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The recent University Council action in excluding 109 unsatisfactory students has, in a dramatic fashion, highlighted the Hon. Mr. Tennent's ineptitude in drafting and presenting educational legislation.
In
The Departmental reasons for this action were stated to be: (1) To make academic failure, no matter what the cause, more expensive so that students would not tail. (2) To speed up the degree-getting process; and (3) The Minister argued that the fees had not been increased since
Perhaps the time has come to render a preliminary assessment of the worth of this legislative manoeuvre. In my opinion. It has so far failed in all three aspects noted above.
By increasing the financial penalty accruing to academic failure, and thus attempting to discourage such failure, the legislation has achieved little or nothing. The University Council's action has clearly demonstrated that the fees increase did not in fact, cut out the "academic deadwood." It could not, since a few of our well-heeled social attenders could, with parental assistance, afford to stay on. Secondly, the fee Increase took no account of the reasons for academic failure; in my view cases exist of justifiable failure—ie. those students who in spite of conscientious work throughout the year, "flunk" in Finals—these arc the "bad exam, sitters."' Undoubtedly other reasons for failure also exist.
Clearly the Job of excluding unsatisfactory students is one for the University authorities, and the Governmental attempt to abrogate that responsibility has proved, as predicted, a miserable failure.
A second reason advanced by the Hon. Minister Tennent was that the fees increase would speed up the degree-taking process. I suggest that, in fairness, a period of time, say, four to five years, is required in order to assess whether this process has in fact been speeded up. However, preliminary examination over the past two years of the "pass fail" results at Victoria University seems to indicate that there has been no change (to two decimal places) in the number of units passed by either full-time or part-time students. Preliminary, it can be said that this "reason" for increasing University fees is not proving the success it was hoped it would be.
Finally, the Hon. Tennent argued that since fees had not been increased since
A survey at present being carried out Into the social origins of students seems to indicate that a disproportionate number come from the upper socioeconomic groups. From this, at present, tentative information, one could argue that the Increased University fees, allied to (be ever-increasing costs of accommodation and other necessary student expenses, Is discouraging some potentially successful students whose parents cannot afford to send them "up the hill." This runs counter to the accepted principle In NZ of equality of educational opportunity . . . which seems to me to be somewhat mythical, anyway.
The three propositions outlined above were those advanced by Tennent to Justify the increase in University fees, in my view they have, as was predicted, failed miserably This indicates two matters of importance: that before increasing the University fees, the then Government should have requested University and student opinion instead of bringing down the legislation when students were dispersed throughout the country. It also Indicates that University fees should be reduced to their former level, or a Justifiable set of reasons advanced for leaving them as they are.
The New Zealand University Students' Association Presidents' Meeting on Saturday. May 24, decided to invite all New Zealand Training College Students' Associations to send delegates to Winter Council at Auckland.
John Taylor, representing Otago's President, Murray Brennan, voiced objections. He claimed that the move could commit NZUSA to bringing tertiary educational bodies into NZUSA's structure.
Mr. M. J. Moriarty, NZUSA President, disagreed.
Peter Blizard (Victoria) said that the invitation, if accepted, would enable the two organisations to see where there were common interests.
Moriarty commented that all national unions, save for Australia and New Zealand, represented all sectors of tertiary education and not just the universities.
The Training Colleges, he continued, wanted to be in a national organisation. They had tried to construct one in the past but it had fallen through.
At least Don Quixote tilted at windmills. Cappicade 1964 lunges at empty space and, naturally enough, falls flat on its face.
The Editor, possibly after seeing his dismal lineup of contributions in print, penned an editorial as negative as everything else in his book. The first sentence reads: "Having produced this edifice, I am still somewhat uncertain as to the specific task of a Capping Magazine other than to raise money and to publicise a list of those who have obtained academic majority." Should the editor be congratulated for the only really perceptive comment in this year's magazine?
To be completely just the editor is sure of one thing. He finds the "growing tendency for sensationalism and smut" both unnecessary and harmful. Fair enough. Unfortunately he makes no effort to suggest what should be printed instead. The result is a wishy-washy, drab collection of cribbed jokes and corny sketches. It seems as if the editor was positive about one thing only—that there were 64 pages to be filled somehow or other.
I Don't Think anyone, students or general public, expects Cappicade to be really funny. Proven humorous writers, and there are very few in this country. Just don't write for Capping Magazines. But Cappicade does provide an opportunity for satire, hard-hitting social comment and serious discussions of Important subjects. It doesn't have to be funny, but it must be positively thought-provoking and pointed. And I hasten to assure the editor that pointed is not a synonym for sensational.
There was nothing thoughtprovoking or pointed about Cappicade '64. Divorce and the Indecent Publications Tribunal were the biggest game Cappicade's marksmen went after, and both escaped with nothing worse than powder burns.
One of the divorce pieces, a report of the Toad power v. Toad-power divorce case, was undoubtedly the best written contribution. But It was never more than pleasant, fireside reading.
The first two pages of an illustrated article classifying New Zealand trampers were well done, the remaining four should have been left undone.
Parlour games were for some reason popular this year. Best of a poor bunch was "The Game of Polute-o." It took several clever and many clumsy swipes at the NZ political scene, a rich source of material which was largely ignored this year.
The Thomson takeover bid for the Dominion should have provided wonderful material, but the four-page "Organ" is probably the least funny contribution this year.
The art work throughout the magazine was primitive but adequate. The best cartooning, an ingeniously drawn automatic beer pourer and alarm and reviver system, was contributed by Sam.
Had the contents of Cappicade '64 been more absorbing, the more technical production and design aspects of the magazine might have escaped notice. As it was the badly designed, oddly coloured cover and unimaginative layout were particularly obvious.
