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Judging from the number of times the new members of Exec are moving adjournments, weariness is chronic with them.
Apart from Messrs Hercus, Davy, Brooker and Deacon, who start guiltily and move fresh motions at the drop of a brick, all show a kind of flaccid pliability, a dozey lack of alertness that makes for shapeless and haphazard debate and erratic, arbitrary decision.
It is bound to happen that on a committee of thirteen no one piece of business can interest all members at once. This does not excuse refusal to participate in and help guide the course of argument. Consider this:—
Mr Armour Mitchell had sent Exec a letter complaining about the non-renewal of his appointment as the Student Rep. on the City Public Relations Advisory Committee. He had formerly made it as clear as he could that our interests would best be served by his remaining our representative. David Davy, elected as our new representative, generously withdrew.
There was a scramble to nominate Mr Mitchell, who was elected unanimously. Now at the last meeting Exec had also decided that the Student Rep. should hold office for 18 months.
This was now revoked on Mr Davy's motion 8-4.
Then damn our eyes and ears, Mr Brooker moved that the Student Rep. should hold office for 18 months—not just that Mr Mitchell should, but that every representative should.
They then restored the 18-month period 10-2. This took, in all, ten minutes. Dozey, I say.
It was an oddly misshapen meeting. It took them two and a half hours to get through Correspondence, fifteen minutes to dispose of finance, and a sensational twenty minutes to fly through recommendations from two sub-committees and polish off General.
Admittedly, there was some important material in the letters. One concerned one of the many difficulties—one of the minor difficulties at that—caused by our new Palmerston North University College.
To whom will the new students belong? Are they to be controlled from Victoria by our Association, or from Massey?
To begin with, all subjects at the new university will be at Stage One level only. There will, therefore, be no experienced students there.
It was quickly pointed out that Palmerston is 100 miles away.
Further, it was felt Massey needed an infusion of strength. Mr Brooker felt that Massey had been ignored when the new college was founded.
That, unfortunately, is not the point. The new college will be controlled from here by the University Council, hence the Palmerston students by our Association, whether we like it or not, until they can take care of themselves.
As it is, Exec "agrees in principle" to control from Massey. Poor old Exec.
Wrong again.
We had a letter from the All Blacks Tour Committee, asking Exec to give publicity to the meeting in the Town Hall on August 12, and help draft a petition to Parliament.
This time, the revisionist, reactionary voices were more muted but Sharon Thompson led off briskly, saying:
"I don't see why we should be associated with another pressure group. After all we are quite capable of giving our own views in a little more intelligent way than they are."
Not helpful.
Don Brooker, whom we may consider speaks for the University Rugby Club (not yet committed), made quite a legitimate point when he said:
"No matter what anyone does, says or thinks, the matter will remain the decision of the R.N.Z.F.U., which is a law unto itself . . . we shouldn't think that 500,000 signatures to a petition will move the earth."
Fortunately, though, the idea did move Exec a little.
A Good Thing; organisations requiring grog on the Students' Association account must now present a chit signed by the president and the treasurer. . . Something may at last be done about the filthy towels in the conveniences.
Des Deacon became lyrical about endless-towelling-impregnated-with-an-antiseptic-coating-in-automatic-towel-dispenser-tested-by-health-authorities, wonderfully worded. Beautifully spoken too . . . at the same time Exec took 12 minutes to deal with the topic.
Students doing science and commerce will be well advised to peruse next year's calendar closely before enrolling, as a result of proposed changes in courses approved by the University Council last Monday.
Designed to broaden courses the major changes were in science where a new 9 unit degree was instituid and B.Sc. honours course (no thesis).
English students will be glad to hear that English Language is to be classified as a Stage II unit.
Those with a bent for New Zealand history will soon have a Stage I course.
Bio-chemistry will be taught to honours stage from next year.
Not satisfied with the U.N.Z.'s Senate decision Not to increase fees for students repeating subjects, the University of Auckland have come along with the suggestion that lecture fees be increased.
The matter was referred to the Victoria University Council at last week's meeting for its consideration. Council referred it to the professorial board, where, if it gets the same close scrutiny the last attempt to screen fees got, it should be disposed of in short order.
The previous suggestion, agreed the council and the board, was unfair to students under the present under-staffing, under-housed conditions. This must equally well apply to an increase in fees.
That feeling was borne out by remarks of the vice-chancellor, Dr. J. Williams, at the council meeting.
Asked student rep., John Marchant, if the Auckland letter gave any specific reasons for their request.
Said Dr. Williams: No.
Said Marchant: Oh, I thought they might.
Said Williams: One shouldn't expect that from Auckland.
Dr. Williams: attention was called to the presence of the Press. Dr. Williams smiled.
The cafeteria was recently inspected by an Auckland consultant on behalf of the Students' Association.
The consultant, Mr White has made a report to the cafeteria sub-committee which will no doubt surprise many students.
Salient will publish the full report when it comes to hand.
Amidst all this houhah about the 1960 South African rugby tour deserved votes of thanks to the New Zealand Rugby Football Union have gone forgotten.
Not for many years have the Maori people looked so united and determined as they have over this issue. Forgotten in the main issue are King movements and tribal differences. It is a simple matter of racial integrity. A united front breached by a miniscule few.
For this the N.Z.R.F.U. deserve thanks.
But more than this practically every right-thinking person in the country has reawakened to the fact that all could do so much more for Maori-Pakeha inter-relations and understanding.
For so long we have convinced ourselves the problem would solve itself if quietly left alone. It lay buried under a thin camouflage net raised, and for this we thank them, by the N.Z.R.F.U.
No matter what happens to the numerous protests against "The Union's" decision, and we earnestly pray they will succeed for humanity's sake, New Zealand will not be able to allow the main problem to drop obligingly into the background.
New Zealand's own problems of racial discrimination be they social or economic or just plain wrong-headedness will have to be faced. Thank you New Zealand Rugby Union for reminding us.
