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Salient's figures do not include the many entering the grounds before or after the main body of marchers. They were counted as they went through a narrow gate.
Nearly 500 people marched from Victoria University to Parliament last week to oppose the Seato Conference.
The march, organised by the University Vietnam Peace Committee, involved about 450 students.
The rest were interested members of the public, including various trade union representatives.
The marchers were addressed by several participants when they reached Parliament.
Mr.
Mr. Hirschfield asked if "deceit and hypcrisy" could be accepted as Government policy. He said the peace offer from President Johnson did not detract from the need to oppose the Allied military effort in direct terms.
The next speaker was Mr.
"Vietnam is just the beginning," he said.
He rejected some opinions claiming that it was a small war. "If this is just a small war, pray God we never see a big one," he said "Some people do not think about decisions that seem too big. We are doomed unless there is a better understanding of the new world."
"The United States," he said, "is climbing down, not de-escalating. Will the appropriate reductions in the New Zealand armed forces follow?"
Mr. Boshier them asked the demonstrators to leave quietly. About a dozen, however, joined a group of about 30 including trade unionists and members of the Progressive Youth Movement, the latter carrying Viet Cong flags.
This group was exchanging provocative remarks with the pro-SEATO demonstrators carrying flags of the Republic of South Vietnam.
No violence occurred, though police did attempt to separate the two groups.
They soon mingled.
A member of the public, Mr.
"I am still fighting aggression here today —American agression," he said.
Another serviceman who declined to give his name said he had just returned from two years in Vietnam. He considered the Allied military effort worthwhile.
Opinions were exchanged for about 15 minutes after the main body of anti-SEATO demonstrators left. Finally, with verbal encouragement from the police, the grounds were cleared.
He said that a large number of students were against the war and a negligible number in favour of it.
"If we don't fight them in Vietnam we will have to fight them in Darwin." This view was rejected by Professor C. P. Fitzgerald at Victoria University last Tuesday.
China's basic "army training was for guerilla warfare in China itself" Professor Firzgerald said.
China's logistic ability was limited to two battalions he said.
Because of this. China had a defensive complex.
It was apt to be nervy about war and its risks.
Professor Fitzgerald said estimates made by both the Pentagon and the Rand Corporation of America showed that the Chinese naval and air forces were not powerful enough to undertake overseas invasion.
In Vietnam, the Chinese had supplied less arms than the Russians.
China's development of nuclear power had been rapid. In five to six years China could have a "fully-fledged nuclear system," Professor Fitzgerald said.
This could be used against its neighbours, but the Chinese nuclear testing sites were as close to the cities of Europe as to Australia.
"It is surprising that the Europeans do not lose too much sleep about it," he said.
In spite of reports about the violence and anarchy of the Cultural Revolution, which Professor Fitzgerald said were often untrue, exaggerated and grossly distorted, China's nuclear policy was remarkably moderate.
It frequently requested nuclear disarmament and assured the world it would never be the first to use nuclear weapons.
China's power must be respected, though this did not necessarily mean that it should be feared.
Chinese foreign policy, Prof. Fitzgerald said, was very much a non-event.
He could see no reason for believing that the Chinese had the "aggressive intentions accredited to them."
Since the Revolution, China had been particularly inactive. It had taken little advantage of the weaker surrounding countries—Mongolia, North Vietnam, North Korea, and Nepal for example.
This non-policy resulted from long experience which had taught China to apply "political, cultural and economic pressure, rather than military pressure."
The immensity of China would subject Australia and New Zealand to economic pressure.
Already the Australian economy would be upset by any restriction on China's wheat and wool.
A major customer—China —could not be treated as an enemy by Australia and New Zealand, Professor Fitzgerald said.
The annual meeting of the Students' Association will be held tonight at 7.30 p.m. in the Common Common Room.
The meeting will consider several important amendments to the Association Constitution, including one. moved by
Another important amendment will provide for the election of the Association Representative on the University Council.
This is one of the aims of the student power manifesto.
The representative is at present appointed by the Executive.
A further proposal is a return to the system of Executive appointing officers to the first three Executive vacancies.
Other motions of general policy may be moved by any member of the Students' Association who attend the meeting.
During the meeting the result of the election for Association Secretary will be announced.
The Labour Club will sponsor a move calling for a vigorous protest at the breweries' decision to increase the cost of bottled beer.
It will put the request to the Wellington Labour Representatives' Committee.
A spokesman said biscuit manufacturer's move to increase their prices should also be examined.
The Student Counselling Service had arranged two further seminar discussions on study method, the head of the service, Dr. A. J. W. Taylor said.
"These will help students who want to study more efficiently." he said.
Staff members will be available to take part in small discussion groups after a topic has been introduced by a speaker.
The two seminars will be held on Wednesday, April 17, on Thursday, April 18, and on Friday, April 19.
The seminar times will be from 8-9 a.m. and 5-6 p.m. on these days.
Students who want to attend should enrol at the Students' Association office by Thursday, April 11.
The Victoria University Friends of Vietnam organisation held a march supporting the Seato Conference and its objectives.
The 85 members were nearly all students.
They marched along the same route as the University Vietnam Peace Committee and took up a position to the right of the opposing demonstrators in front of Parliament.
The chairman of the ad hoc FOV committee is an arts students,
He said "we have come to show our support for the Seato Conference and for the government and people of South Vietnam."
He voiced satisfaction at the number present and commented that it was much easier to persuade students to demonstrate dissatisfaction with the status quo than to demonstrate in favour of it.
He fell more students than those present shared his views.
April 9, 1968
Opinions expressed in Salient are not necessarily those of VUWSA.
Monopoly control of the campus media is potentially dangerous. The question of some form of check to Salient's power thus arises frequently.
Cyclosryled newsheets, both unofficial and published by clubs, are possible and frequent at Victoria, but Salient has a financial and institutional backing sufficient to make it more influential than any other feasible publication.
As an editorial in 1954 said, "The student paper is the last remnant of the much-vaunted principle of the freedom of the Press. . . . It must be a vehicle to every shade of opinion . . . 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".
Because it is useless to say things most people already know or believe, a student paper tends to select the controversial rather than the mundane, the extreme rather than the moderate. From this often stems the bias which is so often a target of criticism.
But there is another type of bias in a good student newspaper—the conscious use of the "power of the Press". This must be used responsibly, because it can at times be a decisive power, but it must be used by the Press—by the editor and staff of the newspaper. Its use in any instance is, of course, open to criticism. The newspaper's duty to use it on occasion is undeniable.
The feeling about Salient, as about the NZBC, is that it should not use its power, simply because its power is appreciable.
Castration is an effective remedy for virility. But as the NZBC shows so well it is a rather sterile remedy. Salient channels its virility into seduction of the student mind with its non-news pages, attempting the impartility of abstinence from opinion only in news, that is in the facts it publishes about student and university affairs.
People expect absolute impartiality as little as they expect an absolute vacuum, but as for some purposes it is reasonably expected that an attempt be made to make a vacuum, so for some purposes it is reasonable to expect an attempt at impartiality.
News reporting is such a purpose, but the features, reviews, and other artistic and semi-artistic creations are inherently opinionated.
The success of the attempted impartiality in news, and the direction and extent of bias in the rest of the paper are determined by the writers and the editor. Machinery to inhibit their freedom would be as unsuccessful as it would be unacceptable. The ideal student newspaper expresses the personalities of the participants—including the members of the University as well as the editor and staff. It does this in much the same way as the ideal film expresses the personalities of its director, actors and other participants. The material in both cases is given, be it the basic script of the film, or the news, reviews, features, and so on which are a student newspaper.
Selection, sub-editing, and layout of contributions is not only bound to be, but should be affected by the people responsible for these essentially creative activities.
Editor : Bill Logan.
Telephone 70-319 (S.U.B.) or 60-084 (Home).
Associate Editor : Nevil Gibson.
Chief Sub-editor : Don Hill.
Advertising Manager : Henry Newrick.
Telephone 55-922 (Work) or 26-260 (Home).
Senior Sub-editors: Junior Sub-editors: Sports Editor: Political Editor: Literary Editor: Features Editor: Religious Editor: Contributing Editors: Reviews: Administration Officer: Business Manager: Photographers: Exchanges: Reporters: Typists: Proof Readers: Cartoonists:
Reporters Are Expected To Attend.
News Conferences At 5 p.m. Every Tuesday.
There will be an additional meeting of all Salient staff and other interested people to discuss possible changes in policy on Wednesday after Easter at 2 p.m.
