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" (c) The very sad tragedy attending the efforts of Captain Hood and Lieutenant Moncrieff to fly from Sydney to Wellington brought the Dominion well before the public. Each day, for some days after the aviators should have landed in New Zealand, the local press published interviews, photographs, &c., dealing with this matter. " (d) By the regular weekly showing of moving pictures of the Dominion throughout Australia, released by the Publicity Department. " (e) The proprietors of the Grosvenor Galleries in Sydney arranged for a collection of pictures by New Zealand artists to be sent for exhibition to Sydney. These pictures, which consisted chiefly of New Zealand scenic views, were on exhibition for two weeks, and were viewed by hundreds of people. " (/) Various articles in Australian journals on New Zealand were published during the year, the chief being one by the Prime Minister, published in Wealth. " Commercial Work carried out on behalf of other Government Departments.—lt is very gratifying to be able to report that other Government Departments have continued to make great use of the offices during the year. Prior to last year we assisted in purchasing and paying for Australian hardwoods wanted by the Departments of Public Works and Post and Telegraph, but last year the Railway Department was also included, and during the year hardly a week went by that tenders were not called for supplying hardwoods for one Department or the other. Roughly speaking, £50,000 was paid away for these Departments alone during the year. Practically every Government Department made use of the offices, but those for whom most was done were Customs, Industries and Commerce, Publicity, and Internal Affairs, in addition to the three Departments already mentioned. " General. —In concluding, it is very satisfactory to be able to report that the offices have very largely been availed of by the pleasure-seeking and business people of New South Wales and Queensland. In this respect every encouragement has been given to inquirers to write or call for information. Large numbers of visiting New-Zealanders also found the offices very useful, and made full use of same." Mr. H. J. Manson (Melbourne Agent) in his report states : — " I am glad to report that these offices are becoming more firmly established, and the scope of our usefulness more generally recognized, entailing a corresponding multiplicity of work difficult to cope with. It is difficult to enumerate in detail the many subjects dealt with throughout the year, and it will be necessary to confine one's remarks to those activities to which special attention has been given. The encouragement of the tourist traffic has, of course, been of primary importance, and much time has been devoted to propaganda work with regard thereto. Literature has been widely circulated through avenues most likely to bring in results ; lectures have been delivered and moving pictures exhibit®! directing attention to our scenic attractions ; the result being increased traffic to New Zealand ; and as our booking system and the facilities it affords become better known there should be a corresponding increase in our returns. Be that as it may, the takings for the year disclose a marked improvement on last year's figures, the bookings for the years ending March, 1927, and March, 1928, being respectively £935 Bs. and £3,377 3s. 9d. Much more could be done in this direction if more frequent sailings were provided from this port, and the fact that we were carrying on a booking business were more widely advertised. " There is practically an inexhaustible field for the tourist in Australia, and there is every hope to believe, now we are to be given wider scope, that the numbers who will in succeeding years be induced to pay the Dominion a visit will greatly exceed those who have journeyed hitherward in past seasons. "You will be interested to know that there is a widespread movement covering th'e various States of the Commonwealth and the countries bordering on the Pacific to keep the tourist ' on the move,' and in co-operation with those engaged in the business it is hoped New Zealand will gain its fair share of trippers. Most countries are beginning to awaken to the fact that the tourist is an asset of considerable value, worthy of the closest attention, and in common with them you will agree that New Zealand, who can supply the finest goods, must not be lacking in any such enterprise. Much money is to be spent on the ' drive,' and it looks as if a tremendous impetus will be given to the traffic. " The publicity films which have been exhibited through Messrs. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's circuit* have proved a particularly good propaganda medium, and on every hand favourable comments are heard regarding the excellent views they enfold of our scenic wonders. Further opportunity to extend this good work will be given when the new films now in the course of preparation for use in Australia come to hand. " The publication News and Views issued by the Publicity Office is widely circulated, and, along with the many attractive pictures illustrating our beauty-spots now hanging in the principal hotels and public institutions of the State, are constant reminders of the pleasure awaiting the visitor to the Dominion. Our attractively prepared illustrated literature, which is regularly distributed amongst the travelling public, is also serving a useful purpose in attracting attention to our various resorts and to the excellent conditions under which they may be seen. Pictures likely to appeal to the sporting instinct are also liberallv displayed in a number of the leading hotels. Supplementary to this a number of fine specimens of trout, kindly forwarded by Mr. Stan Gillies, of Tokaanu, in a frozen state, have been presented to the Governor and members of leading Melbourne clubs for use on special occasions. They have arrived in fine condition, and have been given a hearty reception by the respective recipients, and I am satisfied that the advertisement received therefrom more than compensated for any trouble that may have been involved in getting them over. " The prominence given to our deep-sea fishing by Zane Grey and other important visitors has elicited many inquiries regarding this sport, and we have been able, with the assistance of our illustrated literature, to supply the needed information and to further stimulate interest therein. Of outstanding importance was the visit of the Duke and Duchess of York to New Zealand and Australia, and whilst they toured the Dominion we succeeded in obtaining first-class notices in the press through the medium of reproduced photographs of the various points of interest visited by them from day to day.

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