ADVERTISING A COUNTRY.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2161, 17 August 1907, Page 1 (Supplement)

ADVERTISING A COUNTRY.

[The following is the report of an exceedingly interesting addross delivered by Mr. C. Reginald Ford to the members of the Canterbury Industrial Association. The address created a very favourable impression amongst Christchurch commercial men, and as a result steps aro being taken to form a Canterbury Advancement Association.]

At the outset of my paper let me answer an argument that has frequently been urged against t.ho necessity of any Association for the systematic advertisement of the province. That is that the Government by its Tourist and Immigration Bureaux does all that is necessary in this connection. While I was in England last —about two years ago —I travelled extensively over the eutiro length and breadth of the United Kingdom. During that time I never saw any advertisement about Neiv Zealand. I do not soy that New Zealand is not advertised at Homo, but I do say that it is not advertised sufficiently to attract the attention that it so well deserves. Now ait the same time it seemed difficult to me to get away from Canada. Wherever I went my attention to; drawn to the prospects offered by that magnificent country to the intending emigrant. The circulars and booklets issued by the Immigration Department of Canada, are works o. art and rare advertising ability. Tin advantages of ©migration to Canada were so attractively set forth that many were led to consider emigration who had never given it a thought, before. While in a remote country district in Wiltshire I visited a young farmer—a friend of the farmer wit) whom I was staying. He had some £2OOO, and was considering emigra tion. Now he had by him a goodly pile of literature which had been sent to him or to friends in the district by the Canadian Emigration officials in London without any application or his or their part—simply as a part ol their publicity scheme —-a part of tlic attempt to roach the most desirable class of settler, the farmer. He had an idea, however, of coming to New Zealand’, and so had written to the Emigration Department for information about this country. But he bad to first "Have a desire to come here sufficient to miake him write for information. The Canadian "Government sets to work to create the desire'. In the office in London they have a splendid show of some of the products of their country. But not content with this they have now introduced motor oars which tour the country, showing specimens of the country’s produce and distributing literature. But all this does not deter the business men and farming community oi Canadian cities from advertising extensively on their own account. And yet we are told that there is no need to do this in this country, the Government does it all! Another point to bo remembered in connection with the advertising done by the Government. To.urist Department is that k largely/ appeals to tourists. My opinion is that beautiful scenery doe© not altogether attract men who art considereing emigration to the colonies from the point of veiw of gaining a livelihood. One of the most significant features in the history of the last few years in Canada and also America years of unexampled growth —has been the efforts of communities all over the. country, hut . particularly in the West, to bring before the .notioe of outsiders the advantages and oppcitunitdes offered by their special territory. Largo numbers of cities or districts have formed influential committees of energetic and alert citizevr ito further this work and have raised for the purpose large sums of money. We must remember that the people who supply the funds for These Advertising Campaigns

are not vapouring sentimentalists giving their: money grudgingly (to some shadowy object which might 01 might not be realised, but hard-head ed business men and shrewd farme: '■ who would next contribute unless they were reasonably certain of a Tetui . for their investment. Yet we find them giving willingly and constantly —.again and .again—rand, too, the contributions becoming larger year by year. It is self-evident from. thin alone that this systematic advertising of a district’s resources brings r. visible return to the community. It is not alone the big cities no." yet the small cities that conduct theo advertising campaigns. Cities of ah sizes see the advantages to bo deri\ -■' ■ from them. For instance, St. Louu in the United States, with a popul.i tion of 600,000, has an associatic. called the Million Population Club. This Club has subscribed or cu’ looted a sum of no less than £40,01i0 io carry through a plan of system:tic advert.ising. Toronto, with a pop ulation of over 200,000, has at raised a large sum to advertise the: city and distriot. These are only twinstances from among many wh.ic might he quoted of cities in a big condition of prosperity and wit' largo population already, but wlier the commercial and farming me have subscribed money with t.l avowed object of increasing the: prosperity by increasing their popv lation and thus gaining a wider ffifi: Tjet for their produce and their mam factures. To come to smaller and more youth ful cities. While I was in Londo I saw an advertisement which wrappearing in all the principal L<r don papers, saying that a representtive from Lloydville, which is a sms town, practically a village, in tl Far West of Canada, was in London and could be seen at the Canailio Emigration Offices by young unthinking of emigrating. I got inf communication with this gentlema; I found he was the representative o' the Lloydville Civic League, I thin it waS Called, Who had been sent t-> London to demonstrate to intendin' •emigrants the advantages of his cit.>. sind the surrounding district. Hi •was properly accredited, and war franked by the Canadian Commission er. Now, Lloydville is a township of only some *2OOO population, yet fund; !had been raised to send a special representative -to England and to advertise in Englishr papers. His aim ■was to got a hundred young men with