Sir—you slate in your Domino theory editorial that "the real tragedy is just that the policy (of America in Vietnam) has failed." Only three lines before that you stated that that policy "is inspired by misguided self-interest and executed with bumbling atrocity". Surely it is no tragedy when a policy with these as its main characteristics fails. This sounds more like poetic justice to me. Every sane and decent person applauds the fact that it has failed, applauds the fact that for some period a portion of those suffering under that policy will cease to suffer, and applauds the fact that Lyndon Baines Johnson, satisfied with having earned the reputation of the worst and most deceitful U.S. president of this century, has at last heard the cries of the dying and of the growing numbers of protesters.
You also speak absurdly of the results of American victory in Vietnam and suggest that under a stable right-wing regime "a few of the Vietnamese people would have been satisfied and the vast apolitical majority acquiescent". You think that after Diem, after all the outside interference and oppression. after Ky and Thieu, after napalm, after phosphorous and anti-personnel bombs, after seeing homes and childrens' faces reduced to charcoal . . . after seeing "the moral, cultural and economic lifeblood of Vietnam sucked dry" that the vast majority of the people of South Vietnam would be "apolitical" and "acquiescent"?
You then sum up your ignorance by suggesting under a right-wing government of any sort "the real business of living would have gone on". Vietnam has had many right-wing governments and the injustices were so great, the wealth was concentrated in the hands of so few and the majority of the population so poor that revolution was the result.
So basically this part of your editorial says two things; firstly, that the peoples of South Vietnam would accept a right-wing government of some sort after it had won the war, secondly, that people who are being bombarded with the most atrocious war methods in the world, maltreated by the worst political methods in the world, under the worst social conditions in the world do not realise the horror of their condition and they have very few ideas about their future and how it should be conducted.
Its only a humble opinion, but firm convictions on these two things by the South Vietnamese and their determination not to make any compromise on them seem to me to be important reasons for the continuing horror in Vietnam.
[The basic difference between Mr. Smith and myself is that I believe that the Right acts in good faith. It may well be that there are faults in its policies which doom them to failure.—ed.]
Sir—As a student of journalism. I can tell
If he has any valid criticism to make of the conference, why doesn't he make it instead of stooping to the emotional tactics he accuses them of?
Sir—It is good to see a cookery column, but the advice re cooking vegetables recently was somewhat misleading.
I agree that the water should be boiled first, but salt should be from to Ɛ teaspoon for each pound of vegetable. (Mental visions of people using up the whole shaker prompted me to add this!)
Use as little water as possible. Minerals, certain vitamins, and the natural vegetable sugar essential to the flavour dissolve in the water. Therefore the more that is used the more of these that will dissolve.
The idea is to put about ƈ to 1 in. of water in the pan. Boil, then add vegetables. These will cook in the steam because there is not much water. Thus the vitamins etc. are saved. (Remember to put on the lid!)
And last—if you do use too much water, save it for use in soups or cocktails. Is delish!
Sir—I wish to disclaim any connection with the activities of
Although on a very few matters we may hold the same views, we definitely do not have the same motivations.
It is also emphasised that the march organised by the V.U.W. Friends of Vietnam, supporting the South Vietnamese, and opposing the V.U.W. Vietnam Peace Committee demonstration, had no connection in any way with Wedderspoon's deputation to the Prime Minister.
Sir—May I through you, sir, address your columnist Outside Left: Look, Sonny, I would say, when you're reached your 12-year reading levels you'll be able to read and understand the correspondence columns of Salient for yourself. But I will tell you now: Bruce Mason stated clearly in his letter that Act was breaking even. (Pause for prayer and thanksgiving.)
Also, when you grow up and go to university you will learn to compare like with like; then you will know not to compare the ratio of advertising to text in four copies of Act with one copy of N.Z. Stage. For your information, this was the last one and Stage has this year been incorporated in Act.
The time and place to complain of the make-up of the accounts of an organisation is at their annual meeting, not in an unsigned column in a contemporary publication. If Outside Left is so concerned about ACT, why does he not offer his service in obtaining more advertising for them, whipping up circulation, proof-reading etc.?
Sir—
Sir—If Mr. Jennings had read my letter carefully he would have realized that I did not miss his point that the spiritual part of one's nature cannot be isolated from one's whole personality. What I was trying to say when I mentioned dentistry was that if one is prepared to devote one's life to the care of the spiritual needs, or teeth, or whatever do not exist. I agree that spiritual needs are difficult to define and that they cannot be dealt with in isolation from a person's character, circumstances etc., but at the same time I do not suppose that Mr. Jennings goes to a chiropodist to have his teeth attended to.
It seems that Mr. Jennings and I do agree that the Church is not indispensable within the university, though I must own to being a little suspicious of his term "total participation". Mr. Jennings will have to define his term "total participation" before he can ask others to agree that only this is worthwhile.
My remark that wisdom is not acquired by anyone lacking a sound not joyous Christian faith was made in the first place to indicate that I am a Christian, and secondly and more importantly, because I considered that Mr. Jennings was guilty of watering down Christianity to suit the agnostics in his congregation and at the university, in saying that wisdom is the only end in life, Let me affirm that wisdom is a by product of a life lived in accordance with Christian principles and that only such a faith can give the humility and perspective necessary for the acquisition of wisdom. If Socrates, Job, Buddha, or any other non-Christians were wise, then may I be impertinent enough to ask how much wiser they would have been had they been Christians? After all, Mr. Jennings, Job himself said: "The fear of the Lord, that is wisdom". (Job 28: 28).
Sir—It seems the new N.C.C. chaplain, the Rev. Peter Jennings has a penchant for playing with arbitrary definitions so that he may be wrongly quoted in part.
To make the rather naive point that he would like to see the church in a more active role in the University than merely administering to souls (the mereness of this role seeming to follow another well. known pop theologician*, Prolessor Geering), he has so confused his reporter as to have him think that man has no spiritual need whatsoever.
To say that the only measurable property of man, or the University, or whatever, is that he is man, or the University, or whatever, is to reduce one's powers of observation to such a basic level as to be useless However this revolutionary idea seems the only basis for deciding man's lack of spiritual need.
It seems man's chief end is now wisdom, not an essentially new idea. However, the relationship between wisdom, moral calibre and works (without which wisdom/faith is dead) is not clear, or are professorial deviations excused by that other arbitrary definition academic freedom?
Perhaps next week's exercise is to play with definitions of the word "spiritual".
* theologian-magician.
[I think you will find Mr. Jennings was not wrongly) quoted—ed.]
dear ed.,
why "ed", not "Ed".
When you exercise your right of reply to this please capitalise yourself.
Yours,
Ned.
[No.—ed.]
On receiving the draft notice, the resister should stop washing, cat very little and drfnk rivers of whisky—for about three weeks. Three days before the physical, he ceases to cat and sleep. On the night before he eats the white of three dozen eggs. Next morning he washes and shaves.
There will be severe rashes all over his body (apparently nervous shingles), an onimous gastric refrain, and his urinalysis will be appalling. The egg bestow albuminuria: a frequent adjunct of long term alcoholism. There will also be symptoms of brain and kidney damage.
The effects last about three days.
Frank discussions between rival groups at the demonstration last week were inhibited.
One demonstrator was checked from completing a particularly spicy compliment By the flared nostrils of the law at his cheek.
Smelling the old spice perhaps?
"That New Zealand sever its official links with the British Crown and become a Republic." This remit was lost by six votes to five—in the Executive of the V.U.W. Students' Association.
Some lecturers have been going over time. In New Zealand History I several students have complained about the lecturer continuing for up to 10 minutes after the correct time.
If it is rudeness for a student to enter a lecture late it is rudeness for a lecturer to make students late for their next lecture.
At the Law Faculty Club A.G.M. last Tuesday night a motion deploring the University Vietnam Peace Committee's march and disociating the faculty from it was rejected by 35 voles to seven.
How about some sort of campaign against couples, one in particular, who insist on parading themselves around the campus rolled up in each other's arms as if life is a perpetual three-legged race, Tender, heart-rending scenes in the caf are also visually nauseous. It's like eating stew on a battlefield. . . .
Second night of Extrav is for students only. No Mummies or Daddies. By reducing the prices for that night EXTRAV hopes to fill the place with a really wild audience. Anyway it should be a better way to spend ANZAC evening than going to the R.S.A. concert.
Seems Dr. Sutch, as well as Prof. Roberts, threatened withdrawal from the P.P.P. Conference if there were to be any demonstrations. He also said he was sure Profs. O'Brien and Fitzgerald would withdraw it they should find out.
Has anyone noticed the way the new editor holds his news Conferences? Sitting on the top of the highest piece of furniture in Salient room benignly ruling over his fellow students. Oh my God!!
