POSTAL ADVERTISING.

Otago Witness, Issue 2179, 28 November 1895, Page 57

POSTAL ADVERTISING.

Mr John Gavan Duffy, the Victorian Post-master-general, bai had a bad time. In an unlucky moment ha let a tender for advertising on post cards. The advertisement 13 a hideous thing in blue — about tobacco and lager beer. Even Mr Duffy admits that from an aesthetic point of view ib is a failure. Bat even an se-thetic advertisement about tobacco and beer isn't an additional attraction to a post card. Religious bodies happened to be in annual session — the Presbyterians, Baptists, and Wesleyans,—«and with all the Rechabite Teats, W.C.T.U.'s, and Blue Ribbons in Victoria, they waited in deputation on poor Mr Duffy — male and female, more than the room would hold. Mr Duffy was facetious till he found they wouldn't stand it. They grew positively rude. When he saw that he must be serious he quoted New Zealand, where they advertise on stamps and telegraph forms. The deputation might have pointed out to Mr Duffy that advertising beer on a post card and advertising it on a stamp are-two different matters. Ib is a fitting thing to advertise a liquor (licker) on the back of a stamp. Bub Mr Duffy was told he had no need to follow a bad example. Then he told them to complain of such advertisements in the Argus, which had been very rough on v his new idea. But they replied that they were partners in the Postal department, though not in the newspapers. ' In the end Mr Duffy had to promise to consult his colleagues, which will mean the abandonment of the idea — particularly as the firm whose tender was accepted 1 have agreed to withdraw from the bargain. The price was £950 a yew. • Mr Duffy h sorry the idea ever entered his head. • LORD BRA.SSEY. Lord Brassey's speeches read well, but he is s ' wretched speaker — slow, with irritating ' "Tiems" and "ahs,"andno fire. After Lord Hopetoun a long way. At the Chamber ol ' Commerce dinner to him he read an amusing ! letter :— 1 Manchester, September 28, 1895. 1 Governor of Victoria. s Dear Sir,— l am having consignments of Aus i traltan rabbits from the London market. Thej are in prime condition, and sell at 2s 2d to 2a 4d pel pair. They are sent in boxes bung on two rails and each box contains 27 pair. They are fine larg< ' rabbits, clean killed— (laughter)— and properly - handled in every way. We have the bestmarkei I in England for rabbits.— (Laughter.) There is £ , steamer fixed from your port or Sydney for Man I Chester direct, sailing in November. I shall b< r glad of consignments.— (Great Uughter.) I car , sell several thousand paira weekly. Account sales 1 and cash daily.-(ltoars of laughter.)— Yours faith I fully, J. Donaldson. > He added that Mr Freeman Thomai, his son i in-law and business manager, was already con 1 templafmg a search for consignments of bunnj *■ in the Royal Domain. 3 Lord Brassey (the pronunciation is Braes-ey • after all, not Bracey) spends a deal of his spare f time about Port Melbourne and the wharves He and the Government House party honourec 1 a Sailors' Rest concert wibh bheir presence th< 3 other, evening; and Lady Maud Warrendei ' obliged with several songs, while Lore I Richard Nevill played her accompaniments 3 Lady Maud Warrendei' is wife of the com 5 mander of H.M.S. Centurion on the Chins r station, and sails by the Changsha to join him, II in care of her brother the Earl of Shaftesbury. I Lord Brassey is the richest man the colonie 3 has seen. He is worth the modest trifle of fou 1 or five millions. His sister, who had 2£ mil 9 lions, married Bass, of ale and porter fame 3 who also had 2£ millions. 1 THE PRECEDENCE QUESTION. c Colonel Templeton, the fire-eabing liquidate a nF f>i-> T>r«^;»r T>«-m a nenfc Building Society ( 1 ucvci-tuviiiib' iKiUiuatioui by the way), hi

knuckled down to Sir Charles K. Smith. Ha admits, that is to say, that ho committed a breach of discipline in taking charge of the forces when the commandant had placed some* one else in charge of them. But as the representative of the militia ha still protests against being passed over when commands are going begging. And he has been promised that next time the question will be considered " without feeling."