Publicly accessible
URL: http://www.nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/collections.html
copyright 2015, by the Victoria University of Wellington Library
All unambiguous end-of-line hyphens have been removed and the trailing part of a word has been joined to the preceding line, except in the case of those words that break over a page.
Some keywords in the header are a local Electronic Text Collection scheme to aid in establishing analytical groupings.
In order to make new content available faster this work has been uploaded but does not have comprehensive name authority mark up for sub-works and corresponding authors. We will endeavour to add this mark up as soon as possible.
A Resume of portion of Sir David Smith's address to Senate is included this week, not because it gives any solutions to the anomalies of the present educational system, but because of the criticism which it contains. It is for the readers to draw their conclusions, not for an Editor to interpret these for them. Sir David says:"...
It is obvious that at present the Universities are endeavouring to perform two functions at once, they are endeavouring to cater for those students who regard a university course as a means of acquiring the necessary qualifications for a career in a "learned" profession, and they are also catering to a lessor extent for those students who are concerned primarily with the search for truth and breadth of view as well as depth of knowledge. Today the vocational aspect of a University education is regarded as being by far the most important.' But surely the place for this super-high-school is not the University, but rather a separate institution? The Technical University of Melbourne is one illustration of what I envisage to cater for the demand for persons with technical knowledge (Science, Engineering, Architecture, Fine Arts). The Senate in
By and large the majority of New Zealanders appear to think of the Universities as being merely another sort of school, and particularly as institutions for professional training.
We may admit that our universities do contain men who think of them in another way as communities devoted to scholarship, and to detached' and disinterested thought and research, and, as such, necesarily somewhat detached front the quite different way of life of the larger, commercial community. But that is a conception of the nature of a university which few New Zealanders can understand, or would interest them much if they could understand it. It is perhaps the intellectual and moral shallowness of our society that the absence of any strong cultural movement, which is the main reason why New Zealand universities do not at the present possess the staff, the buildings, the conditions of work, which are necessary for the fulfilment of these higher functions.
The conviction which we hinted at in our first editorial, that entrance qualifications might with advantage be raised, is growing. A large proportion of New Zealand students matriculate with little initiative, without having formed the habit of reading or enquiry, with a poor capacity for studying a subject for themselves, mentally conditioned to accept their lecturer as an oracle and their prescribed text-book as a sacred writing. They believe that they have come to the university, as they have gone to school, to be "taught," and it must be admitted that, for the large pass classes, some of the Colleges at any rate are able to provide little but teaching of a rather mechanical sort.
". . . . The broader purposes of a University education were never more important than they are today. Society requires of the university graduate much more than his degree or his export knowledge of a particular field. It also requires the breadth of outlook necessary for those who are to fill positions of responsibility . . ." But does it get it? Deway's system of positivist education, assuming as it does that scientific knowledge is truth and the rest mere opinion, has corrupted education both in the United States of America (witness the uneducated people with all the degrees) and in this country. Modern education by the glorified and so-called "welfare state" suffers also from a lack of discipline—both physical and mental discipline. The error of progressive education is that it assumes that mere change is of necessity progress. What is important is to provide children and young people with the means by which to live, both in the materialist and in the cultural sense, to create in them an interest in everything, and to encourage their enthusiasm along the lines of their special inclinations.
The world is a stimulating and fascinating place, and the mind which does not operate clearly, logically and with force is to be scorned. Yet modern secular education pretends that it is performing a highly successful function—that it is producing more and more persons in the higher forms of secondary schools who can think clearly, impassionately and logically on all matters—and the university appears to think that also, although with loss conviction.
It is not trite to say that the difficulties and shortcomings of the universities reflect the shortcomings of the community itself. New Zealand society is not favourable to the growth of great universities. The university of New Zealand has had little influence on New Zealand cultural life, or on the development of social and political thought. Politically and socially it has been rather barren, despite Victoria's radical traditions. In this country the community does not contain any highly cultured minority of size and influence: there is no influential minority which either appreciates or respects learning. New Zealanders are unusually devoted to money-making and politics; they are apt to be intolerant of criticism, contemptuous of difference, of superiority and intellectual refinement. There is no substantial part of New Zealand society into which the scholarship and the disinterested thought which universities seek to cultivate can send their roots.
Thus it would appear that University education is in fact merely a vocational prerequisite for 90 per cent of students, that the social and economic changes in recent years have contributed to this state of affairs, that more and more people are graduating with a degree but without an education, that the primary and secondary systems of education contribute to a large degree to this state of affairs by removing responsibility from the individual; that the university at the present has the majority of its time token up in doing what should be done by technical universities. It is, however, no longer permitted to be mediocre. If the Universities do not believe that such a thing as truth exists, then let us say so and forget the platitudes and the righteous cant. Forever afterwards our intellectual apathy will be consistent with our intellectual confusion and there will be no need to reconcile our declared purposes with our mercenary results.
Should the University restrict its intake to a smaller group of more Intellectually able students than at present? . . . "I would reply that, since the egalitarian spirit of New Zealand is against any kind of specially favoured aristocracy of brain or otherwise. It is in keeping with public sentiment to give as wide a range as possible of young people the chance for higher qualification by university study,"—Dr. G. A. Currie. Vice-Chancellor of the University of New Zealand.
This Editorial is the last for the year. "Salient" will be back again next year, bigger, brighter than ever, with even more apathy to overcome, but it is possible that "Salient" will stir a few from their complacency. Anyway, we hope it will.
Thanks must go to contributors for their untiring patience and quality of copy, for this and the last two issues: all defects are mine, but I am still experimenting. Thanks are due especially to D. Donovan, to Ron Barber as Sports Editor and Distribution Manager, to Ted Woodfield as Chief Reporter, to Bernard Galvin and other members of the executive to Ian Free for helpful advice and excellent contributions, and to the many other members of the staff who all helped to make the life of Editor less tedious. Especial thanks to Mr. Lord and staff of Standard Press. To these and others, we wish good finals, a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Tournament
However, the University corporate life is composed of a small minority just as "Salient" represents the views, opinions and ideals of one person. It is unfortunate that this is so, but it is a fact. I make no excuses for student apathy—the causes are obvious to most who think upon the matter for a while and if they resign themselves to it I have no sympathy for them.
Another Tournament has come and gone. If in 20, 30, 40 years' time even but a few of us are able to look back with pleasure to the
has been well worth the pain incidental to the organisation of Tournament.
We are tired of the whispered criticism of "Salient" which no one mentions to the appropriate sources. This week's "Salient" has a page for everyone (except for morons). Comments are invited: with which we retire from the editorship.
Dear Sir,—One thing about the University which causes me great concern is the apparent lack' of respect of anyone about the college for the public property of the students.
Three matters particularly need some prompt attention. First, the Men's Common Room. Every evening at about 6 o'clock when I have a few minutes between lectures I drop into the Common Room only to find the place absolutely littered with bits of newspapers torn up and no longer useful for anything, At the A.G.M. mention was made that the Women's Common Room was provided with a paper every day. If this newspaper meets with the same fate then there is little use in wasting money over it, A reading desk is provided in the Men's Common, Would it not be possible to have an iron rod placed on it and the paper firmly kept in place there?
Secondly the piano in the Gym. This piano has quite a good tone but has received terrible treatment. Not only has the bottom panel been destroyed but both sides have been broken and the loud pedal has disappeard altogether. Also some of the wires have been broken.
And finally the Little Theatre celling. It is quite obvious that various stage crews are somewhat careless when erecting their spotlights, and the gibralter board ceiling has suffered in consequence. I am sure that those who use the Little Theatre realise that it is one of the modern rooms in the College and it would be a great pity if irresponsible persons are allowed to cause damage without making amends.
