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4. The concentration of the functions outlined in paragraphs 1 and 2 and the amalgamation of the various departmental units in the Information Section is the outcome of a policy of reducing the number of publicity units among Government Departments and of making the most economical use of the available resources. The process by which the combined organization has become established is described in the following paragraphs (5 to 15). 5. Originally the Information Section comprised the Reference Officer and his assistants. It was established at the beginning of 1935 for the purpose of serving the Prime Minister with information of economic, statistical, or political significance concerning New Zealand and other countries. It has continued to exercise this function, but it is also available to meet requests from other Ministers, from Departments, and individuals. The Section also has the duty of dealing with the numerous inquiries from persons and organizations overseas. who seek information of all kinds about New Zealand. 6. After the end of the war and the retirement of the Director of Publicity the continuing functions of his office became the responsibility of the Information Section. 7. The Director of Publicity had been responsible for the maintenance of certain news services. The principal of these was the despatch of news and pictures to the 2 NZEF Times. The successor to this journal was the weekly Jay force Times, which was produced at first by the Information Section and latterly by the Army Department. BOON, the daily Services newspaper, was provided with a comprehensive service of New Zealand news and pictures by the Information Section, but since the departure of the New Zealand personnel from Japan only a very much reduced service has been maintained. Of other news services maintained by the Director of Publicity, several survive. These include the daily transmissions of New Zealand news to Pacific islands and ships at sea, the preparation for the National Broadcasting Service of the 9 p.m. daily broadcast of New Zealand news, and the weekly news in Maori, the latter being prepared in conjunction with the Maori Affairs Department. In addition to the above news services, the Information Section prepares on behalf of the External Affairs Department, regular despatches of New Zealand news for Government posts overseas. The overseas posts disseminate these news items widely through the various channels that are open to them. In the United Kingdom, effective use is made of the material through the provincial press. 8. During the war the work of the National Film Unit came unde* the direction of the Director of Publicity, and the " New Zealand Weekly Review" was instituted as a medium of wartime publicity for the purpose of informing the people of New Zealand about the progress of the war effort. The National Film Unit remained administratively linked to the Tourist and Publicity Department until, with the retirement of the Director of Publicity, the whole organization became part of the Information Section. 9. There was, in fact, at Miramar a single unit for the production of films, still photographs, art display work. The Director of Publicity exercised control over all t]iese activities When the Miramar Studios came under the control of the Information Section the Miramar organization was divided into two separate parts —the National Film Unit and the National Publicity Studios. 10. The organization for national publicity was inaugurated in 1924 with the establishment of a Publicity Office as part of the Internal Affairs Department. The organization dealt with most phases of information, and it placed emphasis on films, photographs, and booklets.. New Zealand News and Views was a periodical published by the Publicity Office. In 1926 its work was co-ordinated with that of other Departments having publicity interests by the establishment of a Publicity Board, comprising representatives of the Department of Industries and Commerce, Tourist, Railways, and

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