NO HOARDINGS

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 288, 25 February 1928, Page 10

NO HOARDINGS

ADVERTISING FORBIDDEN IN PANAMA CANAL niRTRir.T

EFFICIENCY INSTEAD

Sir Thomas Lipton has a huge electric sign at Port Said so located that everyone passing through the Suez Canal, day or night, must see it. Attention has been called to this sign, says “The New York Times,” by an American advertising agency in an advertisement which reads in part:

“There pass through the Suez Canal over 200,000 persons a year and over 150,000 people pass through the Panama Canal. There are any number of sites from Port Said to Suez and from Colon to Balboa where an electric sign could be placed at a ridiculously low cost. “Why doesn’t some American with vision take advantage of this advertising opportunity which has such a real publicity kick in it?” asks the advertisement. The idea may be right so far as the Suez Canal is concerned, but as applied to the Panama Canal it will not work. No Hoardings Allowed The United States has no better advertisement than the Panama Canal. The efficiency of its operation, the strong beauty of its structures, the scrupulous cleanliness of the towns, the charm of the natural scenery that surrounds it and the absence of red tape as applied both to ships and passengers are certain to make a favourable impression on the 150,000 people who pass through the canal every year. But it will never advertise American products except incidentally. More than 20 years ago Chief Engineer John F. Stevens raised the first objections to having the scenery of the Canal Zone plastered over with advertisements and later his ideas on the subject were made effective by General George W. Goethals while he was in charge of the construction of the canal. An Executive order prohibiting such advertising in the Canal Zone was signed by President Taft on September 8, 1911. This order prohibits the construction or placing of “any sign, bill, poster or any other advertising device on any land, building or other structure owned or controlled by the United States or the Panama Railroad Company in the Canal Zone.” Since all of the land in the Canal Zone is controlled by the United States, unless this order is revoked, no electric advertising signs will dazzle the eyes of passengers through the isthmian waterway. Very Effective Advertising American products do get valuable advertising at the canal through the supplying of the ships of all nations by the commissary of the Panama Railroad Company. Most of these supplies are brought here from the United States and American brands of goods are introduced to the ships’ stewards and crews and in turn the passengers, thus reaching classes that might not make their acquaintance under other circumstances.

An idea of the variety of stores needed may be gained from the order received from the President Adams, of the Dollar Dine, for the Chinese members of its crew. It included Chinese cabbage, fresh white lily roots, dried lily flower, bamboo shoots, green beans, red and white curb beans, bean sauce, bean sticks, salted ginger, dried scallops, pickled beans, seaweed, salted eggs pickled lemons, pea oil, dried oysters, dried shrimps, plum sauce and dried flatfish. The only item not supplied was the fresh lily roots, which are not obtainable on the isthmus. An order for live goats for the Lascar crew of a British vessel was hard to fill, due mainly to the difficulty of capturing a sufficient number of goats, which run

half wild over the hills of the Canal Zone. Laundry Done on the Fly The promptness and efficiency of this service is of great advantage to shipping, as it is not necessary to delay a ship while the chief steward is ashore shopping for supplies and stores. When a vessel arrives at Cristobal an order for supplies can be made up from the current price list and sent ashore. The ship can continue on through the canal, and when it arrives at the opposite terminal the supplies will bo delivered alongside by a special tug. The ship’s laundry can also be sent ashore at either end of the canal and it will be delivered spick and span to the ship upon arrival at the other side of the isthmus.