While selling Cappicade in Wellington, several irate members of the public wanted me to explain why students had performed "Black Mass," a realistic murder, and other dubious activities. "Why should students get away with such stunts when other members of society would be heavily censured?"
The irresponsible students who behave in this manner are very much a minority group. Extremists occur in all walks of life, but student actions are widely publicised because they provide news, and are usually original. There was little coverage for the legitimate "Procesh" which attacked apartheid, the need for improved and more student accommodation, the Taj Mahal, the new "beehive" Parliament building, and other topics of general controversy. A very small paragraph noted that a "For Sale" notice had been hung on the Dominion Building, but the necessary pedestrian crossing painted at the dangerous Salamanca Road-Kelburn Parade junction was a deplorable outrage, considered worthy of Dominion frontpage headlines!
The majority of the general public seem to be influenced by scandals printed in Truth, and other such newspapers. Perhaps if they read the small paragraphs on the sixth page, they should near of the help New Zealand students give to overseas students, funds raised for conventions, money raised for charities, activities of the student Christian societies, and successes in the Varsities.
Considering that there are eighteen thousand students In New Zealand, "atrocities" are few. Generalisation, based on partial Ignorance is a common fault, but to misquote Sir Winston Churchill: "Never has so much, been blamed on so many, for so few!"
Sir,—The issues at stake in S. Vietnam are not so clear-cut as some (Mr. Holyoake included) would like us to believe.
Numerous observers there have remarked on the wide support given the anti-government forces by rural Vietnamese. Without this support it would be impossible for the Viet Cong to maintain its grip on the greater part of the South. Military aid is coming from the Communist North, but compared with the two thousand million dollars poured in by the USA over the last 10 years it-would be of the order of only a fraction of a cent for each dollar of American aid.
New York Herald Tribune (
The methods used by the S. Vietnam American sponsored army against the Viet Cong and those suspected of anti-government tendencies, caused Bertrand Russell to label this war an atrocity. The depths to which USA foreign policy is capable of descending could not be much lower than at present. Americans now feel able to condone barbarities and Inhumanities that rival the worst efforts of the Japanese in S.E. Asia. Napalm jelly gasoline is used against whole villages without warning; USA planes bomb villages suspected of harbouring Viet Cong guerillas: unwanted prisoners are massacred and those retained are tortured during interrogation. The war has been prosecuted in a way that has served only to alienate peasant loyalties.
Of course, our Press continues to suppress the truth. Repeated USA violations of the
It is with this sort of "informed" public in mind that Mr. Holyoake has suggested that NZ involve herself in the South Vietnam war.
In my opinion, the proposed inclusion of both a higher-priced dining-room and a private diningroom in the Student Union Building is not in the best interests of the student body. I believe that the facilities that will be most used by students are the ones that should be incorporated in the additions and alterations to the SUB.
The room formed by opening the doors between the present Common Rooms is already becoming inadequate for social functions. The expedient of selling tickets for a dance in advance has been tried. However, in five years the student roll will have doubled. Either at least one very large room must be provided in the extensions, or the numbers attending social functions will have to be severely limited, or once more Victoria will have to hold functions such as capping and orientation balls off the campus.
The plans for the extensions to the SUB have not yet been released for examination by students. Therefore, although I have seen two different sets of plans, I cannot reveal the size of the largest room suitable for social functions. But it is evident from the figures published in Salient last year concerning the size of the proposed facilities to be incorporated in the Union that it will be almost impossible to incorporate a large Common Room suitable for social functions in the SUB unless either the proposed coffee room for sandwich lunchers (area 2500 sq ft) or the combination of private and higher-priced dining-rooms (combined area 1600 sq it) are deleted from the plans.
The present small coffee shop is exceedingly well patronised. As the student roll grows, a large coffee shop will be needed.
It is very difficult to determine how many students would use the higher-priced dining-room, especially as no one has said how high the prices will be. Certainly a great many students buy Mr. Levenbach's higher-priced options in the present cafeteria. However, this gives no guide as to whether students will be prepared to pay extra for tablecloths and semi waiter service in a new swept-up establishment.
It could be argued that in the future, with the rapid growth of the student roll, that further eating facilities will be required and that the higher-priced and private dining-rooms will help to meet this growth In demand. In the plans for the future development of the university it is made quite clear that further eating facilities will be made available on the campus at a future date. I think that higher-priced and private dining-rooms are not the right sort of additions we should make to eating facilities.
If the higher-priced and private dining-rooms and coffee shop are all installed in the SUB then the equivalent of two floors of the building will be under the control of Mr. Levenbach. In general, I cannot see why the students should agree to such a large proportion of the union being eating facilities, especially as no good reasons for the provision of the higher-priced and private diningrooms have ever been released to students.
Sir,—I have just had the opportunity of reading Salient for
You quote from a speech I made at NZ Youth Forum: "That sexual intercourse is permissible when there is a certain degree of permanence and security ... In some cases therefore it would seem premarital sexual intercourse Is permissible. This he did not deny."
Your statement is the exact opposite from what I said, and no way reflects either my opinion or my speech.
I emphasised throughout the glory of the sexual relationship between man and woman, but that it would be fulfilled only In marriage because only there would the necessary permanent features apply.
Later in the Conference, the phrase "chastity before marriage and faithfulness after it" was used in a finding This is the phrase I used in my talk and which is the basis of my argument.
You obviously won't agree with my line In the matter, but it is what I said. Goodness only knows by what breakdown in communication drill I can be credited with denying what I have always stood for!