Methods Employed by Keen and Patriotic Citizens.

SOME USEFUL HINTS FOR GISBORNITES.

of tho Dominion, as tho inhabitants call their charming city, fell into my hands while in Eastern Canada, as my intention was to take my departure for New Zealand from Sau Francisco. This booklet was so. attractively got up that I kept it. I have ii here with me this evening as I thought some gentlemen present might like to see it. I hope we shall soon see a similar on© being issued descriptive of tho City of the Plains. In July 1886 the town of Vancouver was utterly destroyed by a forest fire which swept the city. Only one house was left standing. .With that exception every building you see now lias been bu/ilt since that time. There are extensive wharves and warehouses, fine churches, schools, etc. There are now buildings of stone and brick and many handsome residences that would do credit to any older town. • There aTe many miles of asphalt street lighted by both gas and electricity. There is a fine streefficar service and splendid colleges, churches and libraries. It is indeed a thoroughly modern, up-to-date city. It is a boast of the inhabitants that no one born in Vancouver has yet been married there. This demonstrates the youth of the city. But I believe, since the last few months, this boasit no longer holds true. In 1901 the inhabitants numbered 26,133. By 1905 the population had increased to over 45,000, viz., nearly doubled. It is impossible to think but that this was brought about to a large extent by the systematic advertising of their Tourist Association, the contributors to which, as can b© seen from the list in the booklet, were mainly business arms. Of course, Vancouver, being a shipping port, has an advantage, but

I trust that tlie time is now close at hand when ships will bo discharging iheir passengers and cargoes from many lands to the wharves of Christchurch.

Now I will use the instance of Vancover to answer, I hope, another argument urged against any advertising of the country, province, or city. That is, the assertion, that an increase of population, which would of course he the outcome of a systematic advertising campaign, would result in i reduction, of wages, The sound theoretical arguments which might he used to disprove this assertion, I will leave to abler men than myself. I will content myself with the actual experience of Vancouver. Here is a oily whim in the j or.J» period, of four years nearly doubles its population. One would expect if the anti-adverbis-ers were right, to find a city full oi people out of work, and wages at a minimum. Instead you find plenty of employment for everyone, and wages the highest they have ever been. It is, of course, a fact that an influx of population means an increase of consumption— an inorease of consumption an increase of production, and thus the need of and employment of more labor, the one constantly acting and re-acting on the other. In this connection I will quote from the clever book of the able sociological writer, H. G. Wells, entitled “The Future of America,” just recently published. He says (speaking of the number of immigrants entering that country—far larger in proportion to the existing population than wo need fear): “Few people {'rasp the true dimensions of this invasion. Figures carry so little. The influx has clambered from half a million to 700,000 or 800,000; this year the swelling figures roll up as if they moan to go far over the million mark. The flood rolls in to overtake the total birth-rate; it lias already overtopped the total of births of children to native American parents.” And in another place he says: “And there is no perceptible fall in wages going on. On tlio whole wages tend to rise.” Just to mention just ono more city where success has been and is now being achieved as a direct result of a systematic advertising campaign. The City of Dallas, in Texas formed an organisation called the Hundred and Fifty Thousand Club, whose object was to promote the best interests of the city and to raise the population to 150,000 by 1910. To quote from an address delivered by a Mr. \V. S. Power, of Pittsburg, on “The Advertising of a City,” speaking of Dallas he said: “An advertising campaign was at once outlined, and the big magazines and other mediums of national circulation were selected as the ones most likely to tell the story of the city’s opportunities to the largest number of people in the shortest space of time. Tho first copy appeared in the May issues of four leading magazines last year. During the first month over 3000 inquiries wero received from all over the world, and by the end of the first year of tho club’s existence—nine montlis after the advertising started—over 22,000 inquiries were on file with the club’s secretaries.” This has a direot interest for

