The Alaska daily empire., 1918-11-07
BRITISH WAR PUBLICITY
 '' PAYS c. F. Higham. Widely Known in America, Tells How Government Departments Advertises.

How the British Government has been helping instead of hampering newspaper advertising is explained l by the honorary publicity agent of various British departments in a letter to James Keeley, obtained In response to an inquiry made by Roger w Babson, director of the ! Depart ment of Labor. The letter l follows:
 Dear Mir. Kelley: In reply to the query from the Chief of the Di- vision of Information and Educa- tion, Mir. Roger w. Babson, in re- gard to the attitude of the British Government toward the British press, would like to say that the l British Government not only relies upon, but encourages in every way the newspapers of this country. They have placed no restrictions on the pres sin regard to the sort of ad- vertising they should carry or how much of it they should carry, and neither have they interfered in any way with the business side of the newspa pers other than to arrange for them to only use a proportion of the paper or pulp which they used in previous years, owing to the lack of supplies coming into the coun- try. Even there the object was to see that as far as possible all news papers maintained their prestige.
 The only other restriction know of that has been placed on the
 newspapers Is the press bureau
 which regulates the distribution of
 news. The British Government be- lieves that the press of this country
 is most essential for the proper car-
 rying on Of the war.
 Tn regard to advertising-all the
 advertisements that have appeared
 in the press on behalf of the Gov
 ernment departments of this coun-
 try are paid for at scale rates, or
 more as in the case of war bonds
 and war-savings certificates. Where
 in a great many of the newspapers
 there are two rates, one for trade
 and one for financial ,the Govern ment pays a rate half way between . these two rates. There has never
 been any question of the Govern ment asking for free advertising in this country, neither have they ex-
 pected it. One can not expect a ' newspaper to give up the bulk of it's editorial space in support of the war and then give up it's revenue col- umns at the same time.
 "This paid advertising has been
 extraordinarily successful. The cost of the treasury's advertising in the
 raising of war loans works out at roughly one-thirty-eighth of l per cent, which think you will agree Is extremely economical.
 "The advertising of nonessential ' commodities has decreased, not be- cause of any interference on the part of the Government, but owing to the fact that the newspapers use
 their good judgment there and only
 find room for the necessities and
 give second place to the nonessen- 2 Etials. All trade-marked goods are 2 advertised regularly as before. tho lthey can not use such large space aa N previously, 0bnt their advertising ID Ia more modified form Is there Just s the same. I think this answers MT e Babson's queries. If 1t does not a should be pelased to give you any l. further Information you may re- V quire.
 ,e 'In writing to MT. Babson you d might wish to have some authority U for tho statements which l make 70 You might tell him that the man n who gave you the information is tht "a honorary publicity agent to thu d treasury, the national war ssvingl 70 committee, the Admiralty, and othel $ Government departments" The letter is signed by c. F
 Higham. who is widely known IT
 this country and formerly held i'm nnrIlnt huRinaa anoRitiQnR here.