It is time that a little pride was shown for our possessions and that we exercise some public spirit in this matter.
At N.Z.U.S.A. Council earlier this month it was moved and carried that the history departments in the University Colleges be asked to include an option in the history honours courses on Asian History. Mr. Beaglehole (Res. exec.) considered the motion impractical. The National University of Australia at Canberra has a Chair of Oriental Studies but when U.N.Z. will decide to endow a similar Chair is a moot point.
The University Senate, meeting at Massey, agreed that as from
The A.U.C. delegation to August Council meeting of N.Z.U.S.A. appeared to have lost all interest in student affairs. They are the "old men" of N.Z.U.S.A. and their staged walkout at some time after midnight was not only in extremely bad taste but indicated a lack of responsibility among the members of the delegation. Admittedly the Council had been in session for a considerable while during the final day and evening, but with only general business to discuss and with other delegates as weary as they were they might have been more considerate. Their leader's remarks re "Salient's" last editorial were also in poor taste and Indicated a superficial attitude of mind.
Mr. Brewster gave a summary of events to date, and after general discussion, Mr. Dalgety (Res. Exec.) suited the two bases for our case as he saw them: first, redistribution and reorganisation involving the points merit versus a general grant and part-timers versus full-timers; secondly, he asked, is an increase in bursaries, in general, valid economically?
At this point Dr. Currie. Vice-Chancellor of the U.N.Z., was welcomed by the President, Mr. Eric Ireland, and the meeting went into committee to hear a letter from Mr. Algie on the subject of bursaries. Dr. Currie then gave a very valuable address on the general subject of bursaries. Following this a subcommittee was set up consisting of one member of each delegation and Messrs. O'Brien and Brewster, of Resident Executive.
The sub-committee reported back later with the following recommendations: (A) A reconsideration of the present merit system of awarding full-time national bursaries of £30 cash payment annually, with a view to raising the standard of bursary award.
The number of Junior and National Scholarships based on the moneys available and on the number of first and second class honours graduates.
Further that the number of boarding bursaries be increased from 65 to 200 annually with the proviso that the moneys are available for increasing the value of the present bursaries before increasing the number.
These recommendations were adopted as a basis for further negotiations.
It is Interesting to observe retrospectively contributions past executive have made to student welfare. Too much attention to N.Z.U.S.A. and International student politics, with V.U.C. administration in second place, the policy of previous executives has now been reversed. Mr. Galvin heads this change and is to be commended for the attitude that he is taking. Among things which need immediate attention within the College are the women's cloakroom, the furniture in the men's common room, the dilapidated state of the gymnasium and of the executive room and Association officer, the men's robing room, Te Aro Park, a thorough investigation into Club grants with drastic cuts if necessary.
The Student Union Building, too, although it will not be started until
Mr. Brewster reported verbally that he has been co-operating with Mr. Ian Free, who is working in a bookshop and is doing similar investigations for V.U.C. They have been investigating three possibilities: (a) an overall indent scheme and distribution of books to the various colleges: (b) a scheme such as that operating in Training Colleges whereby students who can identify themselves as bona fide Training College students receive a 10 per cent, discount from various firms; (c) educational aids—this firm does not hold stocks but will indent for colleges at a 20 per cent. discount but the books must be ordered and paid for the year before they are needed.
In Mr, Brewster's opinion. N.Z.U.S.A, should endeavour to have N.Z.U. recognised as an educational institution, and approach a reputable bookseller with the idea of gaining a 10 per cent, reduction such as is allowed to Training College students.
Mr. Brewster is to continue his investigations and will approach Whitcombe and Tombs regarding a scheme as outlined.
The tradition of Congress is so well established and there are so many old Congress types up and down the country only too willing to give advice and encouragement that the job of controller is made very light. The mechanics of the organisation of Congress have been fully worked out in the past and the work of the Controlling Committee has not been to break in new country but to follow tradition.
The King is a man and the Queen is a woman."—This week's great truth (N.Z. Listener).
Dear Sir,—I em instructed to write to you, on behalf of my society, expressing the concern which is felt at your actions.
After a full and fair debate, at which every possible viewpoint was discussed, this decision was taken.
Members of my society appreciate that the internal political actions of a country are not normally of direct concern to the citizens of any other country. In this case, however, the effects are of very grave concern to citizens of many countries other than the United States of America.
Members expressed the view that the reputation of the United States as the champion of freedom and democracy was being shattered because of actions within the United States which punished men, not for revolutionary actions but for revolutionary opinions. So long as the legal dictum that a man must continue to be assumed innocent until ho has been proved by the State to be guilty is violated, so long as the normal processes of legal charge and rebuttal are closed to those under criticism, so long as past association in some vague way is taken to be proof of present conspiracy, and so long as men fear to give frank and warranted expression to criticisms within the due processes of law, the name of the United States will mean nothing as the leader of any freedoms. We cannot view with any equanimity any political actions within the United States which tend to make it less possible to distinguish the nature of free government from that of a totalitarian state.
As well as such internal actions, however, grave as they are in jeopardising the good name of the United States, there have been others which directly affected foreign states—such as allegations about trade in British ships to China—all of which embitter relationships between the United States and other countries.
We believe it to be the duty of peoples in other countries to bring to the notice of your country the effects of actions such as yours.
While all the arguments justifying your actions were brought forward, my Society concluded that however laudable you might believe your end to bo, it is necessary for the free nations to repudiate the theory that, this end justifies any means whatsoever, and therefore to repudiate any means which are not compatible with the basic principles of democracy.
Any comment which you care to make
The following is an extract from a letter received by the Secretary of the Students' Association from the Rotary Club of Wairoa:
"It is one of the aims of our movement to foster international understanding and good relations and to this end we seek to make such contacts as we can. There are, we know, a number of young men from overseas doing university study, and doubtless some of these are at Victoria. We write to ask if there are any of them who might welcome an invitation to spend Labour Day weekend (27th October) here in Wairoa with members of the Club. If some should be pleased to extend hospitality to, say, two of them, and their expenses from and back to Wellington would be paid. We would endeavour to give them further insight into the New Zealand way of life, which they would be able to look at from a different viewpoint from that of the big city. Race, nationality or colour would not matter . . ."
Any foreign student interested is advised to contact the Secretary of Stud Ass as soon as possible (W. Iles, bus. 45-180, res. 45-170).
Weir Men were once again to the fore, playing a considerable part in Vic's success in this latest Winter Tournament. Our most notable contribution was (of course) Hugh Price's performance in the Drinking Horn which most justly gained him his N.Z.U. blue. We are proud to record that Hugh wore the bib presented to him by the House for his magnificent feats against the Old Boys at our recent 21st celebrations.
Nevertheless we had other notable representation. Dick Gilberd gained his N.Z.U. blue for winning the Cross Country, while Pete Carver became N.Z.U. golf champion after having had the audacity to defeat personally Messrs. Boon and Blathwaite in the semi-and quarter-finals. Our other representatives both organising and competing gave of their best and played their part in this, Vic's most successful Winter Tournament ever.
The discussions Committee have been right on the Job since these notes last appeared, and sponsored a number of very stimulating Sunday evening discussions. The first round for the Debating Club was held six weeks ago and during the course of the two debates the fates of Victoria College and the co-education system were decided. The freshers and the fourth year students will talk it out in the final. (Weir, incidentally, is entirely in favour of co-ed.)
