The Evening Star MONDAY, MARCH 17, 1873.

Evening Star, Issue 3143, 17 March 1873, Page 2

The Evening Star MONDAY, MARCH 17, 1873.

It is now more than three months since the Morning Star was first published, and its circulation in the country justifies us in stating that it is already the best advertising medium in Otago. Week by week numerous applications are made for supplies of copies, apart from those furnished by our agents, and, were it necessary, the testimony of commercial travellers is sufficient to prove that the Star is seen in hotels, newsrooms, and private houses where no other paper is taken. Nor has the advantage of a metropolitan organ been overlooked by the goldfields, as must have been manifest by the valuable communications we have published from time to time from those important districts. We have no right to cornplain of want of support in Dunedin, although many do not appear to have realised the true position of this journal in regard to its extended circulation. Perhaps, through not having full knowledge of facts, they may be led to imagine that the age of a newspaper is a guarantee for its being extensively read. Their manifest interest is, however, to make known their names, wants, and callings in that paper which is distributed the most widely; and they may rest assured that, [other things being equal, the cheapest will be in the greatest demand. For our own parts, being unconscious of any inferiority in the character of the matter in the Star, as compared with any journal in New Zealand, we consider that our claim to support is the greater ; because, in addition to former newspaper readers, we have provided an organ of communication with classes who are induced to take the paper through the price not interferring materially with their weekly earnings. We think the value of advertising is too little understood by tradesmen. Some object to the expense.; and that would be a valid reason were no benefit drivable from it; but just so, might a firm object to commercial travelling, or any other moans of bringing under notice goods they wish to dispose of. We arc inclined to believe that of all outlay by a tradesman, that of advertising in a widely-circulating journal is the best investment. It brings him daily in direct contact with a larger number of consumers, than any other method of offering goods for sale. If he has to employ travellers, they can be only at one place at a time, and perhaps not at the precise period when goods are wanted : while the newspaper makes its appearance daily or three times a week, and offers articles which can be .ordered for a trifle, and perhaps have gone into consumption before a commercial agent puts jn an appearance. How many orders have been received, in consequence of advertisements, for goods that might have been for months o o unsold, it is impossible to say : and it is this inability to trace precisely the advantage, that leads to the idea that advertising is expensive. In all trades there are influences seen and unseen : and it is far from improbable that the unseen conduces ys muefi to success as that which is seen, A few instances illustrative of these ob&eryations came within our experience, within flic last week or two, which are worth relating. One of them is directly in point as to the value of advertising in this journal; and wo do not know why on such a subject the fact should not be published, without imputing to us the design of puffing, for it is just as reasonable that a fair statement should be made of what benefits we are able to confer, as for a tradesman to recommend goods of good quality. An advertisement for a# inheritor to a somewhat valuable estate appeared ju some of the journals of the Colony; how many we do not know. As there was something somewhat uncommon in the matter, we copied it, rather as a curiosity than otherwise, out of an up-

country journal of limited circulation. The consequence was that it was scon in the Star by a friend of the heir, and communicated to him: hut for this circumstance, it is more than probable he would never have heard of the fortune that he now goes homo to claim. On the other hand, the evil of losing, through not giving publicity to exhibitions or property for sale-, is broughthome to us by two events last week. The first is an instance of the folly of confining public announcements to the Provincial Gazette, Wo have no hesitation in saying that the Province loses annually ten times more than the cost of the Gazelle, through not advertising its contents in the daily journals. This too is a question between the seen and positive and the unseen and probable. That which is seen is the cost of the Gazette and the proceeds of land sales. The probability is that advertisements in the daily journals would, on the whole, coat quite as little perhaps less—-but the returns would most likely be much larger. In the particular instance to which we allude, a piece of reclaimed land was bought for the first Church of Otago, as compensation for some water frontage rights surrendered to the Government by the Church trustees. We suppose, therefore, that it would not have mattered what the price, they must have had the land, at the cost of the Province. Put that is not the point. It is requisite by law that the intended sale should be advertised in the Gazette a specified number of times, and this was duly attended to; but nobody outside was aware of it, and when the announcement appeared in the Star that the land was sold, in ignorance of the nature of the bargain, several persons were astonished that so important a sale should not have been advertised. The reason we have stated is sufficient justification, for hiding it iii the Gazette 3 but it is also a good reason for not concealing anything there, that all men have a right to compete for. The other instance of a parsimonious mistake is afforded by the insufficient advertising of the Horticultural Show on Thursday. We do not fancy the Society is very rich ; but they went the very way to remain pool*, through not interesting the public in their exhibition. Had they spent pounds in advertising where they spent shillings, everybody would have known that there was an Exhibition, As it turned out, because it was not made prominent, very few persons knew it—even many connected with the Press were not aware of it—and we fear through this over-careful-ness, the expenses will have been equal to or perhaps greater than the receipts. The mistake in this instance was neglecting to have the announcement in the proper place. Those who want servants, or work, ot tenders, very carefully examine the “ wanted” coin inns; but it is merely hiding what ought to have been very prominent, to announce an Exhibition there. The circulation of the Evenino Star is rapidly approaching three thousand, and to this must be added the very large country issue of the morning edition. This implies coming under the daily notice of some twelve oi fifteen thousand people, for it is only a fair estimate that each copy has at least three or four readers. To this must be added the circulation of the Dally Times , whatever that may be, for the same economy was .pbserved in advertising in that journal as in the Star : yet the Horticultural show was not a success. It is a case in point showing how necessary it is that thorough publicity should he given, and that it is vain to expect to reap where seed has not been sown.