Commenting upon the publicity activities of the Railways Department to which reference is made in the Annual Statement recently submitted to Parliament, the “Evening Post,” Wellington states: “When revenue comes easily, a man engaged in competitive trade may advertise; when revenue is scarce, he must. This sentence seems to sum up the experience of the New Zealand Railways and many other concerns. The uses of advertisement expand in adversity.” The “Post” goes on to quote the Report as follows.

“In the Annual Statement of the Railways Department, the General Manager Mr. H. H. Sterling reports: “The keen competition of the road motor vehicle in the matter of services and rates, and the extensive advertising campaigns carried on by the various road transport interests, have been an indication of the tremendous effort made by the motor industry to capture a large share of the land transport of this Dominion. An analysis of the various advertising and propaganda media used by motor and allied interests disclosed the fact that quite large sums of money were being spent in order to create a definite public feeling in favour of road transit and the road motor-vehicle. The cumulative effect of this effort has been very great, and has no doubt affected adversely our business during the year. As an offset to the efforts of motor interests, and in order to attract and retain as far as possible our legitimate business, a comprehensive scheme of advertising covering the whole of the Press of New Zealand has been in operation.

“One factor forcing the Railways Publicity Branch to special measures is the natural advantage which, in an advertising sense, belongs to a new and ornamental vehicle that can parade daily and hourly where the people most do congregate. A motor bus in the streets of a city is in itself an advertisement for motor service. But you cannot show a railway train in the streets and public grounds of the city. You can show a tramcar in some of them—but not all. A motor vehicle can go almost anywhere as a living advertisement of a benzine age that still possesses the charm of novelty.

Contrast this with a railway service which does all the country's heaviest transport (both in passengers and goods), but, which, being “confined to its own three thousand miles of track, is liable to be overlooked unless its claims on public patronage are kept prominently before the people by judicious advertising.”

The report shows that both the general and the particular advantages of railway travel have been kept before the public as much as funds will allow, by advertising in newspapers and in other channels. One sees the railways of other countries advertised on New Zealand railway stations. That is not entirely an altruistic gesture. The other countries undertake to do the same thing for New Zealand railways. Other countries include Belgium, England, India, South Africa, Rhodesia, Australia. “While the money available did not permit any large advertising campaign to be undertaken, the advantages of rail transport have been kept steadily before the public.”

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“One of the cheapest forms of publicity available to the Department of Railways” is the New Zealand Railways Magazine.” Publishing economies have been made, “with the result that the outlay for this 68-page magazine of 20,000 circulation will work out at about 1 1/2d. per copy in the current year. This represents a very moderate expenditure for the departmental and publicity usefulness of this enterprise. Moreover, it is anticipated that the increased advertising activity, recently planned, will still further reduce the cost of the magazine and, whilst still maintaining the free circulation amongst the staff and business houses, eventually bring it close to the self-supporting stage.” Many copies go overseas. “As a medium of advice and explanative information and instruction between the management and the employees, and a very helpful link between the railways and the public, the magazine has thoroughly justified its existence.” It is in its sixth year of publication.