The following Sunday evening. Fred Davis and Bob Kelson. Vic's American Fulbright Scholars, sat round the fire with us and answered questions on U.S. foreign policy, particularly concerning the Far East. It was a most valuable evening, straightening out a few popular misconceptions, and giving us an insight into the idealistic and practical motives which together have shaped United States foreign politics. The next discussion evening was on "Methods of Study" and the principal speaker was Mr. J. R. McCreary. M.A. Some valuable advice was given, and the evening was of considerable help to many residents, particularly those in their first year. We do feel, however, that the unusually large attendance was due, in some slight degree, to the rumour that the evening's address was to have been on "The Problem of Marriage in Society" by Mrs. Cochrane.
We only had another week to wait for that long-anticipated talk, and it was well worth the false alarm. Weir regarded the occasion seriously and took Mrs. Cochrane's advice to heart. A good deal of thought was put in the questions that were asked of the speaker, and a genuine and earnest desire for a full understanding of the problem was manifest.
Seven weeks to finals. A pervading urgency, a sense of time running out, lights burning far into the night, alarums in the early morning, urgent red capitals screaming on the study doors. Do not Disturb—we're Swotting even if you Arent. The supper cup is now furtive and no longer the drawn-out ritual of the second term; the billiards room is haunted by long periods of unaccustomed silence. Impending calamity—do I hear Gabriel in the distance? Yet the photo of Mr. William Weir, austere and undisturbed, seems to reassure us. "It has always been like this. You will probably get through in the end."
(And so we say good-bye to Weir for another year. Thank you, John Darwick and Norm. Harris and others who helped compile this column regularly. It has been a very entertaining, well-written and informative service. Non-Weir students have gained an appreciable insight into life at the House and we hope that it (the column) will continue to exist in future years.—Ed.)
Salient is on sale at Weir House. Vic. B., and Training College.
The students of the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, have, it is reported, decided to contribute manual labour worth Rs 40,000 towards the implementation of a "works service" project. The project is part of a youth welfare scheme of the Government of India designed to bring the teachers and taught Into closer relations with one another, to provide certain amenities for the students and at the same time to enable students to have some training in practical work of a valuable kind. The students of the institute are said to have selected as their project the construction of a swimming pool.—(A.S.N.S., Jodhpur.)
Hundreds of men and women examinees for the B.T. degree course walked out of the examination halls in Calcutta on May 14, complaining that the paper set on The History of Education" was outside the syllabus and "extremely stiff." The Calcutta University B.T. Degree Examinations began on May 12 and nearly a thousand student teachers from the city and the district are sitting for the degree.—(A.S.N.S., Jodhpur.)
"
If someone wants an education you cannot keep it away from him. If he does not want an education you cannot force it down his throat."
. . . During the Past Year, two overseas visitors of distinction have given us the benefit of their views upon our University. We welcome this opportunity of seeing ourselves as two experienced academic persons see us.
The first comment was made by Professor Allison Dunham of the University of Chicago who came to us under a Fulbright grunt. He was in New Zealand from "My next reaction concerning the University was with respect to its place in the community. Many of you both on and off the staff mentioned to me several times the impression that you in New Zealand take your professors much more seriously than we do in the United States. I must be frank to say that I had exactly the opposite reaction and this was rather to my surprise. It does not seem to me that New Zealanders in general hold University education high in their list of values. The relatively low position the University has in the list of priorities for capital spending and even for ordinary government funds and the relatively insignificant place of the University administrator and professor in public affairs seemed to me to bear out my impression. "This is partly due I believe to the fact that that type of research from which the public can observe the results (i.e., applied science re-search) is almost exclusively the monopoly of a government department and not in the hands of the professors. It is also due in part I believe to the prevalent attitude that the function of the University education is to train a special type of artisan or skilled tradesman who for reasons of English tradition are trained at Universities and not at a training or technical college. . . . "Since my New Zealand experience is the first with 'part-time' students that is one of the facets of your education to which I have a reaction. Now it is true that a very high percentage of our alleged 'full-time' students work at least part of their way through university. Perhaps we should define a university with full-time students as one where the university schedules its classes for its own convenience and the students fit their Jobs into the vacant periods, and a university with part-time students as one where the classes are arranged to fit the free time of the working students. There is more of a difference than this, of course. At home we in law at least impose formal requirements, so that a part-time student cannot proceed as rapidly as a so-called full-time student and we generally separate the two kinds of students into different programmes and consciously or unconsciously a professor compensates for the fact that his students have full-time as distinguished from part-time jobs."
The second criticism comes from Sir John Stopford. the Vice-Chancellor of the university of Manchester who spent some weeks in New Zealand . . . about the beginning of this year. . . . After his return to England there appeared . . . the following report of an interview with him regarding his impressions of his tour, . . . The report referred to the appreciation of the value of a university which Sir John found in Ceylon and then proceeded to contrast that appreciation with what lie found in New Zealand. The report reads as follows:
"But—and here is a contrast rarely pointed—in New Zealand he found a complete lack of comprehension among all classes of the pensates for the fact that his stud-in the national life. The most significant indication of this, said Sir John, is that not one of New Zealand's four colleges was included in the itinerary for the Royal tour. Partially to account for this, he explains that the university there has many very special and particular problems. "It consists of four colleges which until recently had a principal each, but no vice-Chancellor or equivalent head common to them all. Grants were made collectively with the general grant for schools, and were meagre in the extreme. Further, very few of the students had any sense of the university as anything but a kind of cramming establishment where they could take a course that would equip them with a certain skill or make them proficient for a certain profession. There were among them almost no idea of the kind of corporate life that is peculiar to universities and so vital a part of the blessings that they endow. "The clearest sign of this attitude lay. Sir John found, in the views of the part-time students. There were in some colleges almost as many of these as there were full-time students, and none of them seemed to feel that they were missing something that the others were getting."
According to the report, Sir John further found that the University of New Zealand had failed to integrate itself into the wide and deep cultural interests of the New Zealander, as evidenced by bin observation of the number of bookshops in the country and by his conclusions that poetry seemed to be more widely read in New Zealand than in England and that bus conductors, shop assistants and waiters appeared to be on far better terms with the world of literature than their equivalents in Great Britain.
These criticisms seem to raise three main points—the first as to the quality of our university education, the second as to the standing of the university with the Government and the third as to the standing of the university with the public.
Upon the first question we might enquire whether, as Professor Dunham says, the prevalent attitude in New Zealand is that university education must be practical, or whether as Sir John Stopford says, very few of the students have any sense of a university as anything but a kind of cramming—establishment where they can take a course that will equip them with a certain skill or make them proficient for a certain profession? What do we think about these matters? My own opinion is that the charge may be more applicable to part-time than to full-time students, but that even many of our full-time students look upon their university course as a means of acquiring qualifications for earning their living. So also, however, do students at British universities, most of whom are, I believe, full-time students.
In its report on University Development from "The motives for which students enter universities have always varied, but nowadays the great majority particularly of the men, regard a university course as a means of aquiring the necessary qualifications for a career. This is not only true of science and medicine. For Arts students also a University degree is commonly a means of chaining employment. Social and economic changes in recent yearn, as well as the ever expanding demand for experts of all kinds, have tended to emphasise the vocational aspect of university education."
Several blacks do not make a white and I doubt not that we should all like to aid our students to achieve breadth of view as well as depth of knowledge. On this matter, the British University Grants Committee made this comment which we should all do well to heed:
"Yet the broader purposes of a university education were never more important than they are today. Society requires of the university graduate much more than his degree or his expert knowledge in a particular field. It also requires the breadth of outlook necessary for those Who are to fill positions Of responsibility, and a university cannot be said to have risen to the height of its obligations until it has designed its teaching as to ensure for all of its students who use their opportunities the chance to become, in words spoken by J. S. Mill more than eighty years ago, 'capable and cultivated human being'."