not less than £IOO each, to go hack with him to Lloydville, and his object was more than fulfilled. Now had Lloydville simply dependod on fho advertising done by the Dominion Government —on a splendid soalo though it is—would it havo gained iihoso young men with their small capital? Undoubtedly it would not. Somo would probably not havo gone to Canada at all, and the otliors would havo, in all probability, boon swallowed up by the towns nearer cast than tho small township of Lloydville. Again, I havo recently read of the small town of Temple, in the United States of Amerioa, with only 5000 or 6000 inhabitants which has formed an organization for advertising their city, and has appropriated a sum of £4OO yearly for the purposee. And wo read of a small village of only 300 inhabitants, ten miles from a railroad, which has its ldver.tising committee well organised, and is now collecting money to start a littlo campaign. I now como to a city which I know ■veil—Vancouver —l mention tliis specially because I think it illustrates what can be done by printer’s ink towards building up a city’s prosperity. In passing I must say that I should not have visited Vancouver myself had it not been that a booklet descriptive of The Sunset Doorway

Stability of Prosperity

us, because thoso same advertising mediums aro open to us, and there is no reason why tho 22,000 inquiries would not be m«do in reference to Canterbury, instead of Dallas. If you tako up any of the principal magazines of tho United States of America which have a world-wide circulation, you see an advertisement of Dallas, the “City of Splendid Realities.” Why should it not bo Christchurch, the City of Splendid Realities, or Christchurch tho City with a Future, for I firmly believe that Christchurch, as one of the principal cities of the Britain of tho South, lias a future before it that fow of us realise yet. How successful tho advertising scheme of this Dallas Club has proved is shown from the following extract from an article in a recent number of an. American journal: “During that period [March Ist, 1905, to Augnust Ist, 1906] tho city gained fifteen now manufacturing emterlirises, employing several hundred people with a total capital of 300,000 dollars. Bank deposits in the city increased from 18,000,000 dollars to 22,000,000 dollars; post office receipts increased 23 per cent, and a corresponding ratio of increase was generally apxiaront. Mr. Ewton says thait tlio business men of Dallas are fully convinced of tho patency of intelligent municipal publicity and expect to follow nil the adlvantages already gained.” I lravo said enough about America and Canada. My object has been to show you liow in thoso countries largo and small cities are carrying on advertising schemes with tho object of promoting tho prosperity of their respective districts. Tlie instances could bo multiplied almost indefinitely, but I have, I hope, mentioned sufficient to demonstrate that commercial communities in thoso countries whore it has been largely tried, consider that advertising of a city’s resources and iirospeots is a dividendpaying investment. I must here stop to say that I am well aware that the conditions are very different in New Zealand from those in Canada and America. But some of those different conditions are rather in our favor. It may be urged that wo have not the vast area needing population that Western Canada has, for instance. This is true, but as a consequence, w© do not require thousands and