This paper has no stated editorial policy on either Youth Forum or pre-marital sexual intercourse. We have printed what was available to us.
Graduate students John Strevens, Michael Moriarty and Bill Falconer are to represent New Zealand at the 11th International Students Conference being: held In Christchurch from 22nd June to 3rd July.
Two of the delegates are Victoria students and the senior delegate, John Strevens, is from Auckland.
Lost: Olive green raincoat from women's cloakroom, downstairs Student Union Building. Apparently taken instead of similar coat.
Please contact Theodora Hill, Phone 28-080, or Lost Property.
Fifty Thousand New Zealand students might imagine that life at a university in the South of France would be full of song and laughter, of lightheartedness and libertine living, of free love and frantic parties—a life representing all that is held typical of the gay French spirit of "laissez-faire" and "joie de vivre"—well, they would be wrong, very wrong.
For Life at the University of Aix-en-Provence is not like that at all. Generally speaking, students are more serious than in New Zealand—certainly they are less prone to organise processions, do crazy stunts or dig up cricket pitches. An Extravaganza would be out of the question. For the 12,000 students there is no student union of any description, no Common Rooms or gymnasium, and not even a student newspaper. An estimated five per cent of all students participate in any sport, and only a handful of clubs exist.
But this Is not to say students here spend all their time working. Numerous sidewalk cafes provide popular and populated meeting places for the socially inclined, and aspiring Peter Blizards or Bill Dwyers attach themselves to some of the very active political groups. Debating seems to be completely foreign to the French temperament, nor is drama very active, but cinema groups, choirs, ski-ing, religious and international clubs are well supported. Particularly successful in Aix is a Bi-Lingual Club (English-French) which is very popular among French students studying English and the English-speaking foreign students. Recently the French members of the club carried off a very impressive performance of Richard the III, all in English.
The Students themselves are an interesting lot. Most of them dress well by New Zealand standards, ties for the boys and heels for the girls being the order of the day. The unwashed, longhaired student easily found on New Zealand campuses Is not to be seen In France. Many of the boys wear suits every day and girls are always fashionably dressed and well-groomed. The French girl is on the whole, more attractive and more feminine than her Kiwi counterpart. Not because she is better endowed physically but rather because she knows what to do with it. The boys are correspondingly more sexually orientated and comments on them from foreign girls here vary from "They make you much more aware of the fact that you're a woman," to "There's only one question with them—to bed or not to bed."
A marked difference in the relations between students Is that jokes and expressions which, if translated, would be "men only' in New Zealand are exchanged freely and frequently between the sexes. And, of course, all students follow the great French tradition and embrace naturally, unselfconsciously and at great length in streets, cafes, restaurants, and even the university library.
Perhaps because of the later age at which French students enter university, or maybe for some other sociological reason, there are a large number of student marriages. It is very common to see young couples bringing their babies into the student restaurant through the special entrance for married students, and handing the little one morsels of suitable food as they eat themselves.
Students have a higher social status than in New Zealand. The Government provides excellent restaurants for all universities; students can eat full course meals for a subsidised price of 2/- (students who fail all their subjects in one year have to pay 4/-) and the restaurants are open for the mid-day and evening meal seven days a week. You can even take bread away from the restaurants for the next morning's breakfast.
Modern Halls of Residence are built for each university where students can lodge in comfortable conditions for £4/10/- a month. But there are never enough rooms for all the students and more than half have to find private board or live at home. Bearers of student cards also benefit from cut rates on most public transport and a special concession at many cinemas.
And student politics? These are taken very seriously and are conducted on a nation-wide scale with varying degrees of intensity at each university. The Issues involved, and the history of student politics, are too involved to give anything like a comprehensive account, but here is a brief description of the set-up as given me by a disinterested French student.
On one side there is UNEF (Union National des Etudiants Francais) which is left-wing, nation-wide and supposedly sponsored by the Communist Party. It does a lot of agitating on behalf of students, and purports to represent the students of France and to have no political affiliations. Each university has a branch of this union, stronger in some parts than in others, and each branch behaves as if it represented all the students of the university. A recent survey showed that only six per cent of students at one university were, in fact, members of UNEF but the union carried on regardless. During the Algerian war UNEF took the side of the Algerians, claiming to be speaking with the voice of all the students in France.
As a measure against UNEF, another union was created, supposedly non-political, also to represent students. This union, FEN (Federation des Etudiants Nationalists). is more to the right and exists alongside UNEF in many universities. In Aix this co-existence is not peaceful and the two unions often come to physical blows over the distribution of propaganda, etc.
To administer relations between students and lecturers the students of each faculty elect a Faculty Board which concerns itself only with negotiations with the staff concerning exams, courses, etc.. and is not political at all.
In our own simple way and sometimes stumbling French. Bill Manson and I have often complained to French students about the bomb tests in the Pacific. The reply has usually been one of surprise that France was going to do such a thing. When we insist that we have the only unsullied spot of territory in the world and that there's an agreement to stop nuclear testing anyway. We are told that there's not much French students can do about it and we had better go and see De Gaulle. In France the students are too worried about their own internal political struggles to pay much attention to overseas problems, but Bill and I shall keep on trying.
Chastity Is No More A Virtue Than Malnutrition—Alex Comfort
Students' Accommodation problems are receiving attention from the Accommodation subcommittee which met recently to gauge the problem.
Dr. Culliford, who had been invited to the meeting, chaired by Margaret Kemp, said that the University Council is actively negotiating to obtain sites for two religious bodies to build hostels.
The intention Is to accommodate an equal number of male and female students in each, with a total of 500 places. He added that there was a third body In the process of delicate negotiations for a site. It is also intended that Weir House be extended.