No doubt in good faith, the executive at its last meeting let down its future student supporters by a rush decision on the disposal of students of the new branch college at Palmerston North to Massey.
There seemed to be no realisation that the control of the college rests and will rest for some time in the university council in Wellington and any negotiations on behalf of Palmerston North students would have to be done right here.
Undoubtedly day to day contact with students at Massey will be much closer than with the home university, but executive have no right to so easily drop the mantle, of responsibility for organising a branch of the students' association for first year students, who by statute will be students of Victoria University of Wellington with all the doubtful rights that entails.
Far better would be a decision for a representative of executive (or more than one) to be on hand during enrolment to help students organise their own sub-association with ex-officio membership of the central executive.
Let the local executive have a free hand to combine for sport and cultural activities with Massey by all means, but problems arising between students and administration should be the problem of the parent body.
Some arrangement could be easily made about special fees nor it would not be a bad idea to levy a building fund fee for a Palmerston North Union Building right from the start. This at least would show a bit more foresight than our forebears had.
It is to be hoped that executive will reconsider its decision.
Do we have too many lectures in our universities? Are many of them rather humdrum and routine affairs?
It has been suggested that our modern lecture system is a residue of medieval times when there was a grave shortage of books and students had to rely to a great extent on the lecturer for the acquisition of knowledge. In these circumstances, of course, It was essential that all of the prescribed field should be covered by lectures.
But today, with books readily available, it would be desirable to modify the present arrangements, to have fewer lectures and to devote more time to seminars. Such subjects as philosophy, political science, history, psychology and education are no doubt more suitable than some others for the discussion method.
For instance, there really isn't much point in a man giving a general chronological survey of the French Revolution in his lectures when there are several competent general works on the Revolution.
Surely it would be better if students were to spend a couple of days mastering one of these general works. Then there could be a smaller number of lectures dealing with specially difficult or important topics.
Some progress in this matter has been made in at least one department here, where there are no lectures at all at Stage III and Honours levels; instead, students themselves read short papers (10 to 20 minutes) which are followed by discussion. Stage II students, at any rate, should be mature enough to have fewer lectures and more seminars.
Besides giving more responsibility to students, such a move would enable our overworked staff to devote more time to research. At present, some lecturers publish very little, and although nobody would want to see publication emphasised to the same extent as in the United States there could well be a little more activity in this direction in New Zealand.
There must be many persons who have started to read a book on, say, international affairs, but whose initial enthusiasm has soon disappeared when they have become bogged down and confused by a mass of abreviations, especially initials and composite words.
If we open our daily papers we see such conglomerations as BUP, ARP, GATT, PM, TAB, PAP, NEC, NAC and PAYE. Then there are the ALP, DLP, ICI, TUC, AASCM, M-O, RSA, ANZUS and UNO. If we read a student paper we meet such creatures as COSEC, GMPR, NUASU, NUSAS, UGMA, to say nothing of AGM, SCM, CSG, and WUS.
This results in lack of clarity and irritation when it concerns organisations—often the abbreviations are not even explained at the beginning of the account—and "depersonalisation" when it is applied to human beings.
No doubt it originated in a desire to save space (and time) but the actual space saved cannot really amount to very much—perhaps two pages in the average book and a quarter or a third of a column in the average newspaper.
One result is that many persons do not know what certain well-known abbreviations mean. They know their denotation but not their connotation. It is doubtful whether six out of 10 Wellingtonians could say what the letters D.I.C., A.D. T & G and a.m. stand for.
It may be fanciful but I also seem to detect a note of arrogance and perhaps even of snobbery in the way certain organisations try to impose their initials on people's minds.
Thus British Petroleum nearly always call themselves BP ("everyone knows us") and the makers of a certain cigarette have recently reduced the name of their product to initials and even tell prospective buyers how to pronounce them ("say dee-ar"), as if they were morons!
Some abbreviations have doubtless come to stay, but we should make an effort to reduce their number and not to increase them.
New Zealand's self-styled Hereward the Wake, Mr Holyoake, is awake at last. After being criticised by the Constitutional Society for the implications of his pronouncement that the aim of the National Party was "to restore a greater degree of personal liberty than New Zealand has known in the last 25 years," Mr Holyoake nevertheless repeated this promise.
But recently he said that "the next National Government will establish greater opportunity for greater freedom than has been given the people since
In view of the university council's praise of the Drama Club's recent effort (reported elsewhere in this issue), it might be appropriate to raise the question of a Drama School for Victoria.
Why not? There is surely as much scope in New Zealand for properly trained actors, producers et al as there is for artists and both Canterbury and Auckland have schools of fine arts.
Drama schools are considered to be legitimate university courses overseas and there are more than enough students throughout the country to fill a course.
Before the other universities start making their claims, Vic. has one certain advantage. In the near future it will have one of the best—If not the best—little theatres in the country. A drama school could put this to full use.
Its organisation need not be too difficult, not for that matter its financing. Some collaboration could be arranged initially between the New Zealand Players and the English department. It has already been suggested in some quarters that the Players need one director on the artistic side and another for administration.
An artistic appointment could be considered from an applicant who was also able to lecture and teach.
Eventually the school could pass from the logical covering of the English department to its own administration.
Not only would it attract students from New Zealand but might well bring them from Australia which, as far as we know, has no university drama school.
It could raise the standard of New Zealand drama, it could encourage playwriting, it could provide a special course that council would like to capture, it could provide drama teachers for the schools properly trained in drama and so much more.
It is not for us to work out the full details, only suggest that this is a matter well worth investigating.
The University Council took what seemed to be an unprecedented step at its meeting last week in passing a motion of congratulations to the Drama Club for its recent "Oedipus Rex" and "Jack Winter's Dream" productions.
The council had received a letter from the principal of the Training College, Mr W. J. Scott, describing the effort as comparable with the best overseas.
In a recent broadcast Mr Scott described the production as "a milestone in New Zealand drama."
Letters were also received from Professor Somerset and Professor Ian Gordon.