Thousands of Immigrants Yearly, for which we have to go to all the countries on the continent of Europe. We shall be satisfied with hundreds, for which we only need go to Great Britain, and thus we shall continue to make the title of Britain of the South more appropriate still. Then we are farther from the centre of tlie western world whence immigrants flow —an emigrant can go to Canada for a matter of £5 or even less —ito como to New Zealand comfortably costs him nearly £2O at least. To a man with a family this is a handicap, and it stops penniless immigrants coming to tlie country. Again this is in our favor. New Zcalaud can afford to choose her immigrants. If we go about it the right way we can get hundreds of immigrants with a small capital. In Great Britain—and I know of wliat I 6peak—there are hundreds of farmers’ sons, young, energetic men with a little money who ,are discontented with their lot and prospects in the Old Country, and who could be brought to New Zealand, if New Zealand were first brought to them by proper advertisement. If the easier condition of life in this country were only known and properly enixdiasised 1 say, with confidence, that many most desirable immigrants and much desirable gold would be flowing into this country that is at present flowing into our great sister colony. I am sure we do not envy her her success, and I am also sure she would like to see us sharing it: The actual question as to what, if any, advertising should be done, what mediums should bo used, and other questions, it is not in my province to discuss in this paper. It may be considered that it would be better for the province to join together for any advertising outside the colony—to issue general advertisements giving, however, due prominence to the advantages of each province. These matters should .form the subject of discussion by the meeting. Here I would only respectfully urge that we do not say it is a matter for the Government and wait for them to move. If Englishmen in the past had waited for Governments, there would, in all human probability, be no British Empire to-day. So far it will bo seen that I have regarded the advertising of the province from the standpoint of increasing the population alone. "Before leaving this —which after all is the main object of undertaking any such scheme —I would point out that the advantages of an increase of population are too many to be detailed. As lias been the case elsewhere, present industries would be enlarged, new industries would be created, owing to tho increased consumption tlie cost of the necessaries of life would become lower, beoause it is evident that a boot factory, for instance, could turn out 100,000 pairs of boots at a considerably lower price than 20,000; •the building trade would expand, as also would the allied trades of joinery, etc; there would be a larger export and inffiort trade and consequently increased shipping business; this would mean need for increased shipping facilities —the erection of new wharves, docks, etc. Tho increased xiopulation would need increased facilities for transit to and from their work—this would entail increased tramway, coach, and railway services; the banks would increase thedr business; tho posit-offico theirs; the increased population would need more food and clothing, so the producers would find a larger and constantly increasing field for their produce. Many more advantages will occur to all. The volume of industry and commerce would expand in every direction. Employment would bo found for hundreds and avenues of advancement open to our young men ten-fold greater than to-diay. Ton cannot build up any one industry without helping to build up others. In commerce as elsewhere no man can live to himself alone. But most of all would be the greatly increased

which would inevitably follow. At present we are very prosperous, but our prosperity deponds too much on one or two main industries to make one altogether happy. These industries, too, are so dependent oil “good seasons” —and “good seasons” don’t always follow as certainly as night follows day. They are dependent, too, on the state of a market 15,000

miles away, and it would bo clangorous to proi>hesy that thoso industries of ours will always talco first place in that market or that good 1> rices will always rule there. How very much moro certain and stable would our prosperity bo if it woro dependent on a number of industries of various kinds instead of two or three only. Then, too, these i>artioulnr industries would not bo so dependent on foreign markets —tho Homo consumption would bo so much greater.

There arc many other ways, however, in which a Business Men’s League such as I havo been talking "about could and would x>rovo useful. For instance, wo remember tlio recent Chicago moat scandals. This jilaycd right into tho hands of. this province —.tho frozen meat industry being, ns it is, one of tho iirincipal and most important industries. But what stops wore taken to seize the opportunity thus offered? Well, I remember seeing letters to the iwiper with tlie cry that I believe is heard far too often for our good—“ The Government ought to do something.” I contend that tliis is no function of tho Government at all, but, if wo allow that it is, oan anyone say what the Government did do? I feel pretty certain that if they did anything they did it when the. critical time was passed and the real opportunity was lost. A league on the Canadian or American plan would havo at oneo taken steps to bring beforo tho American and English buyers the perfect cleanliness in every respect of the Canterbury or the New Zealand packing trade. I have a full page advertisement from an American journal, headed “Take Caro of Your Own.” It is so axipropria.to to this province that it is worth reading. lit runs as follows :

TAKE CARE OF YOUR OWN. This is What St. Joseph, Missouri, Does. This summer tho groat packing industry of tho United States fell under international discredit through charges of unsanitary conditions in tho packing houses of Chicago. The business of numbers of packing houses entirely innocent were injuriously affeoted. St. Joseph is tho fourth pa eking centre in the United States. Her packing houses are new, modern, hygienic, and sanitary. The live stock market of St. Joseph handles a million dollars worth of live stock each week. When it was apparent that the packing industry generally was suffering, a committee of prominent oitizons of St. Joseph investigated tlie packing houses, and found them excellently conducted in all respects. The Business Men’s League of St. Joseph sent a committee to Washington, which committee included the mayor of tho city, to xirosedit the facts regarding this industry-to the President and Congress, and to earnestly impress upon hath tho injustice of permitting St. Joseph’s industry to remain under the general odium which had become attached to the packing industry. The committee successfully performed its duty, and undoubtedly rendered materiad aid to an early settlement of the vexatious question.