An optimistic assumption of 750 more places in hostels becoming available in the next five years will still mean that we can only Just satisfy that proportion of the demand we are satisfying now. Three thousand places will be needed then.
Discussing finance for halls. Dr. Culliford explained the need for numerous small donations, since there are not many more William Weirs who might leave £70,000 for buildings.
A land agent, Mr Gordon said landlords were in the habit of placing a cover charge of about 30-a week on student flats to cover the cost of damage. He maintained that it would be a treat advantage if students were to set up a body which could serve as a guarantor of students for landlords. Landlords would then know that there was a body which would pay for any damage, and consequently would probably remove their cover charge. Alister Taylor was asked to consider ways of implementing such a scheme.
Peter McKinley was asked to prepare a report on finance.
After a discussion on the suitability of the Students' Association buying up old houses and using them as flats, John McMurray was asked to study the possibilities.
During discussion. Mr. Gordon pointed out that the price of flats was considerably higher in the city area—near the University—than in the outlying suburbs. Five pounds was what he considered a highpriced flat, and it was possible, in his opinion, under circumstances which students could bring about, for them to be cheaper.
Dr. Culliford Indicated that eventually buses might be run from the railway station directly to the University to cater for people living along the line. Firstly, though, it was necessary to know how many students could use such a service.
The University Council last term authorised the expenditure of £50 on a series of six lunch hour lectures this term.
The theme of the lectures is to be The emergence of a national viewpoint: a discussion of the origin and nature of New Zealand's national attitude.
Ella Lee, a young Negro soprano, who has risen to world fame at a meteoric pace in the last three or four years, will be doing a concert tour of New Zealand during June.
In Wellington she will sing as soloist with the NZBC Symphony Orchestra on Tuesday, June 9, and give a recital at the Town Hall on Saturday, June 20
In
The first appointment took her to the Israel National Opera Company where she sang Aida. Then she joined the Berlin Komische Opera and sang as Tosca. Aida and Tosca have proved her most outstandingly successful roles, but she has established a reputation in other operatic lead roles, including that of Titania in Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream
Although her voice and her histrionic powers make Ella Lee an Ideal operatic soprano, she is by no means limited to operatic work. At the Hollywood Bowl she sang Bess in the Gershwin classic and she has a repertoire of spirituals and other American songs.
Ella Lee's flawless German pronunciation has, no doubt, contributed to her success as a singer of lieder. Some of her most enthusiastic reviews have come from German critics, and the highlight of her career to date was in the Berlin premiere of Britten's War Requiem, when she sang with Fischer-Dieskau and the Berlin Philharmonic.
Of her Edinburgh Festival recital last year, the Scotsman said: "Ella Lee possesses a remarkable voice, a richly individual and subtle warmth of tone extends over her whole vocal range."
In my dreams I wonder whether it would be possibleTo build an immense mansion with thousands of rooms,Solid as a hill, defying wind and rain,Where all who needed could take welcome shelter."
From the brush of China's greatest poet Tu Fu (712-770AD), these lines illustrate the two most important characteristics of his poetry; compassion and dignity.
TU FU lived in a troubled period during the Tang dynasty. For most of his life he wandered China in ceaseless flight from the internal unrest and wars which were plaguing the country at the time. He witnessed and experienced himself the sufferings of the masses, and it is this suffering and his ironic portraits of the affluent court life which are the major themes of his work.
Unlike his brilliant and better known contemporary Li Po. Tu Fu did not begin writing until middle age and always composed with difficulty. He did not share LI Po's Byronic personality nor his easy detachment from subject matter. Tu Fu was uncompromisingly gripped by the huge spectacle of suffering which the time presented. He writes often of his own sufferings, particularly the weariness of his wanderings, and separation from his family. But he speaks of himself without pity:
Tu Fu's poetry is realistic. Occasionally his poetry has the close horror of Owen's:
Cooking fires are few and far between,Sometimes I meet wounded soldier'sSpilling out their blood, sobbing, moaning."
And again:
Behind the red-painted doors, the aroma of wine and meat;On the wild road outside, the corpses of people frozen to death."
This last quotation continues:
A hairbreadth divides wealth' and utter poverty.This strange contrast fills me with unappeasible anguish."
These lines explain why Tu Fu is so popular in the Chinese Peoples Republic. His feeling for the common people and the criticism implicit in his descriptions of court life and officials make him definitely an "in" poet in modern China.
Salient's Fine Arts Editor continues his series on Oriental art.
But far from being a social commentator. Tu Fu will always remain for the Chinese an old and humble figure, roaming sadly through the war-torn countryside, seeking ceaselessly a peaceful place to settle in. Of one of his rare visits to his family Tu Fu wrote:
My wife is astonished that I still exist.No longer bewildered she wipes away her tears.I was drifting sand in the wind of the world's anger.It is just fate that has brought me home alive."
It would be as well to make some remarks about Chinese poetry in general before leaving the topic. The main difficulties the reader will face are the strangeness of the Chinese character and the inadequacy of translations.
There are many fine translations of Chinese poetry available, but not even the most gifted translator can convey certain aspects of Chinese verse. For example, the Chinese poet makes cunning use of the "tones" or voice infiextions which Chinese words carry. Since this is a linguistic characteristic practically unique to Chinese it cannot be rendered in English.
Another facet of Chinese verse is its compactness. It often gives the impression of being like a sophisticated telegram. The English language is simply not able to express the Chinese meaning as economically, and any attempt to do so inevitably sounds ludicrous and loses much of the original meaning.