Vic. students who feel that the university is confusing and/or that there are too many notices about the campus should take a stroll around the University of Auckland, where the photographs above were taken.
Unfortunately, the classic notice around was unable to be photographed.
It was on a rubbish truck which frequented
An insurance scheme and proposals relating to the development of the Student Health Service are being discussed by the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Deans.
One of the proposals provides for a second full-time doctor who will join the service early in May, and a second nurse.
If the insurance scheme is adopted those students wishing to use the service will pay an insurance fee similar to the University of Canterbury where the charge is $2 a year.
"But as yet the University Council has received no recommendation from the committee." the Director of Student Welfare Services, Mr.
He told Salient it was unlikely any changes would he introduced this year.
At present students pay nothing for the general medical service.
The University contribution for 1968 has been estimated at $11,775.
"In 1964 it was about $1,000 Mr. Boyd said "This shows how successful the service has been."
When the scheme was first started the University did not expect a great success or the need to develop its services.
The cost of providing the service was now far above expectations.
The Health Department also contributed to the service— this year about $7,000.
"At the University of Canterbury the Health Department still provides the same contribution per service as at present." Mr. Boyd said.
The insurance scheme, if introduced, would be available to all students whose homes are outside the Wellington, Hutt Valley and Porirua suburban areas but all firstyear students would still be offered a free medical interview.
Mr. Boyd said those who did not join the scheme would not be able to use the service, unless they paid at current rates—$1 every visit.
The student representative on the University Council Mr. - rably remaining at nothing at all.
"But it now costing a lot of money" he said. "It is more important that the service be developed and that students make contributions rather than not develop the service"
He said fees at Victoria were the lowest of the large universities in New Zealand and an insurance scheme could he take in the manner of compulsory student union fee.
"In 1968 the use of our service will reach a maximum and further expansion will be governed by student population increase," the Medical Director of Student Health, Dr.
He said the university's first endeavour should be to fully examine its responsibilities and determine whether it was making the most effective use of resources.
The Student Association president, Mr.
"We have to face the fact that we do need an extra doctor. We have no option but to look round for the best way to pay for him."
He said he would rather see extra finance collected on an insurance basis than as part of Student Asociation fees.
Victoria University students will pay extra only for textbooks imported after dedevalution, three Wellington booksellers said this week.
The new prices have been decided according to a schedule fixed by the Association of Booksellers of New Zealand.
Books at the lower prices had been put out on the shelves to be sold first.
Two copies of the same book were put on the shelves at different prices if it was unavoidable one department manager said.
Another manager said about 40 percent of his stock at the beginning of the year was at pre-devaluation prices.
Devaluation accounted for 20 perecent, and higher shipping costs for 5 percent of the total price increase on books from America and Australia.
Students had been buying their books at a much slower rale this year, one assistant said.
Normally students bought all the necessary books at one time but now it looked as if buying might be spread out over the year, he said.
Three major fields of enquiry are opened up in considering the Vietnam protest movement in New Zealand.
First—who are the protesters and what is the protest movement?
Second—what are the protesters saying?
Third—what does the movement achieve?
This article examines the protest movement—the backdrop to a discussion of its impact and attitudes.
Like so many other phases of the anti status quo protest movements, the Wellington Committee on Vietnam (COV) is vindicated by a clearer perception of what it was all about. Mythology and misty memories are the main record of too many of the earlier phases in New Zealand's intellectual fashions. As a result, those who would detract from the legitimate exercise of protest as shown by the COV and its intellectual, emotional and ideological antecedents do so without telling and informed rebuttals.
The protesters have a wide range of talents and backgrounds. It was partly because their first chairman of the Wellington COV was such a personable chap and partly because so many different people disliked the war that the COV developed its broad base.
He lectured, and still does in Polynesian studies at the Wellington Teachers College.
One of the advantages of the Kowhai Road site for the Wellington Teachers College is that it encourages an active exchange between University and Training College Students and Staff. This was the climate in which the protest movement erupted forth in May and June of 1965. The COV formed in response to its assessment that Government was planning to send troops to join the American quagmire in Vietnam. The protesters felt the Government was under pressure from the United States, and that Government had a distorted view of the Asian scene.
The initial burst of protest grew on the decaying remnants of older and more experienced grass roots political movements. The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament was one of the important roots of protest. Unfortunately, no one has exhaustively documented its life, but by the time the Vietnam protest had developed CND had passed its peak. It seems CND was very similar to the COV in the way in which it drew diverse groups and individuals together. CND reached its death bed in the same way that the COV will approach its own shortly, not because the urgency of the issue has gone, but partly because it develops broader acceptance of its goals and does itself out of a job partly because the initial fright passed, and partly because no two people seem to be able to patch up all their differences all the time—even though married.
The groups subscribing to the central COV aim of objection to participation by New Zealand in the War in Vietnam were diverse and not always compatible. It was their common concern at the war which patched over most of their differences. They recognised too, that their differences were being exploited by those who wanted to see their very central point obscured and abandoned.
Separately, most of the groups identifiable had come in for their share, and more, of abuse in their lives. CND brought a measure of experience of political protest to the COV. Its legacies were bequeathed in the form of contacts with different people likely to have strong feelings about Vietnam, and in the form of knowledge of certain proceedures such as how to respond to Police practice and possible infringements of civil liberties.
The COV needed this type of experience to advise it. for it grew in a hostile climate.
First there was Government, whose view of the Vietnam war the COV challenged. Never before in New zealand had public opinion erupted in such a dramatic and persistent way on a foreign policy issue. Government's defence mechanisms opened up at National Party figures swung to the loyalty of the protesters.
There was the comment of Mr. Talboys, Minister of Agriculture "there are faces and names . . . .
"I am not saying that all of them are Communists or all of them are pacifists, but I am saving that the Communists and pacifists support them all the time".
Mr. Holyoake made his contribution:
"When the question was raised the Communist Party . . . protested against the sending of troops to Vietnam. The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament passed similar motions. Where did it get its inspiration from? The Peace Council passed similar motions. Where did its inspiration come from? The anti-American groups and the anti-New Zealand Government groups passed motions . . ."
Following Government's hostile lead came the automatic responses of the RSA whose antiquated view of NZ's foreign policy problems required that they spy internal subversion in NZ. "The Communists in the universities have not got the support of the people," said one
The newspapers had to be bullied and trapped into carrying news of the protest as an exercise in legitimate dissent. "Beardies and weirdies", they echoed after Mr.
For a country so nominally wedded to principles of free speech and assembly, New Zealand has a maze of restrictions on protest which only the most experienced of dissenters could pick through. The Police were not above suspicion for partisan opposition to the right to protest, nor were the laws which back them.
The Security Service, with a traditional veil of secrecy shrouding its initiated activities, east the fear of the unknown into protesters who were nurtured on the legacy of innocence deprived rumouring through the radical community.
City Councils required considerable cajoling before processions, unity conferences of the protest movement, received permission to be held in main street.
Even the traditionally innocuous Post Office showed fangs when some of its zealous regulation men fell under suspicion for interfering with Her Majesty's protest mails.
Whilst these responses to the protest were unpalatable, they helped knit the movement together. But it was basically the feeling of common cause that led so many diverse groups under the same banner.
Reasons for opposing the war were as numerous as the groups involved, perhaps as numerous as the thousands of individuals involved.
From the universities, the training colleges and the various groupings throughout the community came a base, knitted together by overlapping contacts, that sustained the protest movement.
The Churches associated themselves with the protest, causing stresses within religious ranks, but a valuable focal point for their liberal members. For such a small body Christian Pacifists were proportionately highly represented in the COV Clergy and laity From other churches were Found in prominent roles in the protest, but tended more than most groups to voice opinions independent of the COV.
Increasing church involvement in protests may be explained by the fact that in 1965, the National Council of Churches set up a Church Commission on International Affairs, legitimising interest in foreign policy among affiliates. The image of respectability provided by the clerics has been conciously used as a defence mechanism by the protesters.
Unions too, came out in protest. Like the churches in more ways than one, they had factional problems and a past to overcome. A decade ago, one participant said, union leaders would have supported a Vietnam war stand like the New Zealand Government's today.
Public Service Association politicians also joined the protest, and paid for the privilege by rumblings in the ranks.
The Womens' International League for Peace and Freedom, a small group of well meaning women provided another recruiting centre for the protesters, a recruitment process that required no canvasses but worked as the medium carried the message through the community.
The United Nations Association, cherishing its resportability, kept the COV at arms length, but provided yet another arena for the cross fertilisation that followed the protest.
The Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation, little more than a still born COV in the NZ context ushered some protesters in as it ushered itself out.
The Wellington Peace Council, never clearly disassociated from the image of its predecessors, threw itself into a sectarian form of Vietnam protest.
The Auckland based Medical Aid Committee, which caused a Parliamentary storm over the export of overseas funds to the NLF had little early contact with the COV, partly because its scope was limited. But like so many other phases of the protest it gradually merged some of its activities and personnel with the COV and side kicks.
Associated with the Wellington based COV were protest organisations in over twenty other centres, including the main centres. The tone and structure of these organisations differed, but all were able to find common cause when occasion demanded.
The other group and movements described above, were the links betwen the COV and the Vietnam protesters throughout New Zealand. As time passed, the COV developed its own organisational contact with other centres,
A spasmodic contact had always existed with the protest movements abroad, but at no time has this link been used so exhaustively as it was in organising the recent "Peace, Power and Politics in Asia" Conference.
These contacts abroad, so far as the Wellington COV was concerned in its early years, never led to any meaningful communication with North Vietnam.
It did, however, lead to considerable attention being Focused on the Americans, whose Government was attacked for its foreign policy by some, and its general values by others. Accusations that the COV was antiAmerican are unfair unless precisely directed.
For example, Auckland sections of the New Zealand Communist Party indulged in what Maurice Shadbolt, author and a critic of the war called "an orgy of antiAmericanism".
But even the Communists split over this approach. The Socialist Unity Party breakaway from the Communist Party of NZ moderated its criticism to focus on US foreign policy as distinct from American life.
The Communists involvement in the protest movement was nothing nearly so significant as public hysteria would have indicated. Communists were often regarded in the COV as 'the kiss of death', but tolerant values of early COV leaders, allowed Communists their place in the movement so long as they accepted the movement's own goals.
Poet
The mere presence of Communists in the protest movement caused the Labour Party to back off from the COY. Labour is embarrassed by the Communist kiss. A price paid by the COV for co-existing with communists was this official rejection by Labour, although inevitably individual Labour members associated with the protest.
These contacts made the COV a very broadly based movement, involving about a thousand people directly in Wellington, and thousands more through the press. It was led by a duly elected executive whose factional problems have not prevented its continued existence, but have embittered many good men in the COV and beyond.
Executive factions partly reflect personality problem, partly the secterianism in the protest ranks.
The protesters were numerous, the movement a communications network between them.
It would be unfail in say that Mr.
In a sweeping survey of world history he blamed European influence for all African and Asian problems at the opening of the Peace, Power and Politics conference.
Mr
Under Krishna Menon's influence, the Indian armed forces ceased to be one of Asia's most powerful defence systems.
They lapsed into ludicrous incapacity.
They were reduced in power to a point where the only enemies they could defeat were tiny enclaves such as Goa, Daman or Diu.
Their only other function was to enforce Mr. Nehru's will on the subject people of Kashmir.
When India was attacked by China, Mr. Menon's army was utterly defeated. It was defeated because for years Menon emphasised that the threat to India came from the Western nations, not China.
Krishna Menon is no longer Indian Defence Minister. No longer needed by the Indian people, who have lost their faith in China, he remains willing to assure us of China's friendly intentions.
Menon was introduced to the conference by Mrs.
She then explained the difference between N.Z. Finance Minister Muldoon's "attempted supression" of the conference, and President Ho Chi Mind's order that the penalty for criticism of his regime was death.
The Conference delegates learned, in respectful silence, of the infinitely greater freedom of speech obtaining in Hamoi than in Wellington.
Speaking, he said, as "a back number in public life, representing nobody", he gave his own unique interpretation of world history, roaming from the origins of the present tribal war in Nigeria—caused, he said, by Jack Hawkins and Queen Elizabeth I—to Talleyrand at the congress of Vienna. From Talleyrand he went to Commodore Perry and the Opening of Japan, and from Japan swept through Asia.
Blaming Hawkins for carrying slaves from Nigerian ports, he ignored the fact that Arab slavers depopulated entire regions of Africa in their efforts to sell them.
Menon described the Arab states as suffering "aggression'' from Israel. "Whether they were democratic or not, they were nations", said Menon. He then outlined Arab justifications for perpetrating another Auschwitz in a genocidal attack on Israel.
Passing briefly over the character of Sir Winston Churchill—"the greatest war-maker in the world"— Menon moved on to some views on the press. "Freedom of the press—freedom for the owners, huh", left his audience in no doubt of the more democratic aspect of a press controlled by the government
"Economic penetration means political power: today the empires are trying to come back, they are ripping into our entrails."
This declaration was swiftly followed by an appeal for aid, from, of course, the USA.
"Aid is not charity. Aid is rarely the repayment of plunder taken from poorer nations." The amount of plunder America had taken from India was not mentioned.
The underlying theme in Menon's speech, more basic than resentment, was hatred.
It was all too clear that this man resented being beholden to European civilisation for his country being dragged out of the gutter of human backwardness.
The feeling expressed by Menon when he said: "People would sooner have their own bad government than other people's good government" has been common at the Peace, Power and Politics Conference.
Until the petty nationalism exemplified by Menon is swept away,Asia will remain a child biting the hand that feeds her. Luckily for Asia, Krishna Menon is, in his own words, "representing nobody" in his anthem of hate.
By A Public Servant
The latest figures for overseas exchange transactions published by the Reserve Bank should scotch once and for all the argument (advanced frequently by people who should know better) that there is no connection between the internal and external economies.
It is pretty obvious from the figures to the end of February that the Government's internal deflationary policies are paying off in the way they were intended to —by a distinct improvement in the balance of payments.
For the year ended February 1968, the current account deficit on cash transactions through the banking system has fallen from a mammoth $100 million to a still unduly large but vastly improved $45 million. The salient feature of this improvement is the decline of more than $100 million in overall import payments for the year.
This can be directly attributed to the scries of measures, culminating in devaluation last November, introduced by the Government over the last twelve months to clamp down on activity in the internal economy.
The success of Government policy will also bolster the arguments of New Zealand's economic radicals who want to replace the existing system of partial quantitative control over imports with a comprehensive tariff stricture. These controls at present cover some 60 per cent of the value of New Zealand's imported goods.
One of the arguments advanced by economic orthodoxy in favour of the licensing system is that it is a useful weapon in defence of the balance of payments: this appeals to people who believe that the best way to stop people buying imports is, well, to stop them buying imports—rather than by restraining overall expenditure, as has been done with marked success over the last few months. It may seem peculiar to describe the tariff advocate as a radical—but New Zealand's mercantilist policies of protetion since the 1930's certainly qualify him as a critic of the conventional wisdom.
The tariff argument can be seen in its most protean form in the views advanced from time to time by Lincoln's Professor Philpott: you set a flat tariff over all of New Zealand industry—high enough to reflect the extra social value you place on earning, or saving, foreign exchange —and if an industry cannot survive with this price protection, you let it go to the wall and use the resources more efficiently elsewhere.
More sophisticated forms of the Philpott thesis incorporate different levels of tariff for different industrial sectors, to allow some extra protection For favoured young industries, or to fit in with regional manufacturing agreements.
This view would have the private support of a Wide range of Government economists—with the notable exception of the Industries and Commerce Department, whose empire would suffer considerably if it did not have import licensing to administer. Support could also be expected from some manufacturers, some elements in both National and Labour parlies, and—with the public and vocal exceptions of Dr.
Behind the differing opinions are some mights guesses about what de-restriction of imports might do to New Zealand's ecomomy and, possibly more basically, differing social philosophies about the proper course for New Zealand's future economic and social development.
Those in favour of de-restriction argue that now we have a modest industrial base, admittedly stimulated by quantitative protection, we need a basis for selecting future high-growth industries which does not depend upon administrative decision.
Some of the supporters also probably believe that our future lies in regional trading arrangements—that economic autarchy for New Zealand is a pipe-dream, and that we will never reduce our overseas trade to a significantly lower portion of our national income.
The opposing view is more subtle, but in its way appealing to nationalist sentiment. Behind Dr. Sutch's economic views, for example, is the belief that New Zealand has its own unique destiny, and that it should maintain and develop an economic system which will permit it to follow this destiny without succumbing to the inhibiting pressures of the outside world.
Dr. Sutch argues that import control is essential to the preservation of full employment which, he says, has had a profound and on the whole benign influence on this secure and egalitarian society. Those in favour of import control argue also that we can have growth behind the wall, and that this basically depends upon broadening the base of our growth so that we are no longer Subject to the vagaries of fluctuations in prices for a few major pastoral exports.
