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Salient. An Organ of Student Opinion at Victoria College, Wellington N.Z. Vol. 11, No. 1. February 27, 1948

Co-operation

Co-operation

Salient was from the first a cooperative enterprise. That was its real strength. The staff had formal meetings, pooled their ideas in all departments, issue by issue, and before each number appeared, thrashed out what they wanted to see in it. Then they set about getting the material. It was agreed that far from avoiding the controversial issues of the day, we should dive right into them, and place the most burning questions before the students as clearly as we could; that we should come down off the high horse of impartiality which had always been a hard horse to ride anyway, say what we thought, sign the articles, and leave the students to place their own value on them.

We did not have long to wait for a response. After the first two issues the circulation rose rapidly to 600 out of a College roll of 900 an all time high. On the evenings when Salient came out it became usual to see the Common Rooms filled with students, heads hidden by the spread sheets of the paper, but who would suddenly emerge for short periods to take part in one of a number of heated discussions going on over its contents before diving back to read some more. I wonder if any of those students knew how eagerly the staff awaited reports on how each number was received?

In addition to covering all the College news we ran special numbers on the wars in Spain and China. We alleged consistent and conscious collaboration between the Chamberlain Government and the Fascists in Germany. Italy, and Japan and pointed out the dunger of the gun loaded to fire at Russia going off across the English Channel. The last issue for the year came out on October 5, 1938. amid the bewilderment and gloom of the Munich crisis, an unhappy proof that our contentions had been correct, and a full justification of our policy of bringing controversial political issues to the students.

Dotted throughout this issue will be found what we hope are the best examples of cartoons by "Salient" artists. The above effort is by Mason, 1947 artist.

Need I say that the original staff developed a strong affection for the paper? It embodied much of the liberal tradition of the student body at V.U.C. a tradition which has survived the official and unofficial attacks or reaction for generations, which has been stoned and assailed time after time: but which always turns up trumps at critical moments moments such as the general meeting which defeated the proposal to censure the Socialist Club for their Indonesian procession. It is to be hoped that Salient always embodies that tradition. If it ceases to do so, may its leaves wither—as they undoubtedly would. In spite of occasional desperate moments and a little hair-tearing, the staff enjoyed that first year. It showed us what could be done by real co-operation, and proved a thesis some of us had held for a long time—that students strive on something stronger than a milk and water (literary) dict.

I'm glad Salient is now ten. It has survived difficult times but seems to be a healthy specimen, constitutionally sound, so that it can reasonably look forward to further years of activity. I hope this proves to be so. It appears to have become a V.U.C. tradition. But should Salient ever fall behind the times, then it is to be hoped the students of the day will have the good sense to make another change and produce Salient's successor. In the meantime, a long life and a useful one!

A. H. Scotney.