The vice-chancellor, Dr J. Williams, told the council that the play had so impressed the Department of Internal Affairs that they had offered to pay part of the cost to take the play to Auckland. Unfortunately the offer came too late and the visit was found impractical.
The council also decided to send a letter of thanks to the producer, Mr Richard Campion.
The club's work augurs well for the new theatre in the Student Union Building.
The Free Ambulance was quickly on the scent, but Mr——was dead on arrival at Wellington Hospital.—Dominion.
Conference ends National Party.—Dominion headline.
Visitors to Wellington are invited to look through our frocks, blouses, coats, knitwear.—Advt. Evening Post.
Three Maoris attack tax-driver and make off in car.—Dominion.
Bereavement Notice: Mr and Mrs——wish to extend their grateful thanks to all for messages, gifts and flowers on their diamond wedding anniversary.—Dominion.
Lost between New Commercial and Glenmore Street, one rear end.—Dominion.
Britain's leading sprinter, Peter Radford, broke his own England record for 100yds with 9m. 5s. in the Wadilove Trophy meeting at Birmingham.—Dominion.
Police officers were in the ambulance which took 30-year-old Podola to St. Stephens Hospital and remained at his side.—Dominion.
The jolts were sufficient to rattle windows which are not uncommon in Wanganui's sandy areas.—Dominion.
If there is a single answer to this enigma, it remains a mystery.—Dominion.
The Chief of Air Staff, Rear-Admiral J. M. Villiers.—Dominion.
Contributions from students are welcome for the You Said it column. Items from newspapers, speeches, lectures, books, etc., are welcome. Please state source. Leave contributions in the Exec. Room addressed to Salient.
"Theirs not to reason why, theirs not to make reply" might be the Army way, but not the way of the army of Christ, the Rev. R. Thornley (Methodist) told the annual combined meeting of the Catholic Student Guild and the Student Christian Movement at Victoria recently.
His talk, "Authority for the Christian," indicated authority as the right to win or secure obedience.
"The Christian authority is God—Christ taught as one who had authority, not as the scribes. As Livingstone said, 'Christ is the greatest master I have known, and the greatest friend I can know.'
"In this modern day great questions are being raised about authority," Mr Thornley said.
"The answer is the authority of Christ. If we rob Christ of His uniqueness, we will be led away from the lordship of Christ, forgetting that He is not only the Son of God but God the Son.
"Christian authority is therefore ultimately God as revealed in Christ."
Mr Thornley's second argument was that authority could be mediated through several channels. The Scriptures could not be accepted as final since their key was Jesus Christ.
"The Church is a secondary authority, a divine organisation but also a human fellowship. For
"I believe it is impossible to get a right understanding of authority. The authority of Christ is not authoritarian or coercive and is not imposed or external."
It allowed and respected human freedom, for God did not override reason but guided reasoning capacity.
"We can never come to the point of absolute certainty. Christianity brings deep assurance but never final proof, as this would mean the end of life by faith."
Perhaps one sees this play with too many pre-conceived ideas about its interpretation. The words are already singing in the ear before the curtain opens; the universality of the story meets with particulars in one's own experience of the adolescent love situation.
Whether it is one or all of these—the story of Romeo and Juliet is vivid with associations for most people.
"Blood and guts" are expected, verse projected with feeling, each scene capturing a vital mood, contrast of tenderness and hatred. The Montagues and Capulets really do hate each other, and if this is not made clear, the story of young love is doomed to end in a vacuum as well as a vault.
My main arguments are with the production. Crowds hasten against unpainted 4ft. by 2fts. The cast move on and off in line. Garish lighting effects substitute for colour in the spoken verse—not that we heard very much spoken verse. A set looked more like a wired rose-garden than a battleground for conflicting passions.
The leads had my sympathy. They were not given much chance. Barry Hill was effective as Romeo, he looked the part. His gestures, when not overdone, were effective. His voice got the mood across, though without much variety.
Juliet, Diana Priestley, spoke beautifully and managed to catch moments of true poetry. For me they were the highlights of the whole evening.
Full marks to the nurse, for a competent and sustained performance, and to Mercutio for the projection of true comic feeling, though not at the audience, please! I got the feeling that he was dying with a twinkle in his eye.
Tybalt was villainous enough, but his performance was ruined by a lengthy "knees shake" in his death scene. Most of the death scene were over-wrought with effect, which was no substitute for passion.
As for most of the other characters, including even an apothecary, I still have not sorted them out, and I cannot blame myself entirely.
The overall impression was of confusion and often embarrassment—Romeo appearing legs first down the balcony. Touches like that do not help, and often leave the actor fighting to keep in part.
The production lacked unity, fire and forceful interpretation.
It kept loyally to the text, perhaps at the risk of offence, but not to the feeling of the original. A producer has to take risks and feel strongly about his play if he is going to bring off a production as big as "Romeo and Juliet."
The costumes were very good.
"If the good Lord lined up all the little souls of unborn novelists and said to them 'Where would you like to be born?'. . . New Zealand would get no votes at all." This was said by Ian Cross, New Zealand novelist and O.U. Burns Fellow 1959, at a recent well-attended meeting of the O.U. Literary Society.
"Despite all the optimism generated by a coincidence of publications last year, the stiuation is still rather gloomy. Such factors as the fellowship that I'm holding at present make it that much less gloomy I suppose, but consider this:
"Taking the latest edition of McCormick's Letters And Art In New Zealand as our guide—that is, accepting his judgment of whether a novelist is worth considering or not—we find that of the post-war novelists until
"Of the
"Of the pre-war novelists still living mentioned by McCormick, we find that Lee and Finlayson have stopped producing, leaving us Frank Sargeson, the single exception to prove the melancholy rule—that novelists worthy of the name haven't yet been able to survive in New Zealand.