Those on the other side of the fence would agree whole-heartedly that we should expand our industrial base. But they argue that there is an economic limit beyond which industrialisation can only be achieved at the cost of more profitable opportunities elsewhere. They would also maintain that import control has relied upon industrial development to substitute for imports on the domestic market, rather than to provide new export opportunities. World markets would enable larger sales which could be produced at lower unit cost.
So far import protection has if anything increased our dependence on primary export earnings to maintain a reasonable rate of economic growth.
The composition of imports has shifted steadily toward raw materials and capital goods: a major effort to reimpose comprehensive licensing in an effort to restrict the growth in imports would mostly affect those imports which we add value to in New Zealand—and would thus have a profound effect on production and employment in this country.
Those of the restrictionists who concede that internal demand does affect the balance of payments would argue that without quantitative controls you have to reduce internal demand to such a level that you drive people out of work.
In theory, of course, a tariff-based system could provide the Same protection as import licensing—but the point is that it shouldn't. Tariff supporters would argue that the present stringent measures are due to exceptional circumstances, and that it is quite possible to maintain full employment without import controls it you have a reasonable level of overseas currency reserves to buffer you against short-term external fluctuations.
Recently the Monetary and Economic Council has reached the view that a better balance in the labour market can be achieved with a reasonable policy of job relocation, short-term in-job training etc. on the Swedish model.
However the controls-tariffs argument is resolved, we are unlikely to maintain the present half-pied system in its present state.
Both the Prime Minister, Mr.
The Government is obviously unwilling to put it quite this way, but there are mounting pressures on it to decide just what framework it wants for New Zealand's development: and in making decisions of this sort it cannot avoid considering the pros and cons of the great but rather muffled, debate.
The festival of the "Troppoes" is to be tonight. We are all greatly interested, though for my own part interest is tempered with some measure of disgust at the way they regard our people as a frivolous race of jokesters.
Many of the more responsible among us are perturbed at the number of our people who have publicly declared that this is our ancestral homeland, and who have settled in as entertainers, charging money for their puerile tricks. Others (mostly magicians) are more respectable, performing useful works such as accelerated agriculture. What we find most disturbing is that all concerned seem to charge money for their services. Terrible! It will give our people a reputation as usurers and as clowns . . . in short, the unwanted scum of humanity. This must on no account be permitted to continue!
We are waiting in a large natural amphitheatre, situated in a Troppo worm-farm. Almost all of our people is here: there can be less than two score and ten who are not present. Also there is perhaps twice our number in aboriginals. comprising perhaps half of their total number. I am not happy here—they outnumber us two to one; it only at their indulgence that we stay. It is inconceivable that they should turn on us and massacre us all in our bed; but we have no right in this valley; we are supernumerary to their culture. Sparadrap agrees with me. which is unusual in these times. He is beginning, he says, to think of moving on.
Here there is a lacuna in Ocarina's manuscript.
With a long ballad, concerning the hero Baxobiscum, how he rescued the "Troppoes" from abysses after a giant earthquake had plunged into chasms all but himself. (My spine shivers!) He employed ropes made from creepers, threw oneend into an abyss, and pulled mightily on the other end. His people emerged. After his death, his fellowmen, curiously enough, made an effigy of him in stone, which itself was shattered by another earthquake, and its replacement totally destroyed by yet another earthquake. (A dangerous spot, this.) It is curious that these earthquakes were attributed by the Troppoes to chance (or to their equivalent of it, which they call Fortune). They do not seem to understand that their earthquakes represent abscesses on the left thigh of the earth, caused in all probability by the fleas of the earth, who are the Troppoes (ourselves possibly being the lice, though our magicians are not yet certain of it).
Cantilever has stood up and advised the Troppoes to build their fires on rocks, not on tender pieces of sand, if they wish their earthquakes to cease. The ballad obviously caused in him the same thoughts that grew in my own mind!
Following that thought-provoking piece, there was a long succession of bawdy songs, telling of the triumph of cuckoldry, and other such trivial matters. None of those songs is worth commenting on. These lasted for two days after which the audience retired in order to sleep. Today we assembled once more; the programmes is of adventure and of the exploits of the Troppoes. They, like ourselves, are a lonely people; rarely do they meet one of another race. Therefore it was with a special interest that we listened to a recent poem which represented the Troppo as a beehive, visited by a lone dragonfly in search of its father. A great clamour arose among us upon the completion of this song (in which the dragonfly departed towards noon). Sparadrap is having a hasty meeting with Phenobarbara, that he may better ascertain the truth underlying this tale.
I am told that Phenobarbara has approached the Troppoes concerning the poem of which I have spoken; they answer in riddles, saying. The bee buzzes. Drunken fools! Suddenly our people have become alive with wonder, wanting to meet once more the 881 of us who have been separated. We must take advantage of this opinion to get under way once more; otherwise, I foresee that we may stay here forever, because of permissiveness and leisure. But there can be no comfort in a strange place.
Sparadrap agrees! Himself, myself, Cantilever, and Ottoman are canvassing among our people, saying that the poem shows us it is now time to leave. On all tongues there lies the question: who was the singly dragonfly that came to this valley looking for our ancestral home? Why did he leave the remainder of the other group—purposefully or mistakenly? Perhaps they came to harm, or were attacked by those who long ago drove us from our homeland.
Some do not wish to leave. Cantilever has spoken to many of our people—half wish to stay, he reports. This is terrible! At a time such as this when our racial identity is deeply aroused and so many stay, then how many will wish to continue with our search while forgetfulness overcomes them? A sad day for our people.
Sparadrap announced a meeting today for us all. Sixty were absent: shocking! Peccadillo and Cumulonimbus have not been seen for more than sixteen days. Nenuphar (in whom I am taking a more than fatherly interest) is downhearted at the loss of his brother: he is certain that they will never meet again. At the meeting Sparadrap said that we must continue on our way. Dozens begged refusal; perhaps they can be talked into agreement with us. But what of those who were absent? Sparadrap concluded by setting a day six days from today as the day on which we shall depart. He is pessimistic; resigned to the fact that some will not accompany us. he contents himself with the thought that perhaps when we have found our ancestral home, they will hear of our good fortune, and rejoin us there. Our people are headstrong; it is impossible to persuade them to do what they do not wish to; therefore we leave—at least a hundred of us—in seven days' time.
Now it is beginning to emerge that a number of surreptitious liaisons have been formed. Sparadrap reports that he has been approached by a number of our people wanting to bring with them Troppo women (or men). He reasons as follows: If I do not allow them to bring with them these strangers, then they will not come at all; the numbers of the strangers are not such that our racial identity will be swamped or our long-established customs usurped; therefore the strangers may come. Though for my own part I entertain several reservations, I hold with his reasoning. Ottoman emphatically disagrees, his thesis being that only the pure may come. Otherwise, he argues, we may arrive at our ancestral home only to find none of our people remain, if we are to continue gathering strange tribes along the way.
We are to meet at midnight to argue further on this matter.
We have met. Sparadrap has his way; but Ottoman is hardly on speaking terms with him.
One of the most-recorded works in gramophone history is Dvoraks New World Symphony—the catalogues overflow with dozens of different versions by every orchestra under the sun.
In England in 1967 Decca didn't just release one new recording, they went one step better and issued two!
Istvan Kertesz and the London Symphony completed their set of Dvorak symphonies and Antal Dorati put the New Philharmonic through its paces on the Phase Four Stereo Concert Series.
Unfortunately, so far none of the Kertesz symphonies have been released out here, but here's hoping they will be. I have often lamented the manner in which these wonderful works have been neglected.
We have to be content with the Phase Four one (PPSM 34125). A straightforward account, very good orchestral work, and a brilliant recording. It you haven't a recording it is well worth buying, but if you have a dated version and are wanting a new one, I would recommend waiting a few months in the hope that HMV (NZ) Ltd. will see fit to press the Kertesz one —I have been lucky enough to hear an English pressing of this most impressive version and it certainly justifies a release here.
The latest and brightest star on the international scene is, without doubt, Daniel Barenboim, a 24-year old Israeli, born in Buenos Aires.
At this comparatively tender age he has possibly the most arduous line-up of proposed recordings of all pianists—the 32 Beetnoven Sonatas, two Brahms concertos with Barborolli and the New Philharmonic, and most promising of all—the complete Mozart piano concertos with himself conducting the English Chamber Orchestra.
The first of the Mozart has just been released—No. 20 in D. Minor K460 and No. 23 in A Major K488 (HMV ASDM 2318). The sleeve note says "it was Fischer who first inspired Barenhoim with the idea of conducting Mozart from the keyboard", and a practice that has spelt doom for lesser musicians is a wholehearted success.
