The Star. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1889. The Advertisement.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6731, 20 December 1889, Page 2

The Star. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1889. The A dvertisement.

A good idea from the "indefatigable!" M. Joubert thinks that nnlesß the advertisement can be seen by more people than will come to the Colony, it will be useless to pretend that we shall have had the most value for it that is attainable. His proposal is that at the end of the Exhibition the advertisement Bhall be sent Home to London, after a little addition and furbishing, to be shown for a few months, peripatetically if necessary. It will bs a fine thing certainly to take the mountain to Mahomet. Logically there ia everything in favour of the project. If the advertisement pays well when located in our own country of the thousands, it must of necessity pay very muck better when sent round among the millions at the other end of the world. The project is better worthy of public money than any scheme of immigration of the many which have absorbed so much of the contents of the State coffers. We show everything we have—mineral, animal, vegetable ; we give a comprehensive idea of our civilisation, our public works, school Bystem, churches, roads, bridges, lighthouses, harbours ; we have every kind of picture of our scenery, every information about our climate. This ia the sort of compendium we all had in our mind's eye when the project of the Imperial Institute was first introduced to our delighted vision. Let ub go in for the thing alone, and on our own account. Singularity will breed appreciation. The experiment will be ' a grand success. What that means to a country which sends away annually food enough to feed five millions, and can grow at least three times as much more, we need not stop to calculate, any more than we need to calculate the contents of the ocean in gallons in order to give us some idea of its immensity. As we have said, his idea is superb. Nothing could be better conceived than his proposal for taking our big advertisement to London, and keeping it there. Nothing could be more in keeping with the public opinion that took fire at the Colindies, and rushed in consequence to support the Imperial Institute. There is, however, reason in all things. It is preposterous to expect us to believe that all [ the exhibitors have agreed to make | gifts of their goods to farther the I great advertising plan. What inducement has the Mosgiel Company, for instance, to make the Colony a present of £4000 worth, of woollens of various kinds? Ab well may we believe that the Westport Company have presented M. I Joubert with JB4OOO worth of coal to be displayed in the town of Newcastle-on-Tyne in the expectation of orders galore for the ■ products of their irernarkable and well- ! known mine. It will be as well to strike out all unreasonable ideas from a good programme. The products of the, earth we can get, of course, for the asking; but if we want manufactures to be represented we must be prepared to pay some thousands of pounds forthe necessary examples. Still, though we must not expect too nruch, -we can bend all our energies to the getting up of a good permanent advertisement with every known and possible method for giving all information about our country, j its resources, ita works, its scenery and its prospects. We don't doubt that M. Joubert would be a good man to superintend the show, but we must have Joubert with the brake on.