Victoria University was not free from the radical ideas and literature that thrived on the Depression. By 1932 there was resident in Wellington a number of fiery writers and speakers much imbued with the faith of the dialectic. Within the student body they had their sympathisers.

The Free Discussions Club in tapping social unrest invited a member of the Welfare League (an organisation on the far right of the, then, political spectrum) and a Communist to become the leaders of a debate concerning Communism.

Taking exception to this degenerate pandering to controversy, it appears that the Minister of Education rang up the Chairman of the College Council. He warned him that VUC should not harbour Communists within its walls for free discussion or any other purpose.

Mysteriously, no room on the campus could be found to be available for the Free Discussions Club debate.

The club wrote to the Professorial Board inquiring, what persons (engaged to give an address) and what subjects (for them to speak on) were proscribed at VUC.

Their answer was in the form of a report. It stated that anyone was free to speak at VUC provided he was not known to have advocated the change of society by force. On subjects, students were free to discuss anything of human interest.

University Council considered the report and is believed to have altered it to require that persons unconnected with the College have Professorial Board permission before being able to speak to students.