Selling the World Peace.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 660, 13 January 1933, Page 6

Selling the World Peace.

Dear Sir,—l wish to thank Mr Hervey Hamilton for his answer to my query concerning the peace publicity scheme. The use of illustrations and posters is a particularly sound idea. The cinema, which conveys its message with a minimum of reading effort, and the advertising “ hoarding,” which attempts to convey a full appeal instantaneously, give us a line on the peace advocate’s most effective medium. To-day’s mail from the Continent has, in an almost startling coincidence, brought me confirmation of the soundness of Mr Ilamik ton’s scheme. Indeed, the identical idea seems to have broken out on opposite sides of the world—New Zealand and France. The information to which I refer comes from M. Davray, a French journalist whose association with the promotion of AngloFrench understanding is well known to students of international affairs. M. Davray announces that an office whose aim is peace propaganda through posters has been founded m Paris. It has been created by a group of French artists, journalists, political people and simple citizens. Now peace is being advertised in the same way as beer, soap and petrol. The leading spirit of this office is M. Jean Carlu, Europe's most notable poster designer. He has done all the best work in recent years for almost every kind of goods, railway companies, air transport lines, newspapers, theatres, lotteries and Monte Carlo. Why not “ sell ” the peace idea, thought Jean Carlu, in the way as other and less desirable things are “sold”? So he and his friends are campaigning to enlighten the public mind by posters. The name of the association is " Office de Propagande Graphique pour la Paix.” It w’orks in conjunction with the French League of Nations Union. A sister society has been established in Berlin and one is in process of foundation in London. The primary objective is to have every city in Western Europe placarded with a triptych of posters on Peace and Disarmament: one French, one German, one English. It looks as if Mr Hamilton were going to be the pioneer in the Antipodes of an equally noble scheme.-—I am, etc., CO-OPERATOR.