EMPIRE EXHIBITION.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17217, 7 December 1923, Page 3

EMPIRE EXHIBITION.

CANTERBURY COMMITTEE. Ihe Canterbury District Committee of the British Empire Exhibition met yesterday, Mr N. M. Orbell presiding. There were also' present—Messrs L. J. TT illia, W. H. Nicholson, W. M. Shand O. R. J. Williams, TV. J. Jenkiu, G. Scott, G. H. Holford, D. Colquhoun and L. J. Schmitt. The chairman extended a welcome to Mr A. F. Roberts (commissioner for the New Zealand section at the Exhibi tion), Mr TV. E. C. Reid (assistant com missioner), Mr Denys Hoare (secretary accountant for the New Zealand section) and Mr G. Camp (secretary of the Dominion Advisory Council). Mr Roberts thanked the chairman lor his welcome. New Zealanders were a little bit modest, lie said, and did not advertise the country enough. The time had come to make New Zealand much better known. On behalf of his colleagues and himself he assured them that their services would be at the disposal of New Zealand to tbe very fullest extent. He congratulated the Canterbury Committee on the excellence of the secondary industries exhibits. Regarding the Native exhibits, it had been the policy of the Dominion Advisory Council to reduce it to the minimum, because it was felt that the Native side had been too much stressed in the past. There was a great deal of literature that went out of New Zealand 4hat was quite misleading in pre -senting an idea of the country. He hoped they would be able to do some thing to help the whole of the trade of the Dominion. The New Zealand officials wanted to feel that they had the whole of tbe committees in the Dominion behind them. The wool exhibit, be was sure, was going to be a magnificent one.

Mr Reid thanked the committee fox its welcome, and expressed liis appre ciation of what Canterbury had done.

Mr Geo. Scott regretted that tho dif ferent centres were arranging their ad vertising Separately. Better results would have been achieved, h© thought, if tho task had been undertaken by the Government. New Zealand had not been advertised enough. The trouble was that the Dominion had been too prosperous and had not both ered. Mr Roberts 6aid the Government had taken a series of moving pictures covering the tourist resorts and the primary and secondary industries. It was proposed to show the pictures iri half hour programmes. He stressed the importance of attracting tourists to New 'ealand. Mr Camp gave details of the publicity work being done. In all. 30.000 feet of film would be sent away. Over five thousand slides had been piepared. Mr Schmitt asked if there was any opportunity of getting cheap fares for people to visit the Exhibition. Mr Roberts said he feared the appeals made in that direction had fallen on deaf ears. The position was that it was difficult to get a berth on any vessel at present. At the conclusion the chairman thanked the Exhibition officials lor meeting the commitee.