Then it is correct, as Sir John Stopford says, that our students have almost no idea of the kind of corporate life that is peculiar to Universities and be vital a part of the blessings which they bestow? it is correct that the Quality of our university education is reduced, as both Sir John and Professor Dunham seem to think, by the existence of our typo of part-time students? On this matter, having been for a greater part of my own law course a part-time student, I have an opinion. At great cost in time and labour, a part-time student living at home or in lodgings, can undertake his University course, can participate in the principal College societies and can make life-long friends and can talk till the small hours on all subjects under the sun and can enjoy it all immensely. His academic achievement may not be high but so long as he has learnt how to study he may pursue his professional studies in his postgraduate years. I think, however, that comparatively few part-timers are prepared to pay the price required for combining hand study with substantial participation in College life and that part-time students in general tend, consequently, to regard the University mainly as a kind of vocational training school.
If this criticism of our type of part-time student is valid, is there any remedy? Would it be desirable and practicable to encourage our part-time students to become part-time students of the American type? Could they be encouraged to earn enough money during the College vacations to enable them to maintain themselves during the College sessions? Would some College fund to assist students who feel the pinch on this basin of study, be desirable if it could be obtained and if it could be administered in confidence?
On the second main question: What is the standing of the University in the eyes of the Government? (I use the word 'government' to include the Government of any party), we ask whether the Government grants are, as Sir John Stopford is reported as saying, "meagre in the extreme" or, as Professor Dunham says relatively low in "the list of priorities for capital spending and even for ordinary government funds." Government knows, of course, that the country must have an adequate number of University graduates in order to staff the teaching profession, to provide scientists and also the
What is the standing of the University in the eyes of the public? Is Sir John Stopford correct in thinking that there is a complete lack of comprehension among all classes of the part that the. University can play in national life? Is Professor Dunham correct in thinking that New Zealanders do not in general hold University education high in their list of values? Is he correct in thinking that his view is supported by what he calls "the relatively insignificant place of the University administrator and professor in public affairs?"
An obvious comment upon Sir John Stopford's view is that if New Zealanders in general do have the wide and deep cultural interests which Sir John thinks they have, then one would expect that they would take some interest in their University, and would have some idea of the part that is could play in the national life, instead of having none.
That New Zealanders do, in fact, take more Interest in their University than our visitors think, may be inferred from a survey of public opinion in relation to the University conducted by the Department of Psychology of Victoria University College during
The sample population was asked questions concerning: (a) Who should be entitled to enter University? (b) What is the function of University training ? (c) What is the value placed on the University trained person? (d) Where should the cost of University administration and training be placed? (e) What opinion was held about students' extracurricular activities? (f) What opinions were held about University Students and (g) What is the public interest in Victoria University College.
I do not suggest that the answers of the sample population to these questions would prove a valid guide to the development of University education, but the answers to some of these questions should show reasonably well the attitude of the sample population towards the University.
On the question as to what is the value placed on the University trained person, one of the questions asked was this: "At election time would you prefer your candidate to have had a University education or would you prefer him not to have had?" About 40 per cent of the sample population preferred their political candidate to have had a University education. Only 4 per cent preferred him not to have had. Just over half of the sample indicated that they were more likely to be influenced by the personal qualities of the individual rather than the acquisition of a University education.
Upon the enquiry as to what is the public interest in Victoria University College, detailed questions were again asked. The answers may be summarised by saying that discussion on student activities and other University matters was reported in seven out of ten professional house-holds, but in only about one quarter of the households in the unskilled group. Over the whole sample population, discussion of University matters occurred in about half of the households.
The answers to the other questions with which the poll dealt but with which I have not the space to deal, would, in my view, confirm an inference that a genuine interest in University affairs was taken by about half of the sample population or Wellington. It would not be surprising if the public interest in the University cities was at least as great as it is in Wellington. In my view, that interest would be greater in Dunedin and Christchurch and perhaps, about the same in Auckland.
The conclusions to be drawn from our local "Gallup" poll indicate a public interest in the University which is much greater than the public interest which appeared to our visitors.
With regard to Professor Dunham's implied statement that the University administrator and professor occupies a relatively insignificant position in public affairs, I refrain from any comment concerning the administrators, among whom we are numbered I think that in New Zealand, in times of peace University professors arc not used to assist in the administration of public affairs to the same extent as they are in Great Britain or in the United States of America.
I think the reason why their assistance is not sought in this country, to any material extent, in times of peace is partly due to the fact that there is no tradition in the matter and partly to the fact that the selection of any individual for the purpose of advising on public affairs depends upon his personal qualities. The more a professor aquires a reputation not only for his professional knowledge but also for his wise judgment, the more is he likely to be asked to render public service. On the other hand, we should not forget that a professor's primary obligation is to do his own work and that any other work which he does will generally be justifiable only insofar as it does not interfere unduly with his professorial duties.
Having regard to the comments of our visitors, we might pay more specific attention from time to time to the real quality of the University education that we provide, to any improvements in that quality that are practicable and to any improvement in our public relations that may be brought about without the sacrifice of the freedom which is so vital a characteristic of a British University.
On the subject of public relations, I would add that each University College has probably much greater scope for action than the University at the centre. Perhaps each college could give some thought to this matter. Friendliness and knowledge deem to be the basis of good public relations. In Great Britain, it is easy for a. University to build on its foundation. A public man who is a graduate often returns to live in his College for a short period. Even if he is not a graduate, he is happy to take part in some important University function and to stay with the Vice-Chancellor. We have not these advantages but the University Colleges may find ways of showing courtesy to public men on important occasions. Information in the public Press would be very, valuable for reaching the public. So also would a College display of activities with explanations, over a period of several days. In the past, a conversazione of this kind has attracted many citizens. No doubt it means a lot of work and interferes with the College routine but a conversazione might be worth while at intervals. Could each Constituent College undertake one in rotation?
N.Z.U. Blues announced . . . The following have been recommended for N.Z.U. Blues:—
R. Gilberd (VUC); Fencing: J. Matheson (CUC): M. Sharfe (OU); Women's Hockey: L. Austin (OU); N. Denman; (AUC); M. Edwards (OU); B. Saunders (AUC); Men's Indoor Basketball: B. Bradley (OU); R. Salt (VUC); Smallbore Rifle Shooting: G. Hassell (CUC); A. D. E. Knight (OU).
"Australian democracy likes tothink that there areopportunities for as many youths as possible to get degrees, not so much because Australian democracy is interested in higher education, but because it likes to sec the children of the people getting' on."—P. H. Partridge, "Taking Stock."
During the Winter Tournament the annual drama contest was held in the Little Theatre. Four plays were performed fey the major universities, each one differing a great deal from the others.
The first play was "Aria da Capo" by Edua St. Vincent Milley, performed by Otago and produced by John Kim. The title was explained as meaning a song which begins and finishes at the same place, and this play was definitely linked with music of that kind and gave a series of impressions of the comic and tragic theatre.
Commencing with the comic figures. Pierrot (Brian Bell) and Columbine (Marie Jones) the scene moved forward to the appearance of the tragic muse, Thyrsus (Denis Hoskins) and the two shepherds (Richard Graham and Tony Thompson) who rehearsed their scene which culminated in their deaths; at which point Pierrot and Columbine reappeared and recommenced their earlier dialogue.
Throughout, the acting of the players was convincing, and this was vividly demonstrated when the shepherds, using confetti as jewels and streamers as a wall, really captured the spirit of the play, and were able to get right across to their audience and hold them in their spell. This was also shown in the stylistic brilliance of Brian Bell and Marie Jones who joined together gesture to gesture and dared to come to the front of the stage in order to get the audience closer to them.