He shapes the phrases beautifully, has a good control over the orchestra, and above all his playing is superb. The beautiful Mozart concertos gently trickle through his gifted fingers. There are none of the flashy mannerisms of Bernstein's approach.
The recording is clear with a good tone. An outstanding beginning to a major series.
The Art of the Trumpeter: Music by Torelli, Marc-Antonie Charpentier, Attenburg, Handel and Others, with the Consortuim, conducted by Fritz Lehan (HMV HQS 1049 Stereo).
I don't like knocking champions of unknown music. However, the plain fact is that many of the works should have remained lost—they are not representative of the composer's best works.
Tar's playing is very good—a nice clean tone, especially in the higher register and excellent tongueing. However, much of his effort is wasted because of indistinct and muzzy recording.
In 1965, a new complete recording of Bach's "St. Matthew Passion" was issued by Decca, with Karl Munchinger conducting the Stuttgart Chamber orchestra.
As far as I know, it was not pressed in New Zealand but three years later HMV have released an outstanding single disc of excerpts.
The choice of arias and choruses gives a good allround resume of the work, but the only problem with the disc is that it makes one yearn for the complete set.
All soloists are good but the focal point is Peter Pears' excellent singing in the role of the Evangelist.
The Stuttgart Hymnic Boy's Choir deserve special mention. An excellent stereo recording with a good balance in the choral work. (Decca SXLM 6272 Stereo).
— Don Hewitson.
I am sure the renaisaance of American musical comedy has occurred in England with George Sidney's Half A Sixpence, Paramount's big Easter attraction.
It reeks, at times, of all the lushness and sentimentalisings one associates with An in musicals. So it is a welcome change to hard times in England to see malfunctions of the Hollywood oeuvres starting up, and one looks forward to the new big productions of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Goodbye Mr. Chips, Oliver! etc.
There hasn't been many English musical comedies, ever. Sidney Furie's two sleights before angular-distrophy set in, with Cliff Richard, various noisy trite things, which people like Michael Winner, John Boorman, and Richard Lester have risen above. And such rarities as Up Jumped a Swagman and Rhythm and Greens.
It took, therefore, one of America's veteran musical directors George Sidney (Showboat, Kiss Me Kate, Bye Bye Birdie, and The Swinger) to get Half A Sixpence off the ground.
Most people will turn away from it, and I don't blame them. Some will walk out before its 146 minutes are over. But I sat entranced, delighted by the new material —extraordinary crane shots, and hysterical "trombone" zooms during the dancing. Exterior period detail (Brighion?) and some of the most beautiful modulated colours I have ever seen, by photographer Geoffrey Unsworth. (Who, it is worth noting, is responsible for Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, which is due for Easter release overseas.)
Half A Sixpence is loosely based on H. G. Well's Kipps. Its all very cheery with Tommny Steele (who has turned out to be a surprisingly delightful comedian) and Julia Foster heading a large flamboyant cast.
The tunes are quite memorable (for the moment), compared to the biological slop of Dr. Dolittle. Its vigour seems to last forever. A stop motion/montage sequence, with fish jumps, the lot, is hilarious, remembering that this is what made The Swinger intensely likeable.
There's soft focus to melt the heart of any cinic, so go see the bloody thing.
— M. J. Heath.
Arianthe Garland as Cyrenne the prostitute and Waric Slyfield as Percy her customer bring an atmosphere of warmth and a touch of charm to Charles Dyer's The Rattle of a Simple man currently at Downstage.
Downstage since 1966 and his first since his appointment earlier this year as resident producer, has used his stage fully giving his cast patterns of movement noticeably lacking in some recent productions there.
In a realistic and stylish production he has drawn out all the implicit naivety and loneliness found in both characters. Cyrenne is a most unusual prostitute; her naivety is hardly sexual but lies in the fantasy world of Oxford degrees, wealthy parents, precocious childhood and is revealed as she is enmeshed in a web of necessary untruths.
Percy, middle-aged scout master, football fan, prude, and virgin also spins his share of untruths but lacks Cyrenne's finesse.
The couple appear to have little in common but their deceptions and these draw them together.
By contrast the brief scene between Cyrenne and Ricky her brother (
Mr. Johnstone uses a slight dimming of the lights to reinforce moments of intimacy and contrasts with the glare when their differing backgrounds are thrown into the open. Unfortunately this technique looses some of its effect in the realistic set.
Miss Garland's Cyrenne is a fascinating invention alternating with ease between the childish and the brassy. Waric Slyfield conveys successfully the prudishness and warmth of Percy.
The set (Cyrenne's basement flat) is essentially correct —the pin-ups, the toy dogs and the one modern painting reflect her conflicting worlds.
The Rattle of a Simple Man is a pleasant inoffensive comedy, well produced and deserves a good season.
An apology to Bruce Mason; his play Birds in the Wilderness reviewed in Salient (March 19) won the Auckland Arts Festival prize in 1958 not 1968 as printed.
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" Rattle Of A Simple Man"
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Dinner 7 p.m. Show 8.30 p.m.
Downstage gratefully acknowledges the support of the N.Z. Players Theatre Trust for sponsoring this production.
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Well the ship's doctor has checked and now it is official. The "Maori" is definitely pregnant.
The first inkling that the Union Steamship Company had that something strange had happened was when the "Wahine" suddenly and inexplicably disappeared from its moorings. Then Gus Plankton (who trained the two ships) noticed that the "Maori" was no longer discharging the small quantities of oil as had been her wont. Remembering that the two ships had been inadvertently moored together during a recent spell of rough weather Gus put two and two together and ordered the ferry into dry dock for a medical examination which confirmed his worst fears.
There were tears in his eyes as he spoke to me last night. "I told them" he sobbed, "but they wouldn't listen. They should never have entertained the idea of a roll-on roll-off ferry in the first place. Now that other flamin' smart alec has rolled on and rolled off and I doubt that we'll be seeing him again. But My 'Maori' I still can't believe it. She was a real nice kid until they decided to send her to Hong Kong. Giving her big ideas an' all. They were supposed to fit one of them things into her to protect her but they mustn't have. If that's their idea of a practical joke. . . .
From these statements it is easy to see why Gus was dragged screaming from the dry-dock at two o'clock this morning after having (in the terms used by the police sergeant) "tried to have a go with an oxyacetylene torch". He will appear in the Magistrate's Court next week on the epoch-making charge of "attempting to abort a ship".
As I stand here now in the shipyard watching the painters changing the "Maoris" plimsoll line to a Plunket line I can only see in my mind's eye a cute new ferry taking its first uncertain lurch towards Somes Island and hear the whirring of tiny propellers.
However, lest any South Island commuters should fear for the other two ferries, here is the last word from a Railways' spokesman. "The Aras can do what they bloody well like, they're sister-ships anyway".
Tournament prospects in volleyball are very good, with an exceptionally strong men's team who were third placegetters at the National Tournament held recently. The team is in a good position to challenge Canterbury who were last year's winners, and current National Champions.
The women's team is the strongest ever to represent Vic, and should be in peak form by Easter. The standard in both men's and women's competition's should be the highest yet attained at an Easter Tourney.
The Victoria University Surfriders Club, formed in April last year, has proved to be one of the most popular and enthusiastic Clubs in the University, boosting its membership from 50 to 100 this year, making it the third largest Sports Club.
Under President John O'Leary most of last year was spent in formulating a constitution, planning competitions and acquiring gear, regular club outings to Lyall and
Already this year, a formidable list of projects has been lined up. Last week the first club competition of the year was held at Otaki Beach to choose a three man team to represent the university in the Easter tournament at Castlepoint.
Response to the competition was phenomenal with over 60 surfers vieing for places in the team in which Andy Smythe, Hamish Niel and Dave Price (all 1st year students) were selected for tournament.
The first club trip is to be over Easter, it is intended to travel to Castlepoint to participate in the surfing at tournament and then move on to New Plymouth for a few days in some really good surf.
General policy is aimed towards having a competition on a monthly basis and a club trip around every 6 weeks.
These trips will take in places like Castlepoint. Cape Palliser and possibly Gisborne in study week. The competitions are aimed towards the presentation of a trophy at the end of the year to the top surfer in the club — the individual who has acquired the most points in the competitions.
This provides an incentive for members to compete and improve their surfing ability. The club is not restricted solely to experienced surfers it also caters for those who are only midly proficient or who cannot surf at all, as there are many willing tutors and one can always borrow a spare surfboard.