Because Chinese words are all monosyllabic as opposed to multisyllabic English words, it is very difficult to render in English the rhythm and rhyme of Chinese verse. As a rule translators avoid attempting to translate most technical devices of Chinese verse, preferring to concentrate on the meaning and spirit.
The most important characteristic of Chinese poetry is its intimate expression of personal feeling There are no epics, no grand tales of adventures well fought, no towering edifices of emotion, few descriptions of nature where the human element is absent. Chinese poetry is simple. But let the reader beware of this simplicity: it is not what it seems.
I do not mean that an apparent simplicity masks complexity. It is rather that the Western reader is likely to overlook the profound significance of a statement which to him seems trite. These simple statements can be far more difficult to wholly grasp than the most obscure lines of Eliot. An understanding of Chinese poetry does not come immediately, but grows and clarifies itself with further growth.
The next issue of Salient will introduce the great Hindu epic, the "Ramayana," by Valmiki.
Students are reminded that, in accordance with the 1964 University Calendar, applications for selection for Rhodes Scholarships must be received by the Registrar of this University not later than July 15, 1964.
The terms upon which the scholarship is awarded—to two New Zealanders annually—are easily accessible. In the past it is probable that several wellqualified students have not put their names forward, either from undue humility or through misunderstanding of the nature of the scholarship and the qualifications looked for by selection committees.
Anyone in doubt is invited to make an appointment to discuss what the scholarship involves and the opportunities that it offers.
Apply for appointment to Mr. D. L. Mathieson, Senior Lecturer, Law Faculty.
The Forum was a poll of majority opinion that really provided nothing new.
The youth group (18-30) forms approximately 53 per cent of the voting population. The Forum had a crosssection of NZ middle-class, respectable, and mainly nonprofessional youth (5 per cent of NZers are of the professional class). We had little time to prepare, and had only the minimum of background information. Most speakers were didactic in their approach, and little attempt was made to present divergent opinion before the Forum; because time was limited? Or because it could have been dangerous? So did we inexpertly generalise, and provide uninformed answers. Did they want these? I don't think so.
Motions were turned down on the account that the knowledge was too detailed and not representative of NZ youth. The political parties should capitalise on this knowledge of the vague wants and the vague ideals of the majority of NZers.
The aim of the conference was extremely limited: discovering the ideas of the majority of NZ youth. In this it succeeded, but how valid are these ideas, and to what use are they going to be put? If they are to guide future legislation, surely a conference of students and graduates, comprising a crosssection of informed opinion, would be of more value. The reasons for Haas's expulsion amplified this, as did the attitudes of the other student rapporteurs. If they coloured their groups' findings, then it was because of their eagerness, and their noticeably higher involvement with the problems In hand than a good half of the delegates attending.
We were prone to double standards. We accuse our parents of these, yet at this conference had them ourselves. The chief rapporteur estimated from the individual group findings that approximately 70 per cent of the delegates had had pre-marital sex ("we were engaged, of course"). However, in the final plenary session it was moved that we did not condone It. Of course, since the masculinity of the NZ male isn't in doubt, there was no mention of the crime of homosexuality.
Concerning the use of our leisure time: yet, we wanted more Youth Organisations and more grants to run them. The importance of sport, and participation in groups (of more than two). Healthy activities were emphasised at the Forum, not only by the speakers, but also by the presence of Murray Halberg and John Davies. Where were our famous writers, poets, artists?
In general, the individual was forgotten. Peter Bland's indignant cry, "what about the individual?" during discussions on the Importance of group activities momentarily evoked a sympathetic response from the Forum—momentarily, though. The importance of being a member of the group and our dependence on the munificence of the State breast (aren't we the State that caters for its citizens from the womb to the tomb?) has weaned us from our Individuality.
Thus inevitably the findings of the conference reiterated the same beliefs and fallacies that the massmedia and public opinion generally have decreed NZ youth should hold.
By Nigel Roberts who went to Youth Forum. A second year industrial design student at Tech, he gave up school teaching because he couldn't stand staff rooms, cups of tea or infant mistresses.
If we are to understand the problems confronting New Zealand's administration of the Cook Islands, and the problems arising out of the United Nation's demand that these islands should have self-government, then we must acquaint ourselves with the story of how we acquired these islands .. . For the purpose of this article it is necessary to briefly sketch New Zealand's foreign policy over the last thirty years of the 19th Century.
What was this policy? New Zealand was to be the king pin in a federation of the peoples' of the South Seas. The islands would supply the raw materials, New Zealand would produce the finished articles. This plan for a Greater New Zealand was to include Polynesia and part of Melanesia.
First elaborated by Sir George Grey, it was vigorously pursued by Vogel, and then by Seddon. Vogel bombarded the British Government with demands for the annexation of Fiji, Samoa, indeed almost all the islands of the South Pacific. Seddon added New Caledonia and Hawaii, in fact almost all Pacific Territories that he could find on the map.
But it was not to be. New Zealand was herself only a colony and the Colonial Office would have none of it. In 1899 the British Government "betrayed" (Seddon's term) New Zealand when it renounced its right to Samoa In favour of Germany and America in order to secure benefits elsewhere for Britain. And in 1900 when it finally refused to cede Fiji, the plan for a greater New Zealand came to an end. We had to be content with the annexation of the Cook Islands, in the estimation of the Colonial Office, " a remote and worthless group" (1).
From then on, New Zealand thinking on world affairs as typified by Grey. Vogel and Seddon, with their solid knowledge of New Zealand's interests and feeling for our geographical position, was replaced by a "little" New Zealand policy, wherein we lost our national identity, transferred our loyalties to the North Atlantic, took pride in being dubbed "more English than the English." strove to marry our daughters off to naval officers, and made London the Mecca of our dreams.
