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Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. Volume 36, Number 7. 11th April 1973

The Right Hand Column

The Right Hand Column

Reason for no copy last week was that we decided to take a holiday, Tom Manning's letter to Salient didn't scare us off. This week we've expanded with special reports from our diplomatic correspondent and our hippy watcher.

Last week we read about the University co-operating with the Labour Department's investigations into the O.H.M.S. drive for false military service registrations. Since then news has come of something a little closer to home. Seems that one of Nationwide's female employees filled in a conscription registration form, just to stir things on a bit. Eventually the Labour Department, inundated with applications, got round to checking it. They rang up Don to ask if Mr - was working there. "No", said Don, ever keen to help the Government, "but I have a Miss — working for me", and sacked the girl a week later. Keep it up Don, with loyalty like that you'll be rewarded.

Turned up to the A.G.M. on Thursday. Haven't enjoyed myself so much for ages. Instead of having to help my right wing mates in fighting off the radicals, what did we get but a struggle between the radicals and the Trots. I gave it even scoring to both sides, but if this keeps up the rest of us have nothing to worry about. Let them tear themselves apart.

Great idea of the Labour Government to buy up 200 houses for the undernourished, but spare a thought for the 200 families that can't buy a house because the Government got in first. If they want to buy a house they'll have to pay a little more and so the vicious circle will continue. Houses get dearer and more people can't afford to buy them. The Government forces prices by buying up houses but doesn't build any new ones. Typical socialist economics. Best way to solve the housing shortage is to put more money into the building industry so everyone benefits, especially the workers who get more jobs.

The Council's got it all over the ordinary landlord, because it can cover up its incompetence by crying for cheap government loans. Not so they can build cheaper homes than private developers but merely so they can build at roughly the same cost (perhaps even a little higher) and call it "social welfare" for citizens. Best advice to George Porter and his mates is to improve the administration of what they already have and let the property boys do the developing themselves, at a cheaper cost in real terms. That way everyone would be happy (a) through cheaper flats and (b) through seeing rates spent wisely.

Any of you home owners ever wondered why your rates keep increasing? Well here's one reason. About two years ago Arthur Cornish bought the old bowling club site in Aro Street for about $150, 000. He applied to the City Council straight away and got permission to build a hotel. Then he gave up the idea and decided to sell the property. Two years later it was bought for $250,000 by the Commercial Travellers Club for their new building. But the city fathers woke up and said "we need this for Council Housing, mumble, mumble". So they stopped permission for the building and compulsorily bought off the C.T. Club for what they paid. The point to note is that two years previously the Council could have had the property for $ 150,000 saving $100,000. If this is going on all over the city our rates will skyrocket.

Latest to join the Trots is Scots College old boy Guy Salmon. Guy gave a talk to the Young Socialists last Friday night. After the show was over Values supporter Salmon was heard to say to Russel ('get your perspectives together') Johnson "Bye Russel, keep on with the Revolution!" Talk about right-wing phrase-mongering.

Never believed in the Old School Tie Network till I got to Vic. but Hutt Valley High seem to have a stranglehold up here. In hierarchical order — Peter Franks, co-editor of "Salient"; Wilson, Association President; Brian Hansen, ex-Law fac. President and now junior lecturer in law; Rob Campbell, ex student rep. on anything that's going and now junior lecturer in Economic History; Comrade Shaw, who doesn't appear to be left out of anything . . . 1968 must have been a good year in the Valley.

There has been much amusement among local cinema people over a small con at the expense of Kerridges — known to all as the most tight-fisted people in the business. It seems that a smooth-talking man gave his impressive credentials to the firm, which immediately gave him the post of assistant manager A week later, with the manager off sick, both the new recruit and $4000 disappeared. At the time we went to press, Kerridges still hadn't told the police, probably because they're too embarrassed.

It's good to see that our Minister of Police thinks for himself. Last week at an address at Karori Teachers Training College, Deputy Police Commissioner Watson said, and I quote. "I think that Marihuana is inextricably interwoven into the drug scene".

Fair enough you may say, we've known the cops have thought that for years, it's just part of the old pot users-progress-to-heroin myth. The cops have been saying things like that tor years. The big surprise for me was on Gallery last night when Connelly the Minister of Police was interviewed, and was asked his opinion of Marihuana. Guess what his opinion of Marihuana is? Mr Connelly thinks, and I quote, "I think Marihuana is inextricably interwoven into the drug scene".

Smokey the Dope comic