"Compare the novelists with the poets, still taking McCormick as our guide, and we find that the
"It would seem that the New Zealand novelist is not only a rare bird—he must either fly from our shores or die. It seems that the short story writer finds the going almost as difficult. Lately I've had a look at some of the short stories of 10 to 15 years ago; one sees obvious talent, but unfortunately it doesn't seem to have developed since. However, the survival rate of the New Zealand short story writer within New Zealand is much higher. He doesn't go into exile either; he only fades away.
"But think of it: 23 poets have come into being and survived from
"The main reason for the difficulties of the New Zealand novelist is, of course, not that New Zealand is such a small country, but that it is a country of a single class; almost of a single type of people. This means that it is extraordinarily difficult, almost impossible, for a novelist to get outside his subject if he wants to set his novel in New Zealand.
"In England or America one has only to get outside one's class or region to achieve a sanitary distance from it—to see one's setting, one's characters, in perspective. Having achieved his distance and perspective, the novelist finds his task possible. The English provincial and the American regional writer can not only retreat from their subject—they can write in the terms of another class, another audience, within their own country. This other class or audience has values and judgments within which they can work, certain that their audience will be interested and willing to share their recognitions. . .
"But in the past at least the New Zealand novelist has found it impossible to get outside his class, his subject, within his own country because the vantage point of another class or reality simply does not exist.
"Now if fleeing overseas were the solution, the aspiring New Zealand novelist would have no problem whatever. It's easy enough to get away. But the painful fact is that the New Zealand novelist has not yet found his nationality sustained by an interested overseas audience. To return to our English provincials and American regionalists—when they retreated to another class, another way of thought, another region—they could write of what they left behind for an informed audience. . .
"Now the New Zealander going to England receives some nourishment as a novelist, it seems to me, but certainly not as a New Zealander. James Courage has virtually 'passed over' and become an English novelist. Dan Davin ... is going to set one more novel in New Zealand and then make the transition to English novels. David Ballantyne has been in London about five years now and has published nothing. A New Zealander, Bill Pearson . . . wrote from London in Landfall,
"My own rather brief observations in London lead me to a similar conclusion. There's no informed and interested class in London to stimulate and sustain a New Zealand novelist. He won't find an audience delighted with his recognitions concerning Auckland, Wellington, Dunedin; they don't know enough to share his recognition; they don't care enough. So he's much more likely to have his nationality smothered. It's a tragedy, surely, that Courage and Davin, two of the strongest talents we've produced since
"Of course the New Zealander who settles overseas for any length of time will always have a New Zealand childhood or adolescence to recall—as Mansfield did—but such recollections are going to be of little value in the future. So it looks as though the aspiring New Zealand novelist must remain in his single class, in his single region. There seems to be no way out for him.
"This situation, both for the novelist and the short story writer, explains the narrowness of our range. It is, of course, the explanation for our constant use of the first person—without this foothold outside his region from which to make his observations, without an interested audience outside his class within whose terms of reference and range of recognitions he can work, he must naturally fall back on the first person. Consciously or unconsciously he is bowing down to the limitations imposed on him by his situation. For when the writer uses the first person he doesn't have to account for anything that is outside the range of comprehension of his central character.
"Touching on this point, Robert Chapman, writing in Landfall of
"Coming along six years later as an apprentice practitioner, I can only agree. The task of ominiscience seems an almost impossible burden for a New Zealander—to be a historian and a sociologist as well as a novelist, without that foothold outside your class to make the necessary observations, seems too much to expect."
Another handicap for the New Zealand novelist in New Zealand "concerns this same homogeneous society in which we live. The fact is, that it generates very little energy. I'm speaking as a journalist now and believe me, it's amazing how little happens. If the grass stopped growing we'd be really in trouble. But writers haven't got built-in generators—they need to be revitalised time and time again by the community about them. And if the community's vitality is low, the writer suffers most. The effect on the community of the 40-hour week, the long weekend and 13 or 14 public holidays a year is sheer disaster for him. So not only is the poor devil trapped in his single class, his single region—it's a fairly lifeless class and region, too."
New Zealand writers, said Mr Cross, had pretty well reached the limits of their exploitation of children.
"However, what has the adult world given the New Zealand writer? One depression, one war and many, many games of rugby football. If there hasn't been anything else to inspire the writer, the weakness is not necessarily in his talent."
Mr Cross praised various of the earlier New Zealand novelists (though he thought we have not yet produced a novelist of the first class), and strongly criticised the poor reception they had received from New Zealand critics. He called Guthrie Wilson "the only New Zealand novelist since
But Wilson, along with several others, was treated poorly by the New Zealand reviewers. Mr Cross quoted lengthy extracts from reviews of novels by Wilson, John A. Lee and John Guthrie, and gave his own assessments of the three writers, arguing that they had been very harshly and unsympathetically received by the New Zealand reviewers.
Lee, he said, was "the New Zealand writer, taking stock of all the obstacles that surround him, accepting what he is and where he is." And of Guthrie's Paradise Bay he said that it was one of the best New Zealand novels so far, "an attempt by a New Zealand writer to give an impression of a whole New Zealand community. And it is our first true comedy of merit Nostalgic, humorous, understanding, loving—Guthrie handled his subject with a quite beautiful control.
"I can't see how we can move from infancy to childhood without passing through an adolescence, gawky and awkward though it may be. It's clear, isn't it, that New Zealand has reached the end of a prolonged infancy—that it is time for the blocks and the toys to be locked away for ever—yet we are still at this standstill, clinging to
On the harsh criticism of past good New Zealand novels, he said: "There's no doubt that the attack on Wilson and Guthrie and the dismissal of Lee [in Landfall reviews] were fair reflections of current local literary attitudes. . .
"The point is . . . that any outsider and newcomer who surveys the local literary scene must note that not only has no novelist of the post-war era survived in New Zealand—not only have there been considerable difficulties for a novelist wanting a vantage point and audience outside his own class or region—but that some of the few novelists, inside and outside, before him couldn't rely on a great deal of understanding and even faced a rather sneering hostility. The warmth that greeted the
"Now there is one thing I'm certainly not suggesting—that New Zealand novels should be accorded some kind of local standard of critical reception—although it is rather strange that in the past our novelists have been the only artists who haven't been accorded that standard."