This year's tournament team was chosen from a series of races held at Eastbourne on the weekend of the 23-24th March.
The entries were not to the expected number due to several withdrawals at late notice— but the team chosen should perform fairly well.
The team led by last year's Cherub representative
Peter and Anderson sailing "Sans Fait Rien", have sailed together for several years now and should perform fairly well if the conditions are fresh winds.
Tournament yachting is to be sailed from the Wanganui Yacht Club who have offered the use of their facilities—and as strong competition is expected from Auckland and Canterbury the racing should prove to be exciting.
On Sunday, March 3, a great tragedy occurred. While preparing to coach the varsity rowing eight, Alan Boykett was drowned in a collision between the coaching runabout and another boat. Alan, although not a member of the Students' Association, had very generously agreed to cox and coach the varsity eight for Easter Tournament this year, and had unselfishly given his time to assist.
Alan was considered one of New Zealand's best coxswains, having coxed the New Zealand eight to victory at the Canadian Centenary Regatta, at the North American Championship, and in the recent test series against the Australians..
It is with very deep regret that everyone who in any way knew him feels his death. At 23, with prospects of a Gold Medal at the coming Olympics, Alan has lost a life of the very greatest quality.
The University Club could enter the relay events in this year's Wellington Centre swimming championships, as they were held in March instead of January.
The men's teams were narrowly beaten into fourth place in both the 4 × 1 lap freestyle and medley relays, while the girls were fortunate in that some of the stronger clubs in Wellington swimming did not have enough seniors to enter teams. The club teams beat Boy's Institute convincingly to win two titles Misses Marion Evans. Prue Brock. Liz Stanford, and Morna MacFarlane won the medley relay by five yards, and Misses
Miss
Although she is a medley specialist, her records in every event were within striking distance of N.Z. records.
Her 440 yds medley time of 5 min. 32.9 was only 0.9 of a sec. from the qualifying time for the Mexico Olympics. At Tournament (being held at Massey) there will be time trials for Pru. and the Club, and, no doubt, swimmers and students in general, hope to see her qualify for Mexico there.
On Monday. Tuesday and Wednesday of this week the International Affairs Sub-Committee is publicising Volunteer Service Abroad. Films will be shown, a panel discussion held, and lectures given.
For details see Newsheet.
Any interested in further information should see the V.S.A returnees who will be on duty between 10 a.m. and 4 pm. daily in the Student Association on foyer. Mr. Quarmby of V.S.A. will also be available in the Executive Room, just off the upstairs foyer, between 1 p.m and 5 p.m. on Wednesday.
9 a.m. 5 p.m. Executive Room. Volunteer Service Abroad
12-2 p.m. Common Common Room Films on Volunteer Service Abroad.
1-1.15 p,m. Quiet Room. University Prayers. Joint Religious Societies. One student leading with opperlunity for others to join in. All welcome.
7-11 p.m. common Common Room. Victoria University of Wellington Students' Association A.G.M. Constitutional amendments and general business will be discussed. All students are urged to attend.
8.20 a.m. Quiet Room. N.C.C. Chaplain celebrates Holy Communion.
9 a.m.-5 p.m. Executive Room. Volunteer Service Abroad.
12 noon. Quiet Room. Catholic society Mass.
12-1 p.m. Common Common Room. V.S.A. panel discussion with Sir Edmund Hillary, Sir Guy Powles, Mr. Skipper,
1 p.m. FORUM on SUB Lawn if fine, in Common Common Room if wet.
1-2 p.m. RB104. Rev.
1.10-2.00 p.m. Music Room. Music Society benefit concert. Music by Hadyn, Bee:hoven, Mozart. Played by
6-7 p.m. Quiet Room. Atheist Society AGM. All welcome.
7.30 p.m. H326. Maths and Physics Society, Prof.
7.30 p.m. Lecture Room, 3rd floor, new Met. Office, Kelburn. Physics Section of the Royal Society. "Meteorological observations from Satellites".
7.30 p.m. Men's Common Room. National Club SGM. Discussion of Remits (Vietnam. Rhodesia, links with Australia etc.) to be forwarded to Wellington Central Electorate AGM. All welcome.
8 p.m. H312. VSA. Sir
9-10 a.m. E511, Easterfield. Third and last of three lectures on the writing of English with relation to examinations, reports and theses, given by Professor Gordon. Stage III Honours and Ph.
12.30 p.m.-2 p.m. Memorial Theatre. "L'Immortel" directed by Grillet. VUW Film Society.
There Will be no lunch hour concert in the VUW
Music Department this week
7.30-8.30 p.m. Executive Room, Sports, Council meeting, Watch noticeboards For Lab. Club panel discussion "NonAlignment as a Labour policy".
Wednesday 17th April. 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. Men's and Women's Common Room. Student Study Seminar "Attitudes to Study", Dr. "Science Subjects", Prof.
Wednesday 17th April. Combined Common Rooms 7.30 p.m. VUW Pol. Sci. Soc. and Labour Club Wine and Cheese Evening. Tickets from Committee and department secretary.
Wednesday 17th April. 7.30 pm.. Ramsay House. Anglican Soc. Seminar "Priests" introduced by
Thursday 18th April. 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. Men's and Women's 'common Rooms. Student Study Seminar. Prof. "Techniques for Efficient Learning". 5 to 6 p.m. in the same series, Prof.
Thursday 18th April. Music Department Music Recital. Music by Bach, and Schubert, performed by
Friday 19th April. Men's and Women's Common Rooms, 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. Student Study Seminar. Miss "Approaching Examinations". In the evening session 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., Mr.
Enrolment For The Above Seminar On Study Techniques Close In The Student Associaion Office On Thursday 11Th April.
Friday 19th April. Memorial Theatre. 12.30 to 2 p.m. Film Soc. screening of "The Pink Panther".
Friday 19th April Lecture Room, 3rd floor new Met. Office, Kelburn, Royal Society Astronomy and Geophysics Section, lecture on "Astrogeology".
Friday 19th April, 7.30 p.m. Room retails later. Debating Soc. "That Pornography is less desirable than censorship".
Friday 19th April-Sunday 21st April. SCM Camp "Conflict of Religion and Ideology". Ngatiawa Campsite. Details, later.
Saturday 20th April. SUB. Commerce and Administration Faculty Ball. Tickets $8.00 double, available from Student Association Office or from Paul Griffen Accountancy Dept.
Tuesday 23rd April. 1-2 p.m. Memorial Theatre. The NZ String Quartet with Ronald Webb. oboe, will give a lunchtime recital. Tickets available at the door 30 cents. Music by Mozart and Shostakovich.
Tuesday 23rd April, Activities Room. Opening of Modern Art Exhibition sponsored by Labour Party Club.
There is still time to join any of the Executive Sub-Committees. Chairmen of Committees are dismayed at the lack of response by students. All subcommittee meetings are notified in Newsheet. Go along and help make Executive responsive to student opinion.
Students are reminded of the Suggestions Book on Cafeteria meals, which is in the Students' Association Office. Any suggestions on menus (within reason) and specific complaints may be registered here. All entries are investigated. Don't just grumble about caf meals, write it in the Suggestions Book.
The activities of the Treasurer cannot. I think, be easily explained in a report of this nature. The responsibility of the Treasurer is basically to have overall control over the implementation of the financial policy as laid down by the Executive
This involves control over the various activities of the association which involve finance The Treasurer is only one Voice amongst 14 and is therefore not in a position to necessarily decide the financial policy itself.
This year a new system of grants to Clubs is being adopted Executive will now make a bulk grant to both Spoils Council and Cultural Clubs Council and it will be the responsibility of the respective councils to make equitable allocations of this money to their individual clubs.
Within the association is a General Finance Advisory committee which will advise on financial matters at the request of Executive, a Treasurers Committee which will be responsible for controlling financial matters of Sports Council, Cultural Clubs Council, and Publications Hoard and Finance Committee which consider all financial business before it goes before Executive.
The activties over the last year which have involved finance are reported on in the financial statements which are included with the Annual Report to be presented at the Annual General Meeting on Tuesday 9th April. These statements show a surplus of income over expenditure for the eleven months ended 31st December 1967 of $5263.
This surplus does Not mean that excessive money was received from students by way of Student fees, but rather it enables the Association to build up cash funds to use on future worthwhile activties.
Sports Club Grants For 1967
Athletic, 92; Badminton, 70; Cricket, 347; Deerstalkers, 49; Harrier. 134; Men's Hockey, 391; Men's Indoor Basketball, 76; Rowing, 100; 303 Rifles, 20; Rugby, 209; Surf Riders, 29; Swords, 354; Soccer, 463; Swimming, 239; Ski, 448; Squash, 546; Tennis, 153; Table Tennis, 48; Tramping, 154; Women's Hockey, 154; Women's Indoor Basketball, 50; Women's Outdoor Basketball, 30; Yacht, 186; Total $4,333.
