements: —The museum is in Princes Street; Takapuna is reached by "ferry to Bays water, then steam tram"; there is a "Naval Flying School at Kohimarama"; the late Sir George Grey's residence at Kawau was his "summer home." Tho guide does not mention tho Zoo, presum ably becauso its author understood that the only collection of animal lifo was a private enterprise at Onehunga. Commencing with a lyrical description of the "winterless North," the guido dis covers that "Whangarei has a beautiful harbour and is extensively used as a base for deep-sea fishermen"—a confusion with Whangaroa excusable in an unravelled Wollingtonian, but unpardonable in a pub lication bearing tho endorsement of the Publicity Office. This is followed by a mutilated version of historical and legendary aspects of the Bay of Islands and Spirits Bay. Tho visitor is informed that Russell "is reached via Kawakawa, 38 miles from Whangarei. The road ends here and the remainder of tho journey i* made by launch." Evidently when this guide was written—though it is dated 1930-31—there was no railway to Opua no regular launch services from Opua to Russell, no road to Pailiia and no possi bility of a road being completed to Rus sell.

Another example of the ignorance ».r carelessness with which this guide for world-wide circulation has been written is the statement that at Whakarewarewa "the big Wairoa and Pohutu send up higb shots of boiling water and spray." Nor is the North Island the only victim of the author's imagination. Lyttelton is "the port from which the cattle raised on the Canterbury Plains and frozen and packed for export in Christchurch are shipped in vast quantities." Canterbury lamb is disguised as cattle and Islington and Belfast are transported to Christchurch. It would be interesting to know whether the Government's participation in this venture includes any contribution toward the cost of its production and distribution.