Our painters, musicians and actors, said Mr Cross, had been given a fair measure of this local standard of criticism—they had received favourable criticism in New Zealand which they would not have received elsewhere.
"The pattern for them is: considerable support and warmth for their efforts within New Zealand, a flat rejection or much harsher judgment overseas. With our novelists, this pattern is almost Invariably reversed. . .
"In spite of my rather flippant opening remarks . . . about the difficulties confronting the New Zealand novelist, I believe that the aspiring New Zealand writer would be foolish to even wish to exchange situations or nationality with any other hopeful writer on earth. . . We can be of no value to ourselves or the world except as New Zealanders; the only thing of real value we have to offer the world is our unique vision of life from this point of the globe. So much of that vision is yet unrealised and to capture even part of it is the great incentive—the great challenge—for the New Zealand writer."
An excellent opportunity for students to say "You're wrong" to the New Zealand Rugby Football Union on their decision to ban Maoris from selection for the proposed All Black team to tour South Africa in 1960 will be given in Wellington on Wednesday, August 12.
The Citizens' All Black Tour Association, of which the Victoria University of Wellington Students' Association is a member, on that date are staging a mass demonstration of the citizenry on this crucial issue.
Though valuable, effective statements—also student demonstrations—have been issued from vast representative groups of New Zealanders, it is felt that a mass demonstration is now essential to bring the N.Z.R.F.U. face to face with what we New Zealanders really think of their unfortunate decision.
Though at this date (July 28) complete details of the demonstration are not yet finalised, the following speakers and prominent supporters of the "ban the tour" campaign have signified their intention of taking a part on the Town Hall stage.
They are: Mr George Nepia, famous All Black full-back of the Mr Louis Paewai, a noted All Black of the same team and era; Dr. Paewai, prominent Maori All Black of the late Dr. M. Winiata, eminent Maori scholar and teacher; Lt.-Col. Peta Awatere, distinguished leader of the 28th Maori Battalion in World War II; the Rev. J. S. Somerville, M.C., representing the eight churches signatory to a combined statement recently published in the issue.
In addition to this a student speaker is being invited to take part, likewise a trade union spokesman.
A procession is to be organised, if a permit is obtained, and all legal means thought suitable and likely to be effective will be used at the demonstration. In regard to this your views and Ideas should be passed on to Mr John Hercus, Victoria representative on the C.A.B.T.A. executive.
As students have traditionally been to the fore when such vital moral issues are at stake, it is confidently expected that their support will be given this gigantic venture.
The meeting plans to be representative of the southern portion of the North Island, from New Plymouth across to Gisborne, and various groups are organising for the attendance of as widespread a group as possible. The organising, with their own organisers, is in the hands of Protestant Churches, Catholic Churches, Student Bodies, Trade Unions, Maori Tribal Groups, and General Citizens.
The meeting, to be effective, will not just need to be packed; citizens clamouring for admittance, and if needs be in overflow groups is what is required.
If you, in effect, say "No Maoris, No Tour," the occasion is planned for your participation and support.
The following statement has been received from the Afrikaanse Studentebond (A.S.B.), Union of South Africa:—
"It has come to our notice through a statement by our Minister of Education that a students' association called N.U.S.A.S. (National Union of South African Students), has written letters to foreign universities with the aim of inducing them to send protests to our Government on University Apartheid.
"We, the A.S.B., on behalf of our more than 16,000 members, who represent the vast majority of South African students, view this deed with gravest concern, and cannot consider it otherwise than an act of high treason towards South Africa. The United Nations have proclaimed that no State should interfere with the internal affairs of another.
"This, however, is constantly being done by associations and institutions outside our boundaries. We consider it to be a most contemptible act of betrayal of our country when a South African students' association urges the foreigner to interfere.
"We, the A.S.B., stand foursquare behind our Government. We know that its aims are humanitarian. Our enemies an liberalists and leftists.
"We are attempting to find the best biological solution and we the young generation, do not hesitate to say that we shall give our blood in order to realise what we consider the most Christian solution to all racial difficulties. We know the enemy, who is out to mongrelise the world, and we shall fight him wherever he shows his face.
"We have millions of friends all over the globe, but unfortunately they are not in control of the great propaganda machine Nevertheless, we are convinced, in our young hearts, that the white race will survive and will refuse to be destroyed by those who believe that race mixing is an act of the highest moral value.
"We would be pleased if all academic institutions of this world would take note of this protest, and that we South Africans are being submitted to a defamatory campaign such as the world has never seen before."
Salient offers its congratulations to Dr. S. G. Culliford on his appointment as principal of our new offspring in Palmerston North. Our loss is their definite gain.
The Vice-Chairman of the New Zealand Committee for the Australia-New Zealand Congress for International Co-operation and Disarmament (Dean Chandler) has issued the following statement.
A Congress for International Co-operation and Disarmament is to be held in Melbourne from
The aims of the Congress are:
We therefore ask that you consider supporting the Melbourne Congress and respectfully suggest that you may consider:
News of university activities throughout the world is given in this new Salient feature.
The general principles on which university reform in Cuba could be based have been circulated by the General University Reform Commission appointed by the Federacion Estudiantil. Among the most important of these principles are the following: revocation of all statutes that might prevent reform, university depuration, revision of texts and programmes, appropriate functioning of the university press, sanctions on students who left the universities in Cuba to study in other countries or in official institutions, establishment of day and night courses in all faculties, elaboration of F.E.U's internal regulations, construction of student residences and restaurants and planning of the new university campus. (C.O.S.E.C. Information Bulletin, Leiden).