In
Native owned and operated schooners traded throughout the Group, as well as to Tahiti and down to New Zealand. While some had European masters, others were manned from the captain down by Cook Islanders. They were all owned by tribal groups and operated by the respective chiefs who also organised much of the production and most of the marketing.
Within a few years of the annexation, all significant powers were assumed by the Resident (In 1898 Colonel W. E. Gudgeon replaced Moss). The native judges were dismissed and their powers delegated to the Resident's agents.
Island Councils were subordinated to their Presidency . . . native officials, the postmasters and police were dismissed. Within five years not one of the native schooners was still running and production and marketing on tribal lines had virtually ceased . . . The High School was closed down, and scholarships offered by the New Zealand Education Department were refused by the Resident who was strongly opposed to the education of the natives beyond an elementary level. (2).
Gudgeon was a veteran of the Maori Wars and Seddon decided that to impress the natives the first Resident after the annexation should be a "strong man." He was perhaps the most forceful personality that could be found.
In
Independence and self-government gave way to the crushing of chiefly authority and the imposition of control from Wellington was inauguarated through the Resident Commissioner, With slight modifications this administrative machinery set up under Gudgeon was to govern the Cook Islands for the next fifty-six years.
Gudgeon's dislike of the Islanders intensified over the years. He was of the opinion "that the native of the South Seas (unless he had some European blood) is a selfindulgent animal and after nine years I have neither respect for his character nor hope for his future. To educate him above the resources of the islands would be nothing short of criminal. He should learn to read the bible in Maori and sing hymns. If he wants to learn English he can go to a European family as a houseboy and learn enough for his needs."
Gudgeon feared that the educated native would end up a drunken loafer in New Zealand. (3). He was also strongly opposed to Cook Islanders having any contact with Papeete "the Cairo of the Pacific" although there was considerable trading between the Cooks and Tahiti at the time of annexation.
With the consolidation of New Zealand rule. Ordinances and Regulations fell thick and fast. Some of them were plainly ridiculous; "Every rider of a bicycle shall sound his or her bicycle bell continually when approaching any person. Any person wandering about after 9pm may be arrested. No native singing, dancing or drum playing shall take place after 9pm. "No public entertainment shall be held or given after 10.30pm without the consent of the Resident Commissioner. Any Maori in the island of Rarotonga is liable to be called up for work on the roads and bridges."
As recently as
"In his Judical capacity the Resident dispenses punishments for all but the most severe offences and in view of the fact that there is an average of one criminal charge for each adult male each year, there are few households indeed where some member is not brought before the Resident during his term of Office. (Over the past three years there has been an annual average of 3041 criminal charges per year. The bulk of the charges are for the consumption of home-made beer)."
Pacific Viewpoint continues: "'As an example of the many powers invested in the Residents, the people of many of the islands must request the Resident's permission if they wish to hold a dance, pictures or other evening entertainment, and the Resident, if he grants permission, will set the hour at which the function must cease. There appears to be little Justification for such comprehensive powers being vested in the Residents, almost all of whom are Europeans imported from New Zealand and none of whom have received any training for the posts they hold."
Officers of the Administration who were sympathetic towards the islanders and sided with them against the European trading firms were reprimanded or quickly returned to New Zealand. The classic example of this policy was the case of F. W. Platts who was Resident Commissioner in Rarotonga from 1916 to 1921. In his report to the New Zealand House of Representatives in 1919 he stated:
"During the past two years there have been repeated complaints by the natives of the operation of combines. A combination of four or five traders has for a long time past been strong enough every season to set the price the natives must accept for their fruit. The natives complain that the prices fixed by this organisation have been unreasonably low. The traders have also fixed the price of copra. Hitherto if the natives objected the traders have been able to reduce them to subjection by cutting off the supply of fruit cases and copra bags and they have always held a stronger card in the practical monopoly of steamer and schooner space. This feeling, of resentment against the traders has been strengthened since the return of the soldiers."
Four Rarotongan contingents served overseas in World War 1. In
In 1919 the island traders offered 2/6 a case for oranges, the Maori growers asked for 5/- and when this was refused decided to ship direct to Auckland. The traders cut off the supply of fruit cases. The Maoris appealed to the Resident Commissioner who found shipping space and cases. The orange crop brought an average of 10/a case on the Auckland market.
In
During the hearing of the case brought forward by the island trading firms, there was long and bitter wrangling and it was evident that the traders deeply resented the Resident Commissioner's efforts to help the Maoris. (5). There could be only one outcome to this dispute, the government of the day asked the Resident Commissioner to resign and there is little doubt that the traders used their connections in Auckland and their lobby In Wellington to achieve this purpose.
Haydn : Cello Concerto in D major.
Boccherini: Cello Concerto in B flat major. Janos Starker/ Philharmonla Orch./Glullnl.
Record Society RZ 6093.
Fine performances of two lovely concert!. My, the cello is an under-rated (solo) instrument: we have the work of Dvorak. Tchaikovsky, Saint-Saens, Schubert and with the two above compositions, that's about it. Starker phrases his passages decisively and meticulously, maintaining a crisp line in legato and staccato. Balance between soloist and orchestra—notice in the tuttis—Is perfect. Recording (first issued in
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Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor.
World Opera Series ZX509
This is the early (
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Sullivan: Trial by Jury. Soloists/Chorus/Pro Arte Orch./ Sargent.
Light Music Club LZ 7078 mono and stereo.
