The Te Aroha News Published Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday Mornings. TUESDAY, JANUARY 22, 1924. THE VALUE OF “BOOST.”

Te Aroha News, Volume XLI, Issue 6441, 22 January 1924, Page 4

The Te Aroha News Published Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday Mornings. TUESDAY, JANUARY 22, 1924. THE VALUE OF “BOOST.”

OUR American cousins have a habit of forcefully expressing themselves. And this is the way one journal gets in an argumentive punch in favour of “boosting” some attractions: “Over the week-end. just passed, American tourists spent more than one million dollars at Deauville, Frande. Deauville is a dirty little place that has been made fashionable by much publicity. Great noblemen have been fed much wine and then thrown forcibly out of its casino and the facts duly and fully recorded in the Continental press. Since everybody wants to see the place where noblemen have been thrown out of, where French actresses have bathed in sheer lace curtains and where the King of Sjutin has flirted, Deauville does a big business and takes in much money.” All of which, the journal contends, shows the power of advertising. “But,” it adds, “the tourist must be disappointed just the same. And'their pocketbooks must ache for very emptiness. If dirty, disreputable, indecent. Deauville can take in a million dollars in two days because it’has been strongly advertised, how much could Vancouver, bright, beautiful, healthful Vancouver, take in with the same amount of advertising based not on scandal but on facts?” There is much wisdom in this argument, which should help to bring home to New Zealanders the fact that they have not yet begun to estimate the cash value of their country’s attractions. There is no doubt about the extraordinary beauty of the Dominion as a whole. Since this is generally accepted, what hinders us.as a people from making adequately known our tourist resorts and chief beauty spots? We hear it frequently said that the Government ought to do more. Since the Government is not doing all that is expected there is a fruitful field of operation for our local bodies and Chambers of Commerce to work. During the last few weeks we have heard very lavish praises showered

on Te Aroha as a holiday resort. There is a call for honest and sincere propaganda work and those who take it up can feel that they are engaging in a legitimate and praiseworthy attempt to benefit their town. As the cause is a worthy and good one it should not lack workers.