The second play was Josephina Niggli's "Sunday Costs Five Pesos," performed by A.U.C. under the direction of Anne Spinley. Here was a simple love story set in a Mexican village, relying mainly on colour and characterisation. However, the players, except for Celestina (Susan Davis) and Tonia (Jean Armour), failed to convince, and they did not capture the atmosphere or the feeling of their setting.
The decor was simple and effective but was possibly not quite what was necessary, while the costumes and their colouring did not help to create more atmosphere. To sum up, there was a lack of technical artistry, and the play appealed more as an amateur high school performance than as university drama.
Tuesday, the second night of the festival, saw Paddy Frost's production for C.U.C. of "The Boy With the Cart," by Christopher Fry. This play was described as being "a pastoral play with a spiritual theme; it has a modern comment in the form of a chorus running parallel to the Anglo-Saxon story." It is a play of words, and extremely difficult to produce effectively. However, by means of their concentration on the inner spirit of the play, the actors accomplished this major achievement. David Zwartz, in the leading role of Cuthman, was particularly convincing with his strong voice, and although lacking a true sense of character and ease, he captured a deep feeling for the words which he spoke, and it was due mainly to him that the play was so successful.
In the female lead, as the mother of Cuthman, Judie Joves acted very well, conveying the character with much spirit.
The main falling of the play was to be found in the chorus, which could have been made more acceptable if greater characterisation had been used.
An unusually simple setting added to the conviction by letting the words colour the scene for us.
The final play of the contest was "The Siege of Anatole" by Snitlzer, played by V.U.C. and produced by Gavin Yates. Unfortunately, soon after the beginning of the first scene Rosemary Lovegrove became indisposed, and it was therefore decided to continue with the second scene. Here the actors were obviously playing under stress, but, in spite of this, extremely good performances were put up by Gavin Yates as Anatole. Bill Sheat as Max (the dead-pan cynic), and Diana Lescher (Annie), who had taken the part only ten days previously.
It was indeed unfortunate that the incident occurred, as it was not improbable that V.U.C. might have taken top honours. As it was, Mr. Richard Campion the judge, decided to leave V.U.C. out of his judging altogether.
After an extremely good summing up of all the plays, he gave first place to C.U.C. with O.U. second. In doing so, he stated that he was looking for talent and quality rather than for perfection.
During the festival Mr Campion made a few serious comments on university drama. He stressed the tremendous opportunity open to university drama clubs where in a less limited field producers were able to bring forward more fanciful and imaginative productions than was more usually the case. Following this, he warned against the competitive nature of these festivals, which he believed would be ruinous to university drama.
The establishment of a branch of Johns Hopkins University in Rangoon has been announced by Dr. Philip Thayer, Dean of the University's School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, D.C. The new institution will be set up under the joint auspices of the University of Rangoon and the Johns Hopkins University, and will be known as the Rangoon-Hopkins Centre for South-East Asian Studies. The centre will provide facilities for students from the School of Advanced International Studies to carry on supervised basic research in the field. It will also help American students to obtain insight into South-East Asian culture, history and religion, as well as contemporary economic and political problems.—(The Asian Student. San Francisco.)
Premier U Nu of the Union of Burma has suggested the establishment of an International Buddhist University in Rangoon to co-ordinate the study of Buddhism all over Asia. The International Institute for Advanced Buddhist Studies, whose foundation stone was laid on April 3. will form a part of the proposed University. Scholars, advanced students and research fellows, a few of whom would be from foreign countries, would be Invited to meet and work at the Institute which is to be supported by funds from the Rockefeller Foundation in co-operation with the Burmese Government.—(The Asian Student. San Francisco.)
One of the fundamental rights of an editor of a newspaper is The right to refuse to print material submitted by correspondents which is vulgar, libellous, inaccurate or merely abusive. Hence I was surprised to see that you had permitted T. H. Beaglehole's letter to go into print, apparently in the same form as you had received it The first paragraph of that letter, which appeared in the last issue of "Salient," is irresponsible, abusive, and completely devoid of rational meaning. It is indicative of a type of critical outlook which University students should pride themselves on Not possessing. The whole construction of the paragraph would appear to contain an overtone of dislike and of irrational feeling, without any attempt having been made to justify that feeling.
It would seem, sin that T. H. Bcaglehole disagreed with your editorial on accrediting, and wished to express his disagreement in print. What then, is the revelance of the first paragraph of his letter? There is a legal maxim which I would offer for Mr. BeaglehoJe's consideration. It is this: "Ei incumbit probatio qui dicit, non qui negat." A translation would be: "The burden of proof lies on the party that affirms, not on the party that denies." T. H. Beaglehole has affirmed that an editorial of mine, and my reply to a letter written by David Scott, were childish and ill-informed. Even if such a conclusion had been supported by rational argument, these words would still have been abusive and in bad taste. But appearing as they do completely unsupported by any rational basis whatsoever, in the first paragraph of a letter which purports to be a criticism of your editorial on Accrediting, the words are more than mere bad taste. They are intellectual insolence—an impudent and irresponsible attempt at cheap wit at the expense of one of the basic principles of a university training. Which is the pursuit of the ability to criticise rationally and fairly. Such an attack ill becomes a graduate of this college. It is a poor reflection on his mental outlook, but more important, it is a poor reflection on his university, which would appear to have failed to inculcate in Mr. Beaglehole the necessary qualities of mind which are usually thought to be necessary to those who would attain to a Master's degree.
In the second paragraph of his letter, Mr. Beaglehole again uses unnecessary emotive methods in his attempt to state a case. We see the expression "the ill-informed public," and "headmasters too lazy to make the effort accrediting requires of them." Who are the members of this public who are so ill-informed, and about what? Who are the headmasters (If any) who are too lazy, and how does Mr. Beaglehole know this? We are not told, and no reasons are given to support these statements. The expressions would appear to have been lifted solely because of their contemptuous connotations. Later on in the paragraph we read: "Perhaps it should be explained to these gentleman that the Editor does not agree." I wonder, sir, what relation this sentence bears to a purported criticism of your editorial?
The third paragraph indicates a singular lack of common sense on Mr. Beaglchole's part. He says: "It is my impression that the only way of Judging the average person's capacity for benefiting by university study is to try it and see. . . ." This suggestion, sir, is uneconomical and impracticable. There are other ways of discovering whether the "average person" can benefit from university study, than trial and error. The "average person" has, by definition, an I.Q. of round about 100. And it is generally assumed that the aver-age I.Q. of Victoria University College students must be in the neighbourhood of 118 for them to be successful. Therefore, by intelligence tests administered at post-primary schools, and by aptitude tests administered before a university course is embarked upon, one can get a much better idea of a person's capacity to benefit from university study than we could from the method of "try it and see."
Such a method is also uneconomical. In his address at Thus Mr. Beaglehole's "impression" as to the "only" way of judging the average person's capacity for benefiting by university study, in both erroneous, unfounded and contrary to common sense. There are other ways than the system of "try it and see" "suggested by T. H. Beaglehole.
I do not wish to enter into any discussion concerning accrediting. That is not the object of this letter. My purpose is to show to what extent T. H. Beaglehole had, in his letter to you, relied on an irresponsible type of emotive criticism. Especially is this so in the find paragraph of his letter, in which Mr. Beaglehole has attempted nothing more than to dictate to us his opinions and prejudices, to be accepted without thought or reason. The writer's judgments in that paragraph are vague and emotional, and he has flagrantly neglected to back up those judgments. The style of writing in Mr. Beaglehole's letter is better suited to a political tirade than to a contribution to a university newspaper. "It is good for no one, least of all ourselves, to be exempt from criticism, if that criticism is a proper criticism and not something masquerading as a criticism." (The Control of Language," 1st. Ed. pl2C.) This sentence, I would suggest, sir, is one which Mr. Beaglehole could well take to heart.
