Bollinger Wins With Milton

Plunket Medal a Success

Bollinger then pushed across the idea—fairly successfully—that "we British" are not so different after all. He said that the first time that the kings of Europe sat uneasily on their thrones was when "we British" chopped off Charles Stuart's head. Milton's struggle, and those of his offsiders, accomplished nothing. "The same struggle was fought for 100 years later—without the bloodshed."

He found a precedent for the recent Fechteler case: signing of 1670 Treaty of Dover resulted in a foreign admiral talking charge of the British fleet for the first time.

Quipped Bollinger at the end of a racy earbashing: "Milton! Thou shouldst be living at this hour: England hath need of thee!"

Melda O'Reilly told "the story of our time" and was placed second for her trouble. In Cardinal Mindszcnty,' "western civilisation was on trial." she said.

On grounds of pure oratory hers was probably the best speech of the night. Her genuinely-felt emotion was obvious, even if her listeners did not agree with all that was said.

"The blood of martyrs is the seed of the church." said Miss O'Relly. "Communism—born of earth, men, greed—had failed to stop martyrdom. They saved Mindszenty's body but destroyed his mind."

The Cardinal was indicted as a traitor. "He was a traitor, yes—to oppression, dictatorship, and Communism."

Miss O'Reilly scored a non sequitur. Schools were national in Hungary, she said, and the schoolteachers went on to the Communist payroll. Conclusion was they also became Communists, but New Zealand teachers on the Nationalist payroll may not be Nationalists.

Third place went to another humourless speaker. Hector McNeill Rewi Alley, he said, went to China to do "good work"—more or less accidentally.

In the dark days of the Japanese advance, the Industrial Co-operative Movement—"a miracle wrought by the hands of men"—saved the Chinese Republic.

Alley, pioneer of the movement, saw the coming exploitation of the co-operative by Chiang Kia-shek's corrupt, rack [unclear: eteering] bureaucracy. He was thrown out and went back to the hills.

Here McNeill set a poser: "To his farm. New Zealand farmers sent livestock in 1944. Would they do so now? Rewi Alley hasn't changed. But have we changed?"

McNeill's delivery was spoiled by constant swaying back and forth in front of a telling sky-blue curtain and also by inexpressive gestures with his left hand.

General Douglas MacArthur, Distinguished Conduct Medal with four clusters, came in for a slating from G. N. Cruden. "As a young man." said Cruden. "he epitomised foreign policy of his age—isolation." When America was sinking to its lowest level ("mainly due to the depression") MacArthur preferred the Philippines to the "citadel of private enterprise."

The "I shall return" slogan was shown in a new aspect. "After badly underestimating the Japanese (seemingly a recurrent fault) the inevitable tide turned and he was able to fulfil his promise."

Immune from political Washington. Cruden summed up the general's meeting with Truman at Wake Island as "so many diplomatic cliches."

Cruden's speech appealed greatly. His novel opening with a quotation from Dryden was arresting, even though lost by some in audience restlessness. Throughout, the fine blend-ing of humour and Irony with facts given in well-chosen, unstereotyped phrases held attention. There was only one major mistake: Truman fired MacArthur April 19, 1951, not October 2, 1945.

Most disappointing speech was Doug Foy's. Unless one was interested, in American capitalism or automobiles, the facts smothered the listener. "Fortunately today Henry Ford is dead, but the evil that he did lives after him." More use of the Foy ploy—whatever that means—would have been welcome.

"It is as natural for a Welshman to burnt into oratory as it is for an Englishman to order a pint." opined J. P. Gatley beginning a discussion on English Labour's bad boy Aneurln Bevan.

Mr. Gatley did not say whether he was Welsh or English. Two things about Bevan: ho lives by talk and talk alone; he likes champagne.

Are our notes correct? At one point Gatley said: "Shut up you Bollinger Bolshevist!" A lapse was, "what is a wife without a politician?"

Miss E, A. Olsen a little tremulously told of Albert Schweitzer's work in Africa. Her oration was too full of natives and was recited.

Unhappiest man on the stage must surely have been J. L. McLean. He had n pleasing voice, but his speech was "read"—until he lost his place. Cliches abounded and facts clogged still further his delivery.

Few speakers kept within the time limit of not less than 10 minutes and not more than 12. This is a serious fault and there is no excuse for a good speaker going beyond time.

—D.L.R.