A recent Anglo-Soviet agreement has resulted in the official exchange of students between the two countries in the year
In a survey of library borrowing habits during The survey points out that "no obvious correlation exists between borrowing and examination results." (Darts, Sheffield),
Sweeping changes are announced in University Lodging Laws at Cambridge. They will bring rules for undergraduates living in digs more into line with those living in college. Doors are to be left unlocked until 11 p.m. instead of 10. Women visitors may now stay an hour longer—until 11 o'clock. Keys may now be issued by landladies for those coming in after 11, although men will still have to be in by midnight unless they have special permission. These regulations, which have been fully approved are to come into effect at the beginning of next term. (Varsity, Cambridge).
The Democratic Union of Students of Spain (U.D.E.) recently informed C.O.S.E.C. of a series of arrests of Spanish students and professors which have taken place in Madrid, Valencia, and Barcelona. During the middle of April, seven students of the University of Barcelona were detained by the Spanish Police. On May 19 a detachment of the Spanish police arrested Thomas Llorens, Cesar Cimadevilla and Augustin Garcia del Leon, all students of the University of Madrid and Professor Mariano Rubio Jimenez. The series of arrests of students was extended to Valencia where five students have been imprisoned including one girl. These students have been accused of distributing pamphlets calling for a 24-hour strike of all Spanish students. (C.O.S.E.C., Leiden).
The university paper "Vestnik Vysshej Shkoly" reports on the training programme for future engineers that every aspiring engineer in the Soviet Union must put in 500 hours of practical work along with his studies during the first three years, thus acquiring the qualification of a specialised worker. The theoretical courses during this period will be made up of 50 per cent. classroom time and 50 per cent. laboratory work. The second stage of study consists solely of practical work performed for one year in a production enterprise. The third stage also covers about one year and will be used for acquiring specialisation. The study period will end with final diploma examinations. (Vestnik Vysshej Shkoly, Moscow).
220 protests from Europe, Britain, America, Asia, Latin America, Australia, Africa and South Africa against the South African government's intention to enforce University apartheid have been received by the National Union of South African Students, N.U.S.A.S. Professors and student bodies have sent protests from Austria, France, Sweden, Finland, Poland, Bulgaria, Denmark, Holland, Germany and Italy. In Latin America protests came from Uruguay, Costa Rica, Mexico and Guatemala and in Asia support came from India, Vietnam and China. Among others were 53 protests from Britain. (N.U.S.A.S. Newsletter, Cape Town).
The trials of 15 North African students, scheduled to take place in Paris on May 23, had been cancelled for approximately one month due to the assassination of the students' defence attorney, Amokrane Ould Aoudia.
He was found dead the morning of the trials with a wound in his chest inflicted by a small revolver. The 15 students were among some 30 Algerian and Tunisian students who were arrested in
Fourteen of the 15 awaiting trial were Algerians, including one girl. Two charges had been levied against the group of students: (1) they had attempted to re-establish a "dissolved organisation" and (2) they had undermined the external security of the French nation.
The dissolved organisation referred to in the charge is UGEMA, which was "legally dissolved" by a French government decree of
The circular also told of the problems Algerian students had long faced in obtaining legal counsel after being arrested In France. The most famous case in point is that of Mohammed Khemisti, who was forced to wait two months to obtain a lawyer after being arrested in
Student volunteers from more than 50 nations have converged upon Sakiet-sidi-Youssef, a little Tunisian village lying on the Algerian border, to reconstruct the school house which French bombers destroyed 18 months ago.
Convened to the Sakiet Work Camp jointly by the Union Generale des Etudiants Tunisiens (UGET) and the Co-ordinating Secretariat of National Unions of Students (COSEC) on behalf of the North African Student Confederation and the International Student Conference (ISC), the more than 125 student participants have forsaken their universities for the summer in order to co-operate with Tunisian students in the erection of a concrete symbol of international student solidarity.
The cornerstone which they have laid announces the inauguration of a humanitarian undertaking hitherto unequalled in international student activity. Their efforts, so that after a long absence Tunisian children may return to school in autumn, is meant as an expression of the humanity of students everywhere.
The constant rumble of artillery fire from Algeria, which lies barely 5500 metres from the foundations of the new school, and the glare of searchlights which extinguish the stars by night are constant reminders of the war which caused in
The day after the bombing, UGET determined that it would participate in the campaign of the Tunisian nation to rebuild the destroyed village of Sakiet.
True to its commitment, UGET jointly with COSEC is today building independently but in co-operation with the broader Tunisian Government reconstruction project already under way in Sakiet. Having decided to leave the ruined village intact as a national monument, the Government has replanned the new Sakiet nearby as a model of independent Tunisia. In addition to the student volunteers working on the school are hundreds of Tunisian workers rebuilding the rest of the village. The school itself, however, while complementing the modern Tunisian building, will by special architecture and equipment reveal the international character which inspired its construction.
It was at the Eighth International Student Conference in Lima, Peru, that 66 National Unions of Students formally launched the Sakiet Work Camp. Representatives of these National Unions voted unanimously to mandate COSEC to collaborate with the North African Student Confederation for the reconstruction and equipping of the Sakiet school-house.
A former judge of the Plunket Medal contest once made the observation that it did not sound well for your men to set out to discredit and criticise men who had achieved some degree of fame during their lifetime.
This piece of advice could well have been borne in mind by the contestants in this year's contest held in the Concert Chamber on Friday, July 17, for of the eight speeches delivered four were violently critical of men or their institutions and there was also Mr Trehey.
It is implicit in oratory, almost a definition of the term, that the audience should be elevated and enlightened by what they hear—perhaps to the point of awakening some fire within them. If a speaker can do that, he is an orator.
It is therefore a tribute to Mr Waddle's voice, his manner and particularly to his experience, that he could win the contest when for 12 minutes he told the audience that they were, as members of humanity, murderers, rapists, thieves and brutes. His theme was 'The Brutality of Man" and the whole picture of a callous, stupid race of men was skilfully portrayed—particularly the peaceful opening description of a mother playing with her child in Hiroshima, three minutes before the atom bomb fell, while Daddy was at the factory making guns to kill New Zealanders.