Says the League:—“lt is a fixed policy with St. Joseph to defend its industries aiul to take care of its own.

IT WILL DO THE SAME FOR YOU IF YOU LOCATE THERE.

“St. Joseph is a progressive western city of 115,000; has unsurpassed railroad terminal and distributing facilities; has cheap coal, natural gas and electricity for manufacturers; has more satisfactory labor conditions than any city of its size in the country. Address —’Business Men’s League for particulars.” The League too, would assist to promote looal industries by bringing before the people of tlie province the excellence of local products—would arouse local patriotism by showing how work was done in the city and province. I make bold to say that until the Exliihition, many xieoxile in this city were absolutely unaware that baking and custard powder, soap and starch, brooms and brushes, for instance, were made in this city. These are little tilings in use in every household, and therefore important •industries. It is significant that tlie local manufacturer of laundry blue and boot p>olish told a deputation of the Industrial Association, as rexiorted by the press, that “it had been deemed inadvisable to adopt distinctively New Zealand trade marks as tlie public x’rejudice in favor of an imported article was so strong that the sale of thoso locally made might suffer in consequence.” Such a statement as this should be impossible. The excellence of the local products should bo drilled into tlie people’s minds until tlie looal trade mark would be an iiiducemnt to pmrehase instead of a deterrent. lam not ono of those who think we should make an endeavor to supply every one of our own requirements to tlie entire exclusion of the foreigner, because I fully recognise that external trade is of the utmost importance to any State which desires to make x>rogress in the world. But there are many tilings that wo are unable to manufacture in this country and must import, and I do think that where a looal manufacturer is endeavoring to place on tho market ail article equal in quality to any that can be imported and no dearer, then •the people should support him ill buying Inis goods. They arc then helping to give employment to local labor and helping to build up the- prosperity of the city and province. But while there is this prejudice against locally manufactured goods, local manufacturers have an upliill struggle. Hero the League would come in and, by a systematic advertising scheme, educate tlie people to the number and excellence of tlie city’s manufactures, and create a feeling of prido and Loyalty to Local Industries.

In conclusion I would like to point out that in advertising tho resources of the, Canterbury province and thus inducing immigrants to eome and also helping to expand the industrial wealth of the province, we are doing work of national or even imperial importance.

We live in an eventful period—the tide of commerce is flowing away from the shores of Europe to set in full of glory in the great world washed by the waters of tho Pacific Ocean. Great thinkers of all countries are united in saying that the dominant world power of the future will be that power which will have control of or, at least, the controlling influence in, the Pacific. In view of this, the vast importance Australia and New Zealand have from their geographical position alone is apparent. We are

tho outpost—liny the very etrongliold—of tho British Empire in the Pacific.

Reflecting on this wo cannot view with disquietude or even alarm the rapid Invasion by Asiatics, of the Pacific islands. ’While in Hawaii, I was astonished to find that —{is it appeared—two out of every three men were either Japanese or Chinese. On loking up the figures i found that while the Japanese and Chinese numbered sonic 87,000 the total of whites and native Hnwniians was 57,000. And it must lie noted that while the former increase ill number, the latter decrease. To come nev.for to our own shores, wo find that in Fiji, while the natives die out, the Asiatics enter in large numbers. It- mav be said that these are only indentured laborers returning after a fixed period to India. But large nuin-. hors aro remaining in the islands and settling there. And whilo with tlie Fijians deaths exceed births by somo 25 per cent, with the Indians the births exceed tlio deaths by over 100 lier cent-.

