page 16

Left Out Side

Had a look at Salients copy before it went to press this week, and they were at it again attacking sacred cows— this time the "Peace, Power and Politics" conference speakers. Everybody I know in the Committee on Vietnam have libel lawyers briefed for when Salient comes out. Thing is though, all these fascists— that's what they call themselves—on Salients political staff haven't picked the real radicals at the conference.

There's Wilfred Burchett, who had several books published by Foreign Languages Publishing Hose, Moscow. Then there's Professor Emeritus Airey (not Associate Professor—typical of these conferences to get their titles wrong) who's been printed in the New Zealand Communist Parly's house journal, And even, perhaps, Wolfie Rosenberg whose life history includes an unexplained two years in Moscow in the late thirties (the years of the purges, remember?)

They have a right to their opinions: let's have no witch-hunts. But let's be honest. And let the fascists do their home-work properly.

* * *

The Bradshaw Revolution? Don't quite know, but there's been one big change since dare-to-be-a-Daniel became acting-president while Doug White had gone all the way to America just to look after our interests. Guess? You're right. The five-minute coffee break in the middle of the exec, meetings now lasts twenty minutes.

* * *

Public Service story for the week: This time it's about another graduate who had her mail opened by her executive officer. She sent a memo upstairs, and was told that all her mail should be opened anyway, As they say in Focus, when you have a degree and want to make it work—nowhere are qualifications more fully appreciated than in the Public Service".

* * *

While everybody was getting the jitters about the last Budget, the Government was doing another of its behind-the-scenes nasties—this time an intensification of its discriminatory immigration policy. Marshall told the over-populated Cook Islands that fewer Islanders could take ship to Auckland, and the pitiful few months Fijian Indians were allowed (longer and they might contaminate our Persil white country) was abolished completely.

Now the Wanganui division of Federated Farmers (nice to be able to praise farmers—wish it happened more often) wants the Fijians hack. Nobody else, it seems, grubs tussock as well. Good for them. Wish a few other people would start demonstrating against this kind of racialism, Tom Skinner won't be one of them even, though— he's only for white workers.

* * *

Now that various exec. members of alia are on the Student Power Kick, the story comes back to me of how various outraged staff members warned an Association of University Teachers meeting last year that 1967 Education Officer Julie Rayner's curriculum investigations were leading to a situation verging on that at Berkeley. The students would have to be told they wouldn't get anywhere and Put In Their Place or there might be sleep-ins in the Library.

It may be a co-incidence, but Julie got several letters last year requesting her not to write to Heads of Departments so often— it was too much trouble for them to keep students informed about the curriculum.

* * *

Labour Club's on the ball. After Kirk's rubbishing the Monetary and Economic Council report, Labour Club's bulletin quotes three of its recommendations—all with approval.