Undoubtedly, the best production yet of this delightful Gilbert and Sullivan operetta. Some marvellous singing from George Baker. Elsie Morison, Richard Lewis and Owen Brannigan whose combined expressiveness and diction are grand. Sir Malcolm Sargent has worked hard to get the level of rapport between rapport and soloists he has. In a phrase, the whole thing 'comes off magnficently. Highly recommended—recording-wise, too!
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Don Adams Meets the Roving Reporter.
Vogue LAEM6021.
Topical American humour from one Donald Adams who partsuccessfully furnishes takes-out on such persons and institutions as Hitler. Kennedy and the Kingston (Finkston) Trio. Sample: Tell me Mr. Hitler, what's your opinion of the Kaiser?—Well, it's not a bad car but it will never sell like the Volkswagen. Get the joke? Pretty profound, huh? One small item: Mr. Adams could well survive without the additive of a screaming hopelessly prompted audience. I can recommend this as a 'sell to all anti-Marxists. (AntiGroucho Marxists, stupid—get it?)
New Zealand was not anxious to do anything which would break the peace with Indonesia. It wanted to remain friendly and not take final steps that could lead to trouble, Sir Leslie Munro told a recent meeting of the VUW National Club, when speaking on New Zealand's role in the Pacific.
The greatest power In the Pacific today was the United States. It was true that the Soviet Union had a submarine fleet in the Pacific and dominated, or did dominate, North Korea. But, in his opinion, the Soviet had enough on its plate keeping to its agricultural programmes and dealing with the deep-seated dispute with China. He had known for some time of the differences between Khrushchev and Mao Tse Tung.
New Zealand's obligation to Malaysia was not as great as Australia's. Australia was obliged to act if Malaysia was the victim of either aggression or subversion whereas the New Zealand obligation concerned aggression only.
Sir Leslie described New Zealand's connections with Fiji, Samoa and the Cook Islands.
In Fiji. New Zealand was responsible for the Nandi jet airport and although it was training local citizens, it would probably take generations for them to master this complex task. A maritime base and flyine-boat squadron were maintained in Fiji and New Zealand was also responsible for the co-ordination of defence in the area which included Fiji.
New Zealand provided a military advisor and military training, helped with the police and education systems and supplied 15 per cent of all imported goods.
The Indians, he said, exceeded the Fijians but the Fijians owned 83 per cent of the land. When Indian-held leases had expired, they had not been renewed. Consequently, the Indians were reluctant to take up land in remote areas. The two races never intermarried and there was little understanding betwen them. The Indians had been brought in because the Fijians were not willing to work on the plantations. The fog of the indenture system still lay over Fiji.
On the matter of the British attitude to the future of Fiji, he said the British wanted to give independence to every area they 'lad once governed and he felt this applied to Fiji. Although the United Nations had urged independence at once, there was still the racial problem and the British were endeavouring to bring the two races to some agreement.
Samoans were the most politically minded of all Polynesians and because of this, it had been easy to give them early independence. New Zealand had gained a high reputation because it had given independence to Western Samoa as soon as possible and the example had ever been used by the Soviet against British operations in Africa.
New Zealand had guaranteed a loan of £1 million for port development in Samoa, and the responsibility towards Samoa should continue and would continue, Sir Leslie had no doubt.
It was proposed to give the Cook Islands complete internal self-government but Sir Leslie said he associated himself with Mr. Hanan in thinking that it was vet a little premature. New Zealand would provide facilities for defence and foreign affairs, but they could rescind that if they ever wanted to. The Cook Islanders' main anxiety seemed to be in preserving the right of access to New Zealand.
He felt New Zealand should retain certain reserve powers over such things as health and land control.
To a questioner. Sir Leslie said there was a case for some restriction of entry to the Cook Islands from New Zealand as undesirables could be a nuisance.
"You know a lot of things can happen in a couple of years time. They may never have them," said Sir Leslie Munro, about the proposed French nuclear tests, when addressing the VUW National Club recently.
The question he was answering was whether New Zealand should break off relations with France. His answer was a definite "No."
He said if relations were broken France would stop buying New I Zealand products. At present New Zealand was sending £17 million worth of wool to France and only importing £2 million worth of products in return,
"Some people think you only have to wave your finger under de Gaulle's nose. 'Why don't we approach him on moral grounds?' it is sometimes asked. The answer is he just couldn't care less.
"But don't get me wrong. I am against the tests. I profoundly nope the French will alter their policies." he said.
New Zealanders seem to think that science is unimportant judging by small contributions to the funds tor scientific activities made by the public at large.
Until the climate of opinion in the community is changed, scientists can expect little support. So said Dr. Williams of the States Services Commission in his talk, "Opportunities for Science Graduates," on Thursday, April 23.
Dr. Williams described in his talk some of the controlling factors in these opportunities. He gave figures to prove that the output of scientists in the last 10 years has roughly doubled. But he said there has been only a 5-6 per cent increase of expenditure on scientific activities. Therefore, the output of scientists is increasing much more rapidly than are the facilities. At this present rate the future employment situation will be worse than ever for science graduates.
Dr. Williams stated that in New Zealand the Government is sharing a far greater part of the effort for scientific research than are the governments of many other countries. In the typical western countries, including USA and Great Britain. 60-70 per cent of the money spent on research is contributed by the government and in Japan and Holland, 30-40 per cent. Private sources supply the remainder of the funds in these countries. In comparison the New Zealand Government accounts for 90 per cent of expenditure on science, and the public only 10 per cent.
In order to gain more prestige and support for scientific knowledge. Dr. Williams suggested several practical methods. Firstly he believed that a great deal of the blame for the lack of prestige stemmed from scientists' failure to link application with research. He said that too many scientists lose interest between research and application. He suggested that perhaps the most important problems were not being investigated and very often through lack of funds for other reasons the answers came too late to be useful.