Beyond this description the assumption is that there was, underneath it all, a plea for a reform of our nasty habits, but this was not the central theme of his speech. Mr Waddle's was the best presented, most skilfully prepared, most experienced address, and it deserved to win. It was not, however, oratory.
Brutes as we are, Mr Hendrikse, who was placed second, thought that we could do well to sit back and allow our imaginations to show us the way to future greatness "To Dream" as he put it. A much more subdued Mr Hendrikse from last year's Mahatma Ghandi, he told the audience how great events had occurred, and the very course of history had been altered because of visionaries like Ghandi, Joan of Arc, the St. Lawrence Seaway builders.
This was cool, thoughtful and impressive, but the audience, at least this member of it, had the feeling that he was being told something which he could take or leave as he liked.
This failure, or perhaps near-miss, to get audience involvment, meant that Mr Hendrikse, again, did not win the contest but was possibly closer than the judges said he was.
Miss Boyle in her speech restricted her attack to the South African racial policy and this placed her third equal. There can be no doubt that Miss Boyle has studied this matter closely, has read a lot, and has very firmly set views on the subject.
This is of course an essential prerequisite to the delivery of an oration, but it is not the only one, and Miss Boyle's speech, admirable as its message was, probably lost out on its presentation.
The subject "Aspects of the South African Racial situation" is of course, very topical, and perhaps all the more dangerous for that, in that the audience probably have decided views of their own on it, but it contains the elements of oratory.
With all this in her favour, plus the fine voice which Miss Boyle last year showed us she possesses, it was all the greater pity that she chose to present her speech in the way she did. The dramatic moments sounded almost as if Miss Boyle were a little girl, who wanted the African blacks to have equality and was annoyed because they didn't.
An almost petulant attitude to the subject probably cost Miss Boyle a higher placing. After all, to shout, is not necessarily to be emphatic.
Mr Hamlin, who was also third equal, chose as his subject "Orwell—his plea" and this was a closely reasoned, intelligent plea to recognise man as something more than a maker of machines. From the opening quotation from John Stewart Mill "If all mankind minus one were of one opinion ..." to the conclusion, Mr Hamlin stressed his message and did so very effectively.
There was here the germ of a true oration. Perhaps it was the didactic, matter of fact way in which it was presented which put Mr Hamlin only third. The art of persuasion is not often found in a classroom. There can be no doubt though that Mr Hamlin in his subject and in the preparation came closer to true oratory than most of the contestants.
Mr O'Brien "Charles Stewart Parnell" had the unenviable task of opening the proceedings, and he did it well, from the grim picture of poverty ridden 19th century Ireland to the description of Parnell walking through the House of Commons deserted by his petty minded supporters.
Mr O'Brien gave an effective and in places moving picture of Parnell—the man and the leader, his love for Kitty O'Shea, and his destruction by "friends" who "put themselves in the place of the Almighty, and passed judgment on him."
Relieved of the necessity to give minute biographical details Mr O'Brien perhaps best showed how the change in the rules of the contest can be a move for the better.
Mr Hogg "Forces of Unreason" gave an informative and entertaining speech on the pernicious work of the advertising man "you don't buy oranges any more—you buy "Vitality"; the sapping of man's powers of decision by the unprincipled play on the subconscious was the theme, and it was well put over.
After all it had been taken from a good book. This was not, of course, oratory, but it was a message skilfully prepared, entertainingly put over, and providing food for thought. If one gets all this—who wants an oration?
Mr Trehey—"A new New Zealand" had a very good speech. His three points were the sapping of initiative by welfare legislation, self-seeking politicians, and unnecessary attachment to Britain. On these a plea for a foundation of a new New Zealand was based. It was a great pity the audience did not hear about it.
To Mr Trehey must go the prize for 11 minutes of entertaining improvisation. It wasn't oratory, it was barely a speech, but it was extremely amusing.
One cannot expect perfect memorisation of every speech, and it was obvious after the first minute that Mr Trehey had forgotten all that he had prepared. It would be unfair to judge him on any of what followed, but from one who is a philistine at heart, thank you Mr Trehey.
To Mr Larsen went the position of last speaker for the evening, and in his competent way he concluded proceedings very ably, with a plea for "Individualism." "We are second hand," he said, "Our ideas, our books and entertainment, our conversation are all something that has been given to us, not something we have made for ourselves."
This was calm, with a touch of light sarcasm, and certainly it was soundly based. Again the plea for something better was preceded by a destructive criticism of the audience, as New Zealanders, but Mr Larsen has not yet got Mr Waddle's powers to override this sort of thing.
And it was probably this, which cost Mr Larsen some mention in the places, for the theme of the necessity for self decision was a very sound one.
The judges, Mrs M. McKenzie, Dr. G. A. Currie and Mr J. C. White went into the judging of the contest very thoroughly, and the Debating Society should be grateful for the interest which they took in the first contest under the amended rules.
The Prime Minister, presenting the medal said he had enjoyed the contest and took the opportunity of making his peace with Mr Trehey.
The chairman was last year's winner, Mr J. M. Whitta.
Few painters can make a full-time Job of their art in this country, but Peter McIntyre, this year's winner of the Kelliher Art Award has, and very successfully too.
Nevertheless, even he branches out in other directions—articles in the local newspapers, broadcasting and now he is writing an autobiography. This of course is not only sound financially, but good for public relations.
All along the line, he has been astute. His portraits were commissioned at about 50 guineas a time, then before there were too many of them, he was painting desert 'scapes and war pictures, then came landscapes.
No other New Zealander had the sense to go down to the Antarctic. But Peter McIntyre had two summers there, painted many good pictures, has not finished yet, and plans a tour through Australia and the United States.
And all that indicates that more artists could do the same if they kept themselves before the public eye.
His painting which won the £500 award, was of a Dunedin corner on a Sunday afternoon, and showed citizens strolling around the streets. Maybe that was feeling and accurate representation, but it was also common sense.
Practically all the other landscapes in the Kelliher exhibitions have been devoid of any animal or human life.
