It is distressing to read of the attitude of the representatives of the University of Auckland towards the introduction of Asian Studies as part of the B.A. degree course; however, it is in, and the present class of 25 is managing well in its work. The credit must go to Professor Palmier, who has to work single-handed in his Department, and his efforts are the more meritorious when one considers the number of his public appearances.

Certainly Wellingtonians—if not Aucklanders—are beginning to realise that South-east Asia is not a remote and isolated area, but is an integral part of the present and particularly the future.

Professor Palmier has taken time off on a great number of occasions to date to speak to various groups, learned societies and others, and while one might disagree with much of what he says, he is doing more than most young professors find time to do these days.

Maturity ?

Are we afraid of our Colombo Plan students? At times one would think so. The Christian religious groups zealously proseltyze devout or traditional Buddhists and Muslims, and woo them with films and teas and buns. Hardly the attitude of a mature University group!

Overlapping

The V.U.W. International Club is to convene an Inter-varsity conference of International Clubs in Wellington, to coincide with Winter Tournament. It seems that much of value could come from this conference, and it might perhaps be wise for the V.U.W. Club to see that a representative of N.Z.U.S.A. is invited along, as some of the matters to be discussed overlap into what has been hitherto the latter body's field of action.

East is East

This column has heard that at a recent meeting of the Resident Executive of N.Z.U.S.A., our National Union, there was great flurry over the fact that N.Z.U.S.A. had not been invited to an Asian Student Leaders' study seminar at Aloka from the end of July.

This column believes that New Zealand's place of the future does not lie as a part of Asia. We are not, and we cannot be, ethnically close. Geographically, we are somewhat distant from the nearest Asian country, Indonesia. Certainly we might do well by cultivating trade with Asian countries to provide a surplus market for our butter and meat and cheese.

But we are not part of Asia. Surely our place in the future is, as was suggested by a speaker at the N.Z.U.S.A. Congress in January, that of "mediators between East and West". This column hopes that the Department of Asian Studies will be built up in time into one of the best, and that New Zealand graduates might spend time overseas bringing some of their inestimably valuable characteristics to the Asian, and particularly Southeast Asian, countries.

New Zealand students will do most, in the long run, neither by adopting an isolationist policy, nor by endeavouring to worm our way into Asia for varied and largely unconscious motives of fear. Idealism has a very real place in New Zealand policy; we will do most if we understand Asia as well as we can, and constantly act as mediators between East and West, a bridge which, no matter how solid, cannot be said to lean to this side or to that. A detachment would benefit New Zealand, geographically so isolated; and for all of the unfortunate concomitants of social security, this country has a great deal of lasting value, which can profitably be shared.

U or Non-U?

Two thousand pounds is a fair profit for an amateur show, particularly a student show, and when one considers that "Extravaganza" is an amateur show which this year ran for nine evenings to make that sum, the achievement is the more worthy of comment.

The show was, of course, good; but one wonders whether the expenditure of some £200 on a professional orchestra was not the beginning of the end, whether with any more polish the show would need to recruit professionals? And of course whether a student show should have many non-students among the cast list.

Should "Extravaganza" ever lose the student touch, the student cast, the student or ex-student producer, the student script-writers, then this column believes that it should fold up, even if it is making £5,000 profit. Because the public do not want a professional student show. And Extrav. has always been a student show, all the more fun because of that, livable with because it was amateurish and lacked polish and (nearly always) a plot. Let's unprofesionalize Extrav.

This column proposes to offer comment, satiric and otherwise, on various matters at various times. Contributions will be welcome, particularly if they intelligently oppose my dogma.

—Ezra.