I do not believe that the Asiatics aro only a higher animal—l have tlie greatest admiration and resxiect for them. I believe that they have been the subject of gross libel, but while their standard of life is so much lower than that of the white man the fornior cun live yn wages that mean starvation or poverty to tlio latter. We cannot regard with anything but alarm the possibility of the creation of a new alien xioinilatioin with a different religion and different ideals of social life—a poinilation which tlie white man would regard as ail inferior race. Were this to come about wo should have reproduced in this country somo of the worst social and economical evils connected with slavery. What these evils would be 1 have no need to mention, but the deterioration of tlie character of the white emiiloyer and the grinding down of the working class of both races would be two sure results.

You may be wondering, gentlemen, wliat all tliis lias to do with advertising the provinee of Canterbury. Well it is tliis: We all know that we have immigration laws which prevent any great influx of Asiatics. But, gentlemen, the time is coming—and, I am convinced, is not far distant, when wo shall be unable to keep tlie yellow, mail out of our country. We have seen lately in the U.S.A. that the Ja]ianeso will not submit easily to anything that they consider an indignity. Now, with a rapidly awakening China of 400,000,000 souls the East is the less likely to submit without protest, to any restriction placed oil them by the West which they may consider unfair. An increase of xioinilation would act. in two ways. It. is obvious that a country with somo 300 persons to the square mile is likely to regard with longing eyes a fertile country having only 7 to the square mile like New Zealand. But it is also obvious that a country with a large and active poxnilation with all its industries fully develoi>ed is far less likely to attract' til© undesirable attentions of a country seeking an outlet for i surplus population than is the Rpnrsely iioxmlated one. Secondly, if the necessity arises, bettor than any restrictive laws will he tlie strong arms of thousands and thousands of white men filled with a xiatriotic love of their country.

I believe that the British Empire is to retain her xiaramount xiosition in the world. For her to do this, however, it is necessary that every part of tlio Empire should do its duty. Our duty is to keep Australasia—the Guardian of tlie Pacific—for the British race. Thus it follows, that in doing our best to fill Canterbury with sturdy men and women of tho AngloSaxon race, wo are doing a great deal towards

Keeping the British flag Flying, not only in tho Pacific, but all over the world, North South, East and West. In this way do I consider that a body having this as one of its aini3, would have not only a provincial, but a National and Imperial imiiortance.

But tlie coming of new powers into tlio world’s arena lias another and perhaps greater significance for us than tho xiossibility of their sending undesirable immigrants to our shores. It means that new markets are opening to us—it also means that new comiietitors are entering the contest for the world’s trade. And while this is so wo find that our old competitors are daily becoming keener — daily becoming more and more educated and intellegent, and more and more determined by careful training of their work-people and by careful attention to the needs of their customers to gain what they see is vitally necessary to their very existence—that is a good share of the world’s commerce.

Tlio spirit of the now national life iu the Eastern nations and the spirit of awakened national life in the nations of tlie West have alike turned to industry and commerce as their natural expression. It is with this spirit of energetic industrial and commercial progress and expansion we have to struggle and compete.

This contest we need not fear if we ar 0 only energetic and intelligent in our endeavours to keoi> our share of the old markets and to gain an entrance to tlio now. We know that any industrial merchant in the presence of keen competition would take steps to bring before likely buyers of goods manufactured or sold by him, the reasons why his firm should receive tlio order. 'Ho would demonstrate to them that on account of his resources, his greater skill, bis better knowledge, be could supply tlie goods better and perhaps clicaxier than any of his comxietitors. In other words be would advertise. And

What a private firm would do as a matter of course, I hold that tho City or Province or Country should do. We have the best country in tho world—blessed with vast natural resources which cry out. for development. A League of citizens, formed with the object- of systematically advertising the resources of the City and Provinces, would do inestimable good in drawing attention to and stimulating the present industries, by encouraging science to discover new ones, and, perhaps more than all in making widely known among our own citizens the immense richness and possibilities of our Province, in urging upon all the glorious future which lies before New Zealand and so stimulating all t'o make tho daily work in industry, commerce, agriculture, art or science, one glad service for a beloved country.