Anglican Society, 50; Biological Society, 84; Cards Club, 50; Chemistry club, 15; Debating Society, 140; Esperanto Club, 10; Evangelical Union, 50; Geographical Society, 110; Jewish Society, 10; Labour Party Club, 225; Literary Society, 30; Maori Club, 100; Philosophical Society, 10; Political Science Club, 25: Pooh Club, 10; Social Sciences Society, 100; Student Action Group on Mental Health, 100; Te Rangatahi, 22; Total $1,071.
The Statement of Financial Position' does not incorporate the Assets and Liabilities of Salient, Coffee Bar, or of the Clubs affiliated to the Student's Association, and the 'Statement of Income and Expenditure' does not reflect the results of their activities.
S. P. Andrew Studio
Photographers
10 Willis Street
Coffee
" The Park"
is situated opposite the fountain in Kelburn Park, 200ft. from the Varsity.
Open every Wednesday and Sunday from 6 p.m.
•
Hosts :
Rachel and
Transistor • Radio Electrical Repairs
Radiart Co.
22 Brandon Street Wellington
Barry & Sargent Ltd. Opticians
118 Willis St. Tel. 45-841
Victuallers Reginald Collins Ltd.
Wholesale wine and spirit people. Vintners to the Students' Association, Carry slocks of all brands of ale, spirits, table wine (from 55c), sherry in flagons ($1.60) or quart bottles.
Free delivery—Cellars located at No. 3 Ballance Street
(Customhouse Quay end)
Great varsity, Canty. They've just given the Upham (V.C) Scholarship to the sons of two M.P.s (National, naturally) — Messrs. McIntyre and Walker Jr. One of them was deputy head of Christ's— surprise, surprise. Canty. Uni., that where the elite go, not cruddy old Vic.
* * *
Whatever has happened to the campaign against rising prices in the Caf? Seems to have been one of those nowyou see it now you don't efforts—rather like a Fritz meal in fact.
* * *
Did you hear that antianti-war-marchers (me, I'm an anti-anti-anti-war-marcher) felt it necessary to keep Wedders out of their organisation? Seems that the only group that will let Wedders in now is the National Party, which Wedders has just resigned from the Democratic Labour Party to join. The real question is: what will happen to the Democratic Labour Party now its leader has resigned? Perhaps Owen Gager will take it over.
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Publishing gossip has been interesting this week. Rumour is that new DOMINION editor, Kelleher, is staging a last-ditch fight to keep the paper from total collapse. And two new papers are coming up—from Christchurch The New Zealander an "independent fortnightly" edited by Stuart McMillan, cable page editor of the Christchurch Press, and from Auckland a 'newsweekly' run by spasmodic Labour Party publicity man Gordon Dry den.
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How do you keep a conference secret? The Dominion seems to be quite sure that somebody, to be precise, New Zealand, strongly spoke out against Britain's withdrawal from South-East Asia—though the official communique said everybody "accepted" Britain's reasons for pulling out. Could it be that some New Zealand official is telling the press All About these top secret talks? Surely it couldn't happen in the New Zealand public service.
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Finally, in case the delays of the law had stopped you noticing, the magazine grab by the police (back last August when they had the Catholic Housewives pressuring Hanan into bigotry) has been pronounced illegal by the Supreme Court. These dirty books are supposed to corrupt us—but it seems that a zeal for censorship can as easily lead to a breach of the law.
A small private hostel, the Kia Maia, has been started up this year at the site of the old Victoria Girls Hostel oh The Terrace. It is run by Mr. and Mrs. A. Salisbury. When full it will hold 17 boys at a rate of $10 each for full board.
The Sports Depot
(Witcombe & Caldwell)
Half-way along Willis St.
Long-standing connection with University sport. Every one of Vic's 24 sports catered for.
St. George Billiard Saloon
Offers 15% Discount To Students
Mondays to Thursdays
Open 9 a.m. — 11 p.m. Monday to Saturday
Suit Hire
•
Corner Manners and Farish Streets
Six-member society reports: 'Mission successful'
Members of extremist "United Flag Raisers Society" successfully raised the North Vietnamese flag in the Botanical Gardens on night of March 31.
A spokesman for the society, which has six members, said the mission was completely successful.
A passer-by said he saw six nondescript persons lurking in the gardens.
Upon investigation he found one of the group climbing a pole with a flag.
The flag was hooked on to a wire across a valley to another aerial.
Once this was completed the six figures ran to the top of Upland Road and left in a black sedan.
The flag was seen clearly from most parts of the city during the morning.
After a defiant 12 hours it was finally ripped down by City Council employees.
The Foreign Secretary of Thailand has stated that North Vietnam has designs well beyond the borders and frontiers of South Vietnam.
Mr. Thanat Khoman gave this opinion when he spoke to the International Club last week.
Mr. Khoman said the expansionist aims of North Vietnam were evident in Laos, where North Vietnamese soldiers had been captured and displayed publicly.
In Thailand, also, some cadres of North Vietnamese had been found.
There was evidence that some Thais were being abducted to North Vietnam for Communist training.
Opening his address, Mr. Khoman said Thailand was a small nation of modest people.
"Thailand may be underdeveloped. developed, or developing, but it all boils down to the same thing—it is unprosperous," he said.
Thais may be lacking in affluence but, they were blessed with nature, he said.
Though clothing was in short supply, the dress was "short enough to make it interesting but long enough to cover the subject."
The answer to Asia's problem did not exist in the political systems of the West, Mr. Khoman said.
He thought that the truth lay in the heritage of Asian civilisation.
It had existed for thousands of years and should provide its own solution.
"Why go to the ghettoes of Europe?" he said.
Asian countries would find no solution by following the precepts of past colonialism. The tenets of new theories were the same as before.
"The whole system is based on subjection and domination," Mr. Khoman said. What was wanted was "something new, refreshing, and inspired."
Mr. Khoman was asked whether he thought North Vietnam would honour a negotiated peace settlement if America withdrew troops.
He replied that he hoped those calling for withdrawal would have proof of their past advocations.
However, he thought the Communists had not shown that they were very good at keeping promises.
Asked whether it was degrading to have foreign troops in Thailand, the Secretary admitted that it was.
However, he believed these troops had been imposed, in effect, by the Communists.
One questioner asked Mr. Khoman if he thought China was another Hitler.
The Secretary would not commit himself on this point, but quoted Mr.
He thought Mr. Menon'a opinion would have a great deal of support in Asia.
Mr. Niel Wright's and Gerard Guthrie's motion that students should have free membership of and elective rights in the Students' Association has evoked much interest during the past fortnight.
This will be moved at the Students' Association A.G.M. tonight.
Mr. Wright said a system of direct democracy aimed to put day-to-day policy-making in the hands of all students.
The present system with a representational exectuive did not do this.
The new system would work efficiently. Students with common interests would elect agents at weekly meetings to carry out necessary action.
Agents would be answerable directly to the student body.
Students' interest would be increased, as they would be administering their own affairs. They would be able to take extreme steps which the present Executive could not do.
Mr. Wright envisages keeping an Executive with about 15 members for purely administrative purposes, "as trustees for the students".
Other students have said students would not be interested in serving on a purely administrative Executive, even though this Executive would have a veto on financial matters.
This veto would prevent a club from packing a meeting to gain a grant.
Procesh organisers this year, Angus Bradshaw, Dave Boswell and John Welch aim to have a more colourful, bigger and better procession than ever.
It is also to be less political than usual.
They cannot achieve this alone "Clubs, individuals, flats, hostels and bedmates are encouraged to enter floats," they say.
"All materials for floats are provided, as usual. To enter a float, all one has to do is make one.
"There is a $100 prize for the best.
"It is hoped there will be prizes for 2nd and 3rd too.
"Procesh is a chance to have a ton of fun. The course of Procesh includes most of the popular Wellington pubs.
"So build a float!"
Little Congress this year will discuss freedom of expression in New Zealand.
The Cultural Affairs officer, Pip Davys, said, "This is a chance to discuss this topic in a relaxed social atmosphere for only $5.
"Speakers invited include Mr. T. P. Shand, Prof. John Roberts, Mr. C. A. McFarlunc (Chairman, N.Z.B.C.), Graeme Billing and Con Bollinger."
It will be held during the weekend of April 26 to 28.
Application forms will be available from the Students' Association from today.