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APPENDICES.

APPENDIX A. (EXTRACTS FROM REPORTS OF CONTROLLING OFFICERS.) The Trade-and Tourist Commissioner in Canada and the Eastern United States. The Trade and Tourist Commissioner reports that as a result of the advertising appeal made to the magazine-reading public of Canada the office correspondence increased greatly, information being sought on all matters pertaining to travel in New Zealand. As a result of this advertising many reputable travel agencies decided to sponsor special escorted parties and issued leaflets giving full information of sailings, fares, and tours in this Dominion. The work of planning itineraries for travel agencies and assessing their cost has reached considerable proportions, and is a tribute to the effectiveness of the advertising and of the personal visits made to agencies in the large cities. These calls engender good will and foster and maintain interest in New Zealand travel. Consequent upon growing interest in overseas travel generally, particularly from the United States, competition has grown more intense, and it is remarkable, yet true, that agents are served by representatives from many foreign countries in a manner which leaves little room for improvement. In addition to providing film, window-display material, models of steamships, trains, and airplanes, some countries also pay for or subsidize individual advertising and for the printing of leaflets and folders. Poster designs in colour are offered freely, and, in addition, attractive enlarged coloured photographs framed ready for hanging in main offices are also freely distributed. The Trade and Tourist Commissioner expressed the opinion that during recent years New Zealand has not lagged behind other countries either in service to travellers or in the supply of essential and interesting advertising material. Each year marks improvement in the general attractiveness and suitability of the publications and display material offered by the Department, and high encomiums have been passed upon them by interested parties. Reference is made to the fact that the file folder containing information for travellers, which was prepared for the Los Angeles office, has been adopted by other countries. The work of advertising New Zealand in large-scale exhibitions has been continued, and at the Canadian National Exhibition held annually in Toronto a very attractive display was arranged. The New Zealand display, as a unit, was awarded a Gold Medal by the directors. Window displays were arranged throughout the year in the following cities : New York, Atlantic City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Buffalo. With the provision of additional attractive material, specially designed by the Department for window-display purposes, it is proposed to extend this form of publicity during next year. Personal calls were made during the year on leading travel offices throughout Canada and the eastern seaboard of America and every effort made to elicit their interest and support. The statement is made that throughout the United States and Canada there are now 200 travel agencies who are active in sponsoring travel to New Zealand, and it is anticipated that this number will be increased in the near future. The past year has been a most active period in respect of the number of lectures given on the scenic attractions of this Dominion. Apart from twenty personal engagements, addressing service clubs of all types and a few schools, a' special lecture was given in one of the leading auditoriums in the City of Toronto to an assembly of nine hundred people, for which an admission charge was made. Addresses were given on many varied subjects, but, in the main, they dealt with the Dominion's sporting and scenic attractions. This means of publicity is very largely availed of in both Canada and the United States, and during the long autumn and winter season the calls made upon the office were greater than it was possible to accept. Almost without exception at these engagements either coloured lantern slides or 16 mm. silent films were used, prepared for the purpose by the Department of Publicity in New Zealand, and it is pleasing to report that this material was most favourably commented upon because of its merit and educative interest. Acknowledgment is also made of the efforts of many people interested in or native of New Zealand who lecture either in the United States or in Canada, and sometimes in both countries. The New Zealand Government is well served in this connection by some twenty volunteer speakers, and the Department appreciates very much the assistance rendered by them. Where opportunity occurs, use is made of radio publicity, and during the year five electrical transcriptions of stories of New Zealand travel were used over the world-wide short-wave station at Schenectady. Extended use was also found for both silent and sound film of New Zealand scenery, small-size film being distributed to approved lecturers and for societies interested in New Zealand. Standard film was supplied to passenger-liners plying the Pacific and the Atlantic oceans. A depot for distributing New Zealand silent film was established at Montreal and is proving most successful as to coverage, and this central service will later be extended to New York and Chicago. The film already supplied was kept working most actively during the autumn and winter seasons and forms an important feature of the general publicity effort,

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