(The much-vaunted principle of freedom of the Press has led us to believe that all criticism, valid or not, should be published—If only to enable us to reply to the criticism. Headers are in a position to judge for themselves as to the merits and/or demerits of the letter in question. One thing is certain, that both Mr D. and Mr. B. spent some considerable time composing the letter, and Mr. Beaglehole is a busy man, judging by his activity and keenness as V.U.C. representative on the N.Z.U.S.A. resident executive. More strength to his pen nib! But, Mr. B. it was just a teeny eeny bit emotional, don't you thing? Mr. D. is also not entirely objective,—Ed.)
Te Aro Park reclaimed . . . it is understood from usually reliable source that the College Council has given the go ahead signal for the reclamation of Te Aro Park. Work will commence within five weeks.
A University paper should never adhere to the tenets of "ethical" journalism and in doing so be a slick reproduction of the commercial Press. The university paper should never adhere to these tenets: not out of a spirit of sheer cussedness, but because the student paper is the last remnant of the much-vaunted principle of the freedom of the Press, and as such should look ever outwards searching for fresh fields.
It must be a vehicle to every shade of opinion. It should hold nothing sacred, and above all, be representative of no group or sect, religious or political creed. It cannot be a newspaper in the accepted sense of the word, since it appears with monotonous irregularity and news grows "cold" very quickly.
It must be free be praise that which it deems praise-worthy or condemn that which is ridiculous in our life; and there is surely unlimited scope for the latter function.
The proper domain of a student paper is not in the realm of news coverage but in the realm of thought and opinion. I make no apologies for reducing the amount of space available for club reports: they are not the be-all and end-all of the university: the university represents the only sphere of higher learning in the country, and it has a strict duty to foster individual and sound thought. It should not be construed from this that a University paper should be a paragon of objective integrity. It is not now and I hope it will never be so.
The role of Editor, therefore, is of the utmost importance. It is he who must introduce the greater part of discussion and controversy but above all he must have something to say. We have now reached the state of affairs where he, like it or not, is the paper. To do his job efficiently he must not be restricted in any way. His paper, let it be remembered, is your paper. He promotes the discussion—you discuss it. If you do not discuss it, you are wasting your time here.
The freedom on which it is based makes the student paper your paper. If you decry it, you decry yourselves. Underneath it all, it is yours to make or break.
Bette Davis is the greatest actress on the screen today. Of the great stars, Davis is a rare example, not only through her gifts, but because she has asserted the value of imagination and technical ability in a profession that can be followed without much of either, Davis has never appeared in a flop, because her mere presence makes any film, to say the least, interesting. "The Star", recently seen in Wellington, was the height of featureless mediocrity as a film: but the intensity and vigor of Bette Davis' performance sent me back a second time. "God fobid, what a fascinating woman" as a well-known judge from early Dunedin once said. With a considerable amount of temperament, walking from the hips, hair and displays of ugly teeth. Davis unflinchingly dominates "Another Man's Poison", a story of poison, horses, bold love, poison, bold love and poison.
Heedless of a weak director's desire for a film with unity. Davis with arrogance, assurance, a complete indifference to guilt at large, round blue eyes, gazes at nothing in particular (Gary Merril and the supporting players) with formidable Intensity. Unlike a pianist who cannot gain a great reputation if ho performs music of generally inferior quality, Davis demonstrates that actors as creative artists can be the most pure, self-contained and independent of all.
Balanced between the ludicrous and intensely real, Davis gives a performance that is uneven. At times her acting is almost a caricature of herself, and those who accuse her of possessing a lot of clever mannerisms that operate only within a narrow range would watch her with considerable and malicious satisfaction. But at other times, those who believe (as I do) that she is one of the few screen actresses who know anything about characterisation and pathos, they would be equally satisfied.
A more discreet performance by a leaser actress would have made "Another Man's Poison" very dull indeed. Indiscretion requires courage and personality and how many actresses have these qualities?
A survey of social and economic conditions affecting the lives of students of Delhi University conducted recently by the Delhi Committee of the World University Service reveals that many students are living in poverty and need. Of the
Against Petone two weeks ago, Varsity clinched the Jubilee Cup. It was the culmination of a season's bright Rugby and on three season's performances, they showed that they were still the premier club in Wellington. But in that decisive game, Varsity were definitely overshadowed.
With the wind with them. Petone could only manage a six-point lead and the Varsity supporters sat back with the start of the second spell to watch the slaughter. But something must have upset the Blue forwards because they tore into the game like terriers. This aspect of the game was not pleasing; Varsity had let Petone attack all the first spell so that they would tire against the wind and here was Petone hogging the limelight. They threw everything at the Varsity goal line and excellent breaks by Abbot Dougan and Brockle-bank failed through bad luck or bad handling. Varsity rallied all the time but the forwards could not get the ball away cleanly, Scott's line kicking and the very solid rucking had made them slower than they had been for several games.
Bremner comes in for a lot of praise from the local press. However, how many times did our scoring wingers get the ball? Bremner showed some excellent sense in not letting the ball out to men who because of the close-up defence of the Blue backs were in a worse position than himself. But why in the name of alt that's green and gold did he go down, ball and all, on so many occasions? He had to be very chary of the kick-through or of a grubber kick because of Maestro Scott. He also had to watch the loose ball in case Jack Dougan slipped through with his forwards. Loose foot rushes would have nullified the superior weight and packing of the Blue scrum and could have easily had Scott in trouble. Put Laurie Haig in the same position and he would have known what to do with the ball. But his breaks and defence were excellent. He kicked passes off his toes and smothered many of the Petone breaks. His highlight though came with the clock showing full-time and the Petone defence moving across to cover the anticipated break through. Bremner swung the attack across in the opposite direction with a little lobbed punt for Jarden to take at full steam and clinch the Jubilee Cup.
Peter Osborne also had a good day. Possibly inspired by Scott, he evaded tacklers with something of his old confidence and did all that was expected of him. Fitzgerald and Jarden had quiet days, being more concerned with battling the well-sprung Petone attack than with their usual capers.
The forwards toiled hard. The referee let the rucks continue for too long. Petone were heavier, taller and grimly determined. But they never once gave up hope. In the first spell especially, with Bob Scott sending them traipsing fifty or sixty yards back down the paddock, must have had its sour moments. The determined cover defence of the forwards in the second spell meant the difference between victory and defeat. The best forwards are those that aren't seen during the rucking and it always seemed to be Ivan Stuart who was last or second to last up from any ruck or sacks on the mill. Biathwayt played a good game and his tackling was always solid. Oliver was shaded in the line-outs but was often in the limelight. Bill Clark did not have his usual charging down opportunities as he viewed most of Scott's kicking from behind in a prone position.
Saturday's team was perhaps the strongest we have fielded this season and had no weak links. Had it been otherwise Petone would have swamped us.
So the Jubilee Cup will be drunk out of, by jubilant Varsity footballers and reside in the trophy cupboard for another year. The team had some lapses but it was during this season that it provided the most consistent and attractive club football. It is not as strong a side as either of the previous champion fifteens, and perhaps because of this are more firm idols of the crowd. Once the crowd saw that Varsity were no longer invincible yet still played their attractive open football, they became idols once more, as the game against Petone testified.
