The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-09-01
4 New Use of Advertising,

Advertising on a great scale and I'M
der thoroughly organized system is a
new means of obtaining population
which has been adopted in Canada by
both the Dominion Government itself
and by enterprising towns and terrific
ries. The methods are explained in
Printers Ink, paper devoted especially
to advertising as an art.
Mr.. CLIFFORD SIFToN. the Canadian
Minister of the Interior, was the Original
tor of the system, and it has been used by
him primarily to attract settlers to the
vacant lands of the Northwest Territory
of Canada" fertile plains lying
north of the 49th parallel and between
Lake Superior and the Rocky Noun
tains' Until this territory was adver-
tised 30 extensively it's advantages for
settlement were unknown except to very
few of the Canadians themselves. 1t
was generally supposed to be barren
and inhospitable region. Accordingly,
Mr.. SIFToN proceeded to organize a
huge campaign" to advertise it to the
world, and more especially to American
farmers, as an area which possessed
the physical foundation for an agricult-
ural empire unapproached both in rich
ness and extent"
He established agencies in our West
ern States to give information in regard
to the region and exhibit its products;
advertised it in hundreds Of newspapers;
published reports of the prosperity of
settlers already obtained; organized
parties to visit the lands, including in
them especially professors in our agri-
cultural colleges. and employed clever
writer's to describe the rolling plains and
their extraordinary fertility Money,
says our authority, was spent judi
ciously, literally, by hundreds Of thou
sands OF dollars.
The consequence was that the total
immigration to Canada, which in 1895,
the year before Mr.. SIFToN took Office.
had been only 1895. increased to 1913 1874
last year. In 1895 only little over one
hundred immigrants cam from the
United States; last year "the American
influx" was more than 40 900.
Meanwhile, local and municipal au-
thorities in the Canadian Northwest Ter
ritory were stimulated to supplement
Mr.. SIFToN's huge campaign with
vigorous advertising Of their own, with
the result that villages speedily grew
into busy and prosperous towns.
This example of the value of special
and extensive advertising as means Of
drawing settlers and trade to region
or to particular communities has de-
veloped new system of advertising
municipal advertising as it is called
and our American towns are finding
their advantage in pursuing it.
The question Of the best means of
attracting settlers to the South is now
discussed earnestly in all those States.
Generally land even in the States of
greatest agricultural possibilities is
cheaper than in any other part Of the
Union. yet in the exceedingly rich State
of Georgia, for example, the population
increased in the last ten years at less
rate than even the average birth rate
of the Union. Might it not be profitable
for the South to give careful study to
the methods of advertising so success
fully employed in Canada?
Meantime, railroads have greatly en-
larged and improved their methods of
advertising. The quantity of railroad
advertising in the daily papers, the
Printers Ink tells us, has increased fully
renfold since 1895, and instead of the old
time conventional announcements, the
advertising has been made readable and
attractive.