Nobody, including Mr McIntyre, was to know that the judge would be Mr W. Dargie, a successful Australian portrait painter, but Mr McIntyre realised what was lacking, and took advantage.
New Zealand artists may not follow his style or like his painting, may lack his charm, but as a group they could wake up to the reasons for his popularity. The country could support more like him.
It seems that few people know very much about women's hockey, so it will probably come as a surprise to hear that an Australian universities women's hockey team is now touring the country—but perhaps this lamentable ignorance of the game is prevalent only at Victoria.
Nevertheless, the Australian girls are here—they arrived in Auckland on July 29 and are now playing their way down the country—they will go to each of the four universities and to Palmerston North Teachers' College in addition to playing several provincial teams.
At the moment Vic is fired with enthusiasm. Perhaps it is the memory of last year's Winter Tournament that has made us determined to play brilliant hockey this year. After all, we have said for a couple of years now that we will come right "sometime." It looks as though the time has come and we are equally determined to go on to Dunedin and play the Australian girls again—and this time we hope to be playing as N.Z.U.
So far the Australian team is an unknown quantity—there is only one member who has been here before, but that is the manageress, Miss Primrose Buchanan, who toured with the Australians in
The Australian team is:—
The Vic team this year is a pretty likely looking group. The forwards: Jill Arnold, Mary Mills, Cynthia Baird, Janet Duncan and Rosemary Raleigh—are all fast types, ready to make the most of every opportunity—and have all situations under control.
The team is relying on a certain amount of experience from Barbara Saunders, who toured Australia with the New Zealand team in
If all else fails, there is Deidre Meadows in goal, who seems to appear formidable to opposing forwards.
The match against the Australian Universities team will be played on Saturday, August 8, at Karori Park at 3 p.m. That it will be a good game you can be certain, but let's have plenty of student support as well.
The Vic. cross-country team may not be the strongest team to travel to tournament but the team has spirit, and a will to try, though winning be nigh impossible.
The team captain, Mike Honey-field, will lead, or follow three promising runners in John Thornley, Ian MacAusland and Roger Clark, plus a slow-pack man (your Sports Editor) who happened to be going to Dunedin for Press Council.
The absence of the club's more experienced runners is lamentable, and points to the difficulties encountered by the part-time student, whose boss prefers work before play.
Vic's. Harriers at tournament may not do much more than show the flag down South But he who goes in winning . . .
Douglas Edwards, this year's captain, is the only "name player" available for the Poleward Journey. Doug, a third year Commerce type, has so far represented N.Z.U. and Wellington at the game and much responsibility must rest on him.
Victoria's representatives are: D. A. Edwards (capt.), A. J. Reid (manager), J. V. Eade, B. P. Dawkins, C. J. Hagan, E. M. McLay, D. Roberts, B. Spooner and P. White. Last year's captain and N.Z. representative, Ross Martyn, unfortunately is unavailable.
Vital statistics: Average age 19 years, av. height 5ft. 10½in., determination and keenness 100 per cent., efficiency rating (we won last year too, didn't we?).
The team wishes to express its thanks to coach Jim Lewis for sacrificing so much of his time throughout the year to such a cause; and to add a word of warning to Canty, The Great Auk, and O.U. readers.Cave Victoriam.
Sports and cultural organisers are asked to supply Salient with material on their teams and participants within the next week.
Copy should be clear and on one side of the paper only!
Rally round, without your cooperation nobody will know about you—and somebody may be interested.
At the Invitation of the Tui Glen Golf Club, a most successful club day was staged by the University Club at that course recently. A couple of hours in the morning were devoted to coaching of a number of members, both male and female, keen to learn the fundamentals of the game. It should be pointed out here that the Club does not cater only for more "experienced" golfers, but is trying to encourage interest in the game amongst novices.
Those desirous of coaching were split up into small groups of three or four, and some of the better golfers in the Club, all low handicap men playing in the Wellington District Golf Association Arthur Duncan Cup Golf series, acted as coaches. Various reports from the "pupils' were highly complimentary, and the success was such that it is proposed to hold club days at a later date along similar lines. In the afternoon, the learners played a few holes with the better players, putting into practice what they had learned in the morning. All those interested in such outings are asked to watch carefully the golf notice board.
Applications for the editorship of Salient for 1960 close in the executive office on August 31.
Applicants should have some literary ability and at least some familiarity with journalism, apart from a sound knowledge of university affairs. They must also be prepared to work on at least the last issue of Salient for 1959 (early third term).
For the last five years, Victoria's Fencing team has netted a possible number of Tournament points for its University. This year there are several new members in the team and the new blood mixed with the not yet completely congealed blood of Alan Wilson, the team's Captain, should ensure that the Otago Fencing Shield remains where it has become used to belonging.
In the women's team Victoria is stronger than for several years. Lee Pomeroy is a quick lefthander who was Wellington Provincial Senior Champion in
Newcomers to the men's side are Chris Home, who has come down from the bush especially to go to Otago—he avers that heads will topple; Richard Peterson has hypothecated his foil and mask to finance his Southern expedition and hopes to be able to redeem on the sale of the skins he brings back. New to the side too is Ross Martin, who has been fencing for several years and has had several successful tournaments so far this year. The refined dignity of his fencing belles his malevolent nature and his opponents should avoid contact with his Borgia ring. Charlie Kozera too is going to his first tournament and his strong wrist guided by the cunning age alone can give has placed him as No. 2 in the men's side. The team captain, Alan Wilson, has been to the Winter Tournament in
The University Council at its meeting last week passed a vote of thanks to Dr. Robert Stout for a gift of £300.
The money is to be used for equipment and facilities for the new student building.
A few more gifts like that one and our problems should be solved.
There have been several inquiries from overseas students concerning pen friends. Letters from these students may be seen at the executive office. Any students requiring pen friends can obtain letters from the office secretary.
Printed by A. B. D. Clark. Ltd., 10a Luxford Street, Wellington, for the Victoria University of Wellington Student's Association, Wellington.