Salient is well pleased because our early reason optimistic forecast seemed to fall on cynical ears which flapped derisively when the Greens were behind in the championship. But the team pulled through with a full four championship points and we look forward to next year, knowing that if a team beats our own fifteen for the Jubilee Cup, our boys will be grand losers.
Chinese millionaires in Singapore put aside their motor-cars and went about in trishas (a small three-wheeled vehicle) on April 20 to help collect a record sum—about 7000 dollars—for the Nanyang University Fund. Some of them paid as much as 33 dollars for a short trip. The 1600 trisha drivers, who undertook the drive, handed over their day's earnings to the fund.—(The Asian Student. San Francisco.)
Every month about 1000 Chinese students bid farewell to their families and friends and return to the Chinese mainland. Few of those who go ask for re-entry permits as they have no intention of returning to Malaya. Observers think this exodus is due to the new draft and registration law introduced by the British authorities in Malaya. The law requires all youths between 18 and 20 to register with the Government.—(The Asian Student, San Francisco.)
Ewha University of Korea awarded five Masters' degrees in the fields of pharmacy, psychology and education to women. These five women are the first to receive graduate degrees from a Korean university, according to the "Korean Survey."—(The Asian Student, San Francisco.)
One hundred and forty-four students from the Mapua Institute of Technology in answer to the Government's coil for popular and active support of its rural improvemnt campaign volunteered for rat extermination activities in Cotabato, Mindanao Island. The student group was transported to the area by Philippine Navy LST's and attached to the Army special units advanced to eradicate the rats.—(C.C.S. Press Release, Manila.)
. . . you cannot And out what a man means by simply studying his spoken or written statements, even though he has spoken or written with perfect command of language and perfectly truthful intention. In order to find out his meaning you must also know what the question was (a question in his own mind, and presumed by him to be in yours) to which the thing he has said or written was meant as an answer.
Victoria, this years winners, were in a class of their own in this sport. They won the team's knockout by 20-1 against CUC and every title went to a VUC player.
Alan Robinson entered the final of the men's singles after thrashing Dave Lye, OU's No. 1 man in three straight sets and proceeded to put Tony Darroch, his doubles partner, through in much the same manner. The standard of table tennis was high but too many players lacked consistency.
Shadwell, a former VUC Tournament player, was easily the hardest hitter in the Tournament, but made bad mistakes at crucial points. The VUC team, apart from Tony Darroch. are defensive players and they just had to sit back and capitalise on their opponent's inconsistent hitting. Not one of our players was disgraced. Roly Woods in particular made a very impressive debut to NZU Tournament.
Our two girls. Viv. Fleming and Eliz. Lesser are Tournament veterans and they also contested every final with Viv Fleming ending with three titles to her credit. Comparatively, the standard of women's play is much lower than that of the men's, but it is improving all the time and this year's standard is the highest for a lengthy period.
The conditions at the Winter Show were infinitely better than those at Auckland last year. Spectator facilities enabled a crowd of over sixty to watch the final of the men's singles.
The dinner at the Empire Hotel was a happy occasion and most of the visitors attended before going back to the Winter Show to view the NZU game. Wellington thrashed the NZU and in doing so dashed our hopes of gaining two NZU T/T blues.
The very smooth running of Tournament and the friendly atmosphere arc a tribute to controller Alan Robinson, and records clerk Gill Hemery. Competitors and Club members appreciated it.
In this event for tournament, the VUC team could not shake off the inconsistency which has marked its performances throughout the season, and the I.C.I. Shield was lost to CUC.
However two members of the team shot for the N.Z.U. side and Brian Bradburn in particular shot very consistently throughout to be the top scorer in the VUC team.
The team scores were:—
In the N.Z.U. v Wellington match. N.Z.U. were narrowly defeated by Wellington by four points and South had a three point win over North.
Our under-cover man at V.U.C. re-ports that the most democratic head of one department finding he had a small sum of
At Long Last we have done it V.U.C. have won a Winter Tournament Now that the victorious jubation has subsided and the vanquished students from our sister colleges have departed we will appraise the situation with a slightly jaundiced pond-scum green eye.
The Tournament went off very smoothly due mainly to the efficient organisation of the Tournament Controller and the administration and sports controllers. Wellington welcomed the visiting teams with a southerly blister and Councillor Kitts. However the Weather Office relented and gave us some Hawke's Bay weather for the rest of the Tournament. As this happens but once in a blue moon, conditions were thus right for Victoria to win the Tournament.
The most merited win at Tournament was that of the Indoor Basketball teams. The girls, particularly, played better than they have for a considerable time. With the resolute captaincy of Hazel Blick, they went through the Tournament undefeated. In their first game, the girls were intent on keeping C.U.C.'s score within a reasonable margin. To their surprise they found that they were up 24.14 with the last spell to go. They tightened up the game and managed to hold C.U.C. out by 24-22. As this was their hardest game they proceeds to make light work of the other teams and so won us 8 Shield points.
Not to be outdone the Men's Indoor Basketball team also went through undefeated. Their very attractive style of play en-sum! a good gallery whenever they were on the court. They were never seriously troubled, and even against the much favoured O.U. side they were never at any stage behind in points. Ralph Salt, one of the three N.Z.U. Blues, played magnificently especially in the O.U. game where he scored half of Vic's points. This was the best in the Tournament and both teams were urged on by a large crowd of supporters. Victoria deserved their win; their "laying up" against O.I. was outstanding and the coverage and interception of the guards kept V.U.C ahead all the time.
Our harrier team carried all before them, winning every trophy within their reach. Dick Gilberd won the individual event, picking up a well deserved N.Z.U. Blue in the process. Graome Stevens was close up in second place. The team won the team's race and the North Island Trophy, clinching another first place for V.U.C The dinner held at the Centennial Inn must have been a real slap-up, if the condition of many well-known harrier enthusiasts later in the evening is any criterion.
Out on the rain-drenched, windswept Hutt golf course. Victoria gained another first place. Because of the notorious conditions, play did not reach a high standard and many of the low-handicap players failed to handle the conditions as well as some of the less favoured opponents. Peter Carver carried off the singles title and finished top of the qualifying rounds, enabling V.U.C. to win by one point.
In the table-tennis, Victoria completely out-classed the field. Except for the men's doubles the finals were all V.U.C. affairs and every title went to V.U.C. Alan Robinson played some of his best defensive table-tennis in winning both the men's singles and the men's doubles with Tony Darroch. Viv. Fleming won three titles—the women's singles, the mixed doubles with Tony Darroch. and the women's doubles with Eliz. lesser. The standard of play was probably the highest ever, but even so the N.Z.U. team including Alan and Tony lost to the top Wellington representative side without winning a set.
The fencing Shield came to Victoria largely through the efforts of the women, of whom to Pyne was the most outstanding. Ian Free fenced well but it was the fine fencing of the girls which gave us the Shield.
In the unofficial Badminton Tournament. Victoria won fairly comfortably. Jim Thomson was out on his own and his game with Abdullah of O.U. was the highlight of this section of the Tournament.
The soccer team had a bad lapse against A.U.C. and thus lost their chance of winning the Shield. Bad shooting towards the end of the first spell lost us valuable points. Bill Aldridge did a tremendous amount of running around but the halves were letting their men through and the forward line, especially the left wing, were letting openings go, solely through lack of speed and initiative, A.U.C. won the Soccer section and on their showing against V.U.C. they well deserved the win.
The Small-bore riflers did fairly well in picking up third place. Brian Bradburn and Bryden Williamson shot well enough to gain N.Z.U. team. The men's hockey did not come up to expectations but the hockey dinner will be remembered for many Tournaments. The girls failed miserably; they were completely outclassed. Gatfield, Hambly and Calkin in the men's and Myrna Bertram in the women's team, made the N.Z.U. teams.
