Salient: Victoria University Students' Paper. Vol. 29, No. 10. 1966.
Gov-Gen Dispute
Gov-Gen Dispute
To return to the matter the conscience of the [ unclear: socie] and the great dispute of 1922 23-24 centring around [ unclear: th] patronage of the society [ unclear: b] his Excellency the [ unclear: Governor] General, whose identity I [ unclear: d] not care to disclose.
In 1922, the secretary of [ unclear: th] Debating Society wrote: [ unclear: "I] has been a somewhat [ unclear: eventf] year. It is at present [ unclear: unce] tain whether the secretary [ unclear: w] have to proceed to [ unclear: Downi] Street, which has, no [ unclear: dou] ere this, learnt of the [ unclear: acti]ities of the society, and [ unclear: gi] assurances that discussion the great problems of the [ unclear: da] does not constitute [ unclear: disloyalt]
"One of the early [ unclear: brickba] bestowed on the society" [ unclear: cor] tinues the report, "relates the patronship. At the [ unclear: la] annual general meeting [ unclear: th] Governor-General was [ unclear: r] elected patron, and his [ unclear: acce]tance of the position [ unclear: w] sought. In reply came a [ unclear: r]quest for a list of this year subjects for debate. This [ unclear: w] complied with. Finally a [ unclear: com]munication was received [ unclear: sta] ing that his Excellency [ unclear: 'do] not feel he can accept [ unclear: th] position as the [ unclear: subjec] chosen for debate [ unclear: inclu] some with which he does [ unclear: n] think he can properly [ unclear: assoc] ate himself . . . Until [ unclear: su] time as the society decides [ unclear: t] omit such subjects from [ unclear: f] programme, he must regret fully decline to accept [ unclear: th] office of patron."
"With all due deference Excellency," commented secretary, "it is submitted the position taken up by is untenable. To decide question on the basis of [ unclear: ther] or not members will [ unclear: uss] academic or political [ unclear: jects] is surely to lose sight [ unclear: he] true nature of a Deng Society. The very [ unclear: esce] of a debate is the idea there are two sides to [ unclear: cy] question. And to say students should seek entenment only on subjects [ unclear: er] than politics, appears aordinary.
Are we to discuss the great burning subjects of the such as 'That the study poetry is of greater intel [ unclear: ual] value than the study history'?"
[ unclear: his] was the kind of thing, the secretary, which in past had attracted "vast [ unclear: lences] of 5 or 6."
[ unclear: e] then went on to impute responsibility for his Exency's action to a group of [ unclear: ticians] chiefly the then [ unclear: ister] of Education, Mr. [ unclear: r], who was having Victoria [ unclear: lege] investigated and was [ unclear: ilring] renewed oaths of [ unclear: ilty] from teachers.