BOOSTING NEW ZEALAND

Southland Times, Issue 19772, 21 February 1923, Page 5

BOOSTING NEW ZEALAND

MR WINSLOE’S MISSION A TWO-YEAR TOUR. A publicity mission to the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, to be carried out under the auspices of the White Star Tourists’ Service Association, has been for some time contemplated, and Mr J. E. Winsloe, Organising Secretary of the Southland League, has been selected as the lecturer. Interviewed by a Times reporter yesterday, Mr Winsloe said that the arrangement.l' for the tour had been practically completed. The mission would leave New Zealand for San Francisco in September. Lectures would commence in San Francisco in the early part of November, and a visit will he paid to the chief cities of California during the same month. Mr Winsloe will •then go east to Chicago, with the view of working the eastern cities from that centre. New York will then be via:ted. The U.S.A, visit will occupy six months. It is then intended to cross to the United Kingdom, and engage in a short tour to be undertaken during the first four months after the opening of the British Empire Exhibition in 1924. These arrangements will make if- possible for tourists to be met from all over the English-speaking world. The mission will then proceed to Canada, visiting first the eastern cities, and later Florida, Southern U.S.A. After this section has been completed a northern journey will be undertaken to the larger central cities of the United States, such as St. Paul, Minneapolis, and St. Louis, and from this point over the Canadian border to Toronto, and then working west to Vancouver.

Having completed the British Columbia section, the mission will proceed to Portland, Oregon, in order to be in attendance at the great exhibition to be held there in 1925. It is expected that the whole itinerary will take two years to complete, and the mission will then return to the Dominion from Vancouver, via Japan, and China.

I In answer to a question as to the objects of the mission, Mr Winsloe said that six lectures would be given under the foli lowing headings:— “New Zealand’s Primary and Secondary Industries.” “Sport, including Shooting and Fishing.” “The Thermal Regions and the Native Population.” “The Alpine Regions, featuring Mt Cook and the Glaciers.” “The Great Southern Scenic Resorts—the Sounds, Fiords, Lakes, etc.” “Cook Islands and Samoa.” In order to give realism and make the lectures of more interest, 24,000 ft of kinema film had been secured, dealing with each ; subject; there being approximately 4000 ft ! to be used in illustrating each lecture, be- | sides about sixty stationary slides. i The object of the undertaking is not | only to fully advertise the primary and i secondary industries of New Zealand, but ’to induce the globe trotter to visit our ; country, and by this means bring the beauI ties and commercial potentialities of the i Dominion more directly under the world's 1 notice. | The details of the tour had been carei fully arranged, so as to ensure not only appreciative audiences, but those likely to prove advantageous to the Dominion. i Outside the ordinary business of the tour i Mr Winsloe said that as secretary and organiser of the Southland League he had gone ■ rather deeply into the question of the possibilities of cotton manufacture in the ; Dominion, and he intended whilst in England to put a strong case before the Cot-ton-spinners’ Association of Lancashire with the idea of inducing them to erect a plant •in Southland where the conditions, he felt 'sure, would admirably lend themselves to isuch an undertaking. The climatic coni ditions, he said, were most favourable, besides the fact that coal was cheap and elec- ; trie power would soon be available, were | added advantages. j Mr Winsloe said he would like to say j publicly that he appreciated the assistance i given by the Publicity Department, the | Union Steam Ship Co., who had generously | assisted, and to the public generally, par(ticularly Southland, and the White Star Tourists’ Service Association, for having : successfully promoted the mission, and he hoped that those interested in defraying the preliminary expenses will support the veni ture as it deserved.

“Never before in the history of New Zealand,” concluded Mr Winsloe, “has a publicity campaign of such magnitude been undertaken, and so carefully arranged to obviate any possibility of its being a failure.”