People gushed into The lift on the sixth floor of Easterfield one day last term. It hit the bottom of the lift well with a thump.
Silence, cheering and hysterical squeaks greeted this development. Beating on the door followed, requesting advice and demanding action from without. Nothing but gales of laughter were forthcoming, so the inmates settled down to serious thought.
A gentleman with some experience told of a lever in some highly inaccessible comer. A hero leapt to action and the laughing and or hysterical imprisoned emerged.
The lifts remained, sunk beneath the floor.
Moral—These lifts are designed for a maximum of 20 people, not 40.
On this classified service page we hope we have provided a full list of the goods and services you will be needing this year. If not, the Advertising Manager welcomes suggestions for services not already mentioned here. First-year students, especially, should find this guide useful.
By shopping with the firms which advertise in Salient you will be returning some of the goodwill they have shown to students.
Jack Richards, President of the University Anglican Society, makes some observations about Wellington's new Cathedral Church of St. Paul.
"A question of morality; lack of truth is intolerable, we perish in untruth"—Le Corbusier: "Towards A New Architecture."
Much has been said recently about the completed portion of the new Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Molesworth Street. A newspaper editorial described it as "a noble building" which "will represent to Anglicans the fulfillment of a great ambition." Bishop Baines has described it as "the shrine to a Christian nation." Dean Hurst has done his best to sell the idea of it as a "home for the little man."
In fact, the general impression that has been created is that Anglicans are to be satisfied with this building as an informed expression of the architectural needs of a eucharistic community. The way in which this building has been generally received suggests that most people have indeed accepted it as one of these.
AMID the prattle of praise that has been ascending recently from such varied quarters as the Renaissance Singers, the Wellington String Orchestra and The Wellington Harmonic Society, not a word has been heard that does not reinforce the familiar platitudes.
I Wish to suggest, then, that far from being any of these things, the new cathedral is in fact an extravagant assertion of things which the Church is in no way meant to embody—pride, worldliness, falsehood, and ignorance. "Pride" and "worldliness" are the only words with which I can account for the eventual spending of over Half a Million Pounds on a building which serves no indispensible function, and if "falsehood " is the only way to describe the sheer architectural pretentiousness of the building, "ignorance" seems not too harsh a word to describe that inevitable quality possessed by advisory committees, most of the members of whom appear to have had little understanding of the nature of the Church, and none at all of the nature of architecture.
The basic question we must ask of any building is, of course, "in what way is its function related to its design?" When building a Church or Cathedral, its form must spring from its liturgical function. Not only must the meaning and symbolic function of the building be understood, as the building where the Christian community meet to offer the eucharist, and trie unique symbol of the Body of Christ, it must also be adequately expressed in terms of the building materials and structural systems of our own time. We must demand, therefore, that the new Cathedral in some way attempts to do these things. What in fact do we find?
Painful as it may be, we find, if we are honest, that this "new" building is simply a rehash of a typical medieval Cathedral. In the medieval building, bulk, height and dominance bore no relation to actual use or usefulness, for the Cathedral was not primarily designed to house a worshipping community. This Image of the medieval Cathedral has been difficult to escape from, hence the new Cathedral attempts to recapture the symbolism of an image that is essentially the product of a cultural pattern—a relationship between the Church and society at large, which is totally irrelevant to the 20th century.
Thus we find pillared side aisles, buttressed upper walls ambulatory become corridor and transcept become chapel, massive tower (surely not for bells?), heavy walling tall slit windows, dummy gargoyles and even battlements (with shelter for the archers perhaps). This embarrassing anachronism has been made even more ludicrous by the addition of numerous accretions from various European buildings (see sketch), it's a sort of two-hour guide to the Cathedrals of Europe, with a 20-minute stop off at Stockholm Town Hall.
Our overall impression of this building, then, must be a negative one. An architectural view was well stated by the Architectural Group nearly 20 years ago. "If not a pale imitation, it can only be considered a vulgar disguise. The untruth of it is plain to see. It is merely an architectural college, a Jigsaw of trappings, a deceitful betrayal of all those truths of both the faith which it should express and of the architecture through which that faith should be manifest."
Admittedly, since then one change has been made for which we can be thankful—the altar has been brought forward so that it bears an almost meaningful relation to the worshipping body, However, this in no way excuses the building itself. It has been well said that bad Churches do not merely corrupt the aesthetic sensibilities of those who use them; they obscure the nature of the Church itself and of the gospel which it is called to proclaim and make manifest.
Anglicans In Wellington in the future are going to have a hard time convincing people that the Church still has something meaningful to say to modern society, when the most recent example of Anglican enterprise, far more eloquently than any sermon, asserts the contrary.
Producer Nola Millar directing the revolutionaries in a scene from "The Possessed," the famous novel by F. Dostoevsky, adapted for the stage by A. Camus.
Though set in the fermenting Russia of the
It will be presented in English by the Department of Modern Languages at Victoria University In the University Memorial Theatre from June 27 to July 1, including Sunday.
The cast is headed by Murray Gronwall with Maarten van Dijk. Pat Evison. Ronald Lynn, Matt O'Sullivan, Anne Flannery, Russell Duncan, Irene Esam, Ariadne Danilow, Bill Sheat. Bill Juliff. Nikolai Danilow, John Haxton, John Murphy, Tony Ashenden and others.
The production is under the general direction of Professor Danilow. The photograph is by Warwick Teague.
Printed by Truth (N.Z.) Limited. 23-27 Garrett Street, wellington, for the Victoria University of Wellington Students' Association.