The Winter Show Building with its facilities for four sports, enabled Tournament to function smoothly and enabled sportsmen to see other games—an innovation in Tournaments. This was especially noticeable in the Basketball which is probably the best spectator sport. Conditions at the Show were excellent but we hope facilities will Improve before next Tournament.So there it is, We won . . We hope we won well. Many friendships have been made and a friendships have broken, but which ever way it wan, it was certainly an experience and one wo will recount from our bath-chairs.
Like so many other clubs, the Swords Club had a most successful Tournament week, winning the Fencing Shield by one-half point from CUC.
Ray Knox, whose style of fencing is particularly useful in a Tournament, did very well to win eight of his bouts, falling victim, as might have been expected, to Sharfe of OU who lost none of his bouts, Baugham and Matheson of CUC, and Chan of AUC.
Tim Beaglehole was perhaps unlucky to
In spite of the efforts of the men's team, we finished on the first day one point behind CUC, which meant that the women's team had to wipe the floor with the other three Colleges, if we were to win the Shield. Which, of course, we did.
Jocelyn Pyne was the outstanding VUC woman, winning seven of her nine bouts, and making the NZU team.
The other two women, Beverly Hoggard and Diana Fussell, a newcomer to Tournament, fought quite adequately, winning five bouts and losing four each.
The fencing is probably the No. 1 sport for getting oneself into tangless and producing frayed tempers, as seven judges and officials are required for each bout, and it is a tribute to the organisation of Tony Kills and his very competent Presidents Mr. Drew, Mr. J. Stafford and Mr Cooper, that the bouts were fought fairly peacefully and were completed in record time.
Team results: Men; VUC beat OU 11-5, beat AUC 12-4, lost to CUC 9-7 Women: VUC beat OU 5-4, beat AUC 6-3, beat CUC 6-3.
The N.Z.U. cross country championship was held over a six and a quarter mile course at Paekakariki. It consisted of two laps of mainly rough undulating sand hills and some stretches of gravel road, with the start and the finish on the beach. It was a gruelling race run in hot sunshine and a true cross country test where a knowledge of the course was an advantage.
When the starting gun wan fired Gilberd of Victoria led the field of 28 away, closely followed by Stevens (Victoria) and Travers, French, Smith and Russell (all of Auckland), and M. Brown of Canterbury, Beaglehole and Gow (both of Victoria) were both in a good position at this stage, with L. Phillips of Canterbury not far behind them.
When the runners entered the narrow, winding cattle track about a mile from the start, Gilberd had a lead of about 100 yards from Stevens, who was closely followed by the four Aucklanders, all running very strongly. Canterbury runners were well strung out here with L. Phillips catching up to M. Browne and D. Tucker and D. Pringle lying 12th and 13th respectively. In the second half of the first lap, the steep up and down grades through a hot sheltered valley slowed up most of the runners, so that D. Pringle of Canterbury overtook his two team mates. D. Tucker and M. Browne, and caught up to L. Phillips.
Re-entering the rough country, with 2½ miles to go, Gilberd of Victoria led Stevens (Victoria) by 150 yards, and further back were Travers. French, Smith and Russell of Auckland. D. Pringle and L. Phillips of Canterbury, Gow and Beaglehole of Victoria and Barnett of Auckland. It looked as though positions would remain unaltered from then on. But on the steep grades, the Aucklanders began to falter, and D. Pringle gradually moved up past them into third place. There was a fairly fast finish down the beach, with Gilberd winning in 41 minutes 35 seconds, Stevens 250 yards behind in 42 minutes 20 seconds, and Pringle about 260 yards further back in 43 minutes 8 seconds. Russell, French and Smith and French of Auckland finished 4th, 5th and 6th to give them second place in teams placing. Canterbury was third and retained the Carmalt Jones Cup for the South
There was a good all round brand of hockey displayed at Karori Park. The overseas visitors showed good stickwork, their positional play being sound, and although they were attacking repeatedly they failed to penetrate the sound defence of the local team. The Victoria fullbacks B. Bornholdt and D. Fitzgerald were solid, showing good anticipation and clearing the ball to the wings. Although out-classed by the Australian goalie. M. Humphries from the local college was safe and reliable. R. Calkin was the outstanding half on the field, distributing the bail to the Victoria forwards with competence. The Australian forwards played a good game getting good support from their halves, the inside loft playing an excellent game, sending the ball across to the right when in the circle. However the best forward display was given by C. Hambly, the left wing for Victoria, He repeatedly broke away and took the ball up the field centering with confidence, both with the reverse stick and a crisp push shot. But the Victoria goal, which was the only one in the game, did not come from the centre of the field, it was initiated by C. Hambly who bore in from the wing towards the goal, after slight confusion the ball was in the net, the scorer being Hambly. The final score, when the whistle went for time, was Victoria 1, Australian University 0.
The umpires were Messrs. P. A. Taylor and N. G. Leeming.
The men's hockey section of the Tournament ended with the defeat of the New Zealand Universities side by the Australian Universities by 2 goals to 1. On the run of the play, it can be said that the N.Z. side were unlucky to be beaten. The Australians' two goals were both the result of penalty bullies awarded against the New Zealand goalie Goldsmith. The outstanding player in the New Zealand team was Cotton, the centre-forward, who made several good runs and always looked dangerous. The right-wing Patel was excellent in his dashes down the sideline and was unlucky not to score on at least one occasion. Haskell was in good form at inside-left, but he was off the mark with his shots at goal from penalty corners. Eric Jackson wan very safe at full-back, as wan his partner Gatfield. From the centre-half position. Mann directed the play very well, and initiated many promising moves. The wing-halves, Buxton and Calkin, did much good work, though too much latitude was given to the Australian's flying Indian right-wing.
Winter Tournament—or any Tournament, for that matter—must not be regarded merely as a battle of the sporting giants of the colleges. In a very important sense the social aspect of tournament is the one by which its success can be gauged. By meeting members of other colleges in a non-competitive atmosphere we not only increase our knowledge of students affairs, and conditions elsewhere, but at the same time we make tournament much more enjoyable.
From a social standpoint. Winter Tournament was an outstanding success. Besides the programmed dinners, hops, and Tournament Ball, there were many impromptu and half-planned private parties, and before the week was out such addresses as the Charnel-House and 12A wore as well known to our visitors and ourselves as the Winter Show and the Upper Gym.
The three hops in the Upper Gym on Monday. Tuesday and Wednesday nights were well attended, and apart from an unfortunately large predominance of males over females, were a success. Music by Garth Young kept the shows going with a bang until the early hours a.m. when the meeting adjourned to other private addresses.
Dinners were held in connection with the various official sports, and were very much enjoyed sometimes over enjoyed by all.
The chief social event of the week was of course the Tournament Ball on Thursday night at the Winter Show Cabaret, For its undoubted success we thank Diana Lectuer, and those who helped her in the great job of preparation. The maestro was again Garth Young, and a really high standard of music helped tho show on to an even greater success.
Chicken supper was served, and in the course of the Bail V.U.C. president Bernard Galvin announced the N.Z.U. Blues and presented special awards—such as the Wooden Spoon—where they were merited.
When the National Anthem brought the show to a close at 3 a.m. there were many who wished that this might be one good thing which did not have to come to an end.
And so, as the tumult and the shouting dies, the captains and the teams depart, we congratulate ourselves on a spectacularly successful week for V.U.C.—but more than that, we cherish memories of friendships arising out of it and look forward to renewing them all again in Auckland next Easter.—N.R.T.
Standard Press, Wellington