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Otago Daily Times, Issue 19969, 10 December 1926, Page 10

It is almost a perennial complaint on the part of New Zealanders who visit other countries—America, perhaps, in particiilar—that respecting all that pertains to their own not altogether insignificant Dominion the outside world is not only very ignorant, but seemingly content to remain ignorant. When abroad they may scan in vain newspapers printed in their own tongue for news of their own country. When, perchance, an item of intelligence concerning the Dominion or some portion of it does find its way into print, as likely as not there will be a geographical confusion of New Zealand with Australia. To this sort of thing the good New Zealander, being, of course, intensely proud of his own country, is naturally not insensitive. A cabled item now and again telling of an earthquake in the North Island, or of a sensation in the South Island, or of political happenings, or even of climatic visitations would make him feel less of an alien during his travels and sustain him in the hope that all was going on satisfactorily at home in his absence. When he pronounces the name of the land of his nativity he would like to think that those among whom he is sojourning know where it is, and have some idea of its importance. Especially when he is in another part of the Empire does he expect to find the people evincing a certain acquaintance with and interest in New Zealand affairs. He is more likely to find them interested than well-informed. After all, the people of any country know just about as much of the outside world as they are told, and if, in the daily news service which they devour, a particular portion of the globe is pretty well ignored they will be tolerably content to forget its existence. It is with countries, even dominions of the British Empire, as with saleable commodities; they have need of publicity if they are to be known and remembered. >

Apparently in Canada the New Zealander will hunger for intelligence of his own country for long enough and still go hungry for anything that the newspapers will provide to appease his natural appetite. The mail this week brought a letter from our correspondent in Canada who puts the arresting query, “Has New Zealand disappeared off the map of the world?” He proceeds: “It would appear so, as far as this country is concerned.. Not since Mr Coates made his ringing pronouncement that he was going to the Imperial Conference to help rather than embarass Great Britain, has a single item of New Zealand news been cabled to the papers of Canada,” This must sound deplorable, but it is quite in conformity with the experience of New Zealanders who visit Canada. As our correspondent remarks, New Zealand has spent a large sum in the representation of her industries at the Canadian National Exhibition, concerning which Mr J. W. Collins, the deputy Commissioner, spoke interestingly last night, at a meeting of the Chamber of Commerce, and the people of Canada are eager for information about a country which ranks high in their esteem. “But,” our correspopent says, “no news comes. Why? Not because nothing is happening.” New Zealanders in Canada have certainly a grievance, and New Zealand as a whole suffers in being so largely ignored in the press of the great sister dominion. Australia and Australian conditions are kept very well before the Canadian public. If the Canadian papers want New Zealand news they can, of course, obtain it. But, if they do not think it worth their while to institute a service of New Zealand news, then the question arises whether the Publicity Department which our Dominion now possesses should not undertake the circulation of New Zealand news likely to be of interest to Canadian readers.

Mr Zank Grey is certainly doing something to give publicity to New Zealand as a sportsman’s paradise.. Apparently, the fishing expedition in the north, planned by him for January next, is to bo an elaborately organised affair. It is reported that the party includes kinema experts who plan to take “the greatest fishing picture the world has yet seen.” New Zealand will not fare the worse for more publicity of this kind, and there is room for hope that the efforts of the camera operators will be crowned with conspicuous success. True, it seems to have been left to foreign enterprise to exploit this aspect of the Dominion’s sporting attractions through the medium of the film, but perhaps the example set will serve some stimulating purpose. In connection with the general subject of films it is of interest to have from an American a dispassionate survey of the history and present results of the ascendancy of the American film. Mr Seabury, who has been legal adviser to two important American film concerns, has written a book entitled “The Public and the Motion Picture Industry,” in which he reinforces with a mass of data the case for regarding with apprehension the grip that the “Big Five” of the American film world have on the moving picture industry in the Englishspeaking countries. He sees in the tendency of this group to secure chains oi theatres in Britain, which are, of course, tied houses, a steady strengthening of the monopolistic hold. He deplores this, it is rather refreshing to note, not only because of the vulgarity of the American propaganda that it promotes, but because he detects in the flaring externals of the acquired theatres a menace to the dignity of British cities. Mr Seabury has no desire to see the tawdry garishness of Broadway forced upon the cities of the Old World, or, for that matter, on those American cities that have avoided it. There is certainly room for criticism of the kind of display that is associated with certain picture theatres.