Salient: Victoria University Students' Paper. Vol. 29, No. 10. 1966.

Ntempt

[ unclear: Ntempt]

[ unclear: taxing] sarcastic the [ unclear: secre]commented, "Thanks to profound intelligence of [ unclear: e] of the chosen representes of this young democ [ unclear: y] society's activities now appreciated from [ unclear: th] Cape to Stewart Is [ unclear: d]." He dismissed the in [ unclear: ues] of Mr. Parr and col [ unclear: gues] with contempt.

[ unclear: he] society decided to man-without a patron and went to a golden age of unpreceted vitality and growth. [ unclear: tiortly] after the investiga [ unclear: is] of the Minister of Edu [ unclear: lon] into its activities the [ unclear: lety] debated "That insist [ unclear: e] on external symbols of [ unclear: alty] retards rather than [ unclear: ists] true patriotism," and the end of the year it [ unclear: intained] its annual fixture [ unclear: inst] the Social Democratic [ unclear: ty] arguing with Messrs. P. [ unclear: ser] and T. Brindle about [ unclear: ialism] and intellectual [ unclear: edom]. "The society can be [ unclear: ed] on," said the Secretary, pursue its policy of en [ unclear: tening] the community on problems of the day."

The following year before a [ unclear: cked]" house, the commitaided by two powerful [ unclear: ers] from Harold Miller and [ unclear: in] Beaglehole on academic [ unclear: edom], withstood the chai [ unclear: ge] of a vote of no confi [ unclear: oe] by 113 votes to 76, and 1925, with the arrival of a Governor-General, it [ unclear: cara] motion to reinstate the [ unclear: ce] of patron. The new [ unclear: vernor]-General sent for a [ unclear: y] of the syllabus (which as lively as ever) and [ unclear: ing] perused it, accepted pleasure the office of [ unclear: ron] of the society.

[ unclear: t] gives me equal pleasure say that the name of the patron was Sir Charles gusson, father of the prepatron of the society.

[ unclear: perhaps] the boast of the [ unclear: etary] that Downing Street heard of the activities of Debating Society at Vic university wasn't as [ unclear: pty] as some might have [ unclear: ought]. In fact, it is certain barely a year later, wning Street heard quite a about it.

Encouraged by the great cess of the early 1920s, the committee eagerly accepan offer from the Oxford on to send a 3-man team New Zealand, and early in Messrs. Malcolm Mac [ unclear: ald] (the son of Mr. Ram Macdonald, then Prime Minister of Great Britain), A. H. Hollis and J. D. Woodruff twice debated against Victoria teams. They delighted audiences of nearly 2000 with their wit. They deliciously scandalised even members of our society with their levity and irreverence. In a debate on the British Labour Government, one Victoria debater. Mr. Martin-Smith, said time and a fair trial would be necessary to evaluate the achievements of the Labour Government. In his reply, Mr. Woodruff, a law student, said the formula of time and a fair trial was all right, but if he were the Judge he would give the Government a fair trial first and time afterwards.

These three delightful characters, the first overseas team to visit us. had hardly left the country before the NUS of Great Britain cabled the wish to send an official team. But the financial guarantee of £60 was too much for the nerve of the student association executive, which was about to refuse the offer when the Debating Society committee heard of it and gave a personal guarantee of the £60. And so the Imperial Debating Team (one man each from London, Birmingham, Edinburgh and London Universities) debated in Wellington at Easter. 1926.

After this, exchanges of visits overseas became more common. In 1928 three American charmers arrived from Bates College, Maine. They were followed by four representatives of the University of Oregon, and these American calls were returned in 1930 by the first Victoria team to tour overseas, Messrs. G. R. Powles, W. J. Mountjoy and W. J. Hall. In an impressive tour of the United States, this team debated against 29 universities and proved what most local critics had already thought to be true: that when matched against representatives of notable overseas universities our people were far from being overshadowed. No wonder that this was so. The record of the Victoria College Debating Society in Joynt Scroll contests at that time would have made this fairly clear. By 1932. of 27 contests for the Joynt Scroll, Victoria had won 14.