Broadcasts

"The Debating Society has. however, come through an unusually stormy session with undiminished popularity." It was in the early 1930s that an ordinary debate of the society was first broadcast. It was "live"—without editing. There was. of course, a full house, all dressed in the usual haphazard student way. But William Penrose Rollings, one of the finest debaters of that period and of a good many other periods, too, I suspect, had been invited out later to a formal occasion, and when he took the platform his immaculate evening dress and splendidly groomed appeal - ance caused an excited buzz of comment and a giggle or two. But this died down as he stood in front of the microphone to begin his speech. Into the quiet stillness of expectancy dropped the words of Max Riske, clad in a scruffy old sweater: "Oh, for the days of television." Pen Rollings never wavered. He waited until the roar had died down, and with his usual charming smile turned and said, "Mr. Chairman, all I can say is that when the day of television comes, some of us will profit more than others."

In the second half of the 30s, the rumbles of war were growing louder and debates became even more packed and more earnest. Two most successful visitors' debates at this time were those of Mr. J. A. Lee against the Hon. Gordon Coates when well over 100 people had to stand to hear the discussion on confidence in the Labour Government, and the 1939 debate on the same topic between Dr. McMillan and Mr. S. G. Holland. Both the judge. Mr. W. P. Rollings, and the chairman pointed to the large numbers of people who, unable to find even standing room in the old gym. were standing outside on the verandah, leaning through the open windows, and both took the opportunity of stressing the need for a new students' association building.

The war hit the society as hard as any other club at Victoria. The Emergency regulations naturally severely restricted the usual wide range of provocative subjects and the society's finances were sadly affected by the cancellation of broadcast debates, also a war measure.

But the programmes offered were neither innocuous nor timid. They asked whether the teachings of Christ offered genuine hope to humanity, they argued the suitability of the family in its present form, they suggested that New Zealand should hitch its wagon to the star-spangled banner, they wanted to know whether pre-war liberty was a luxury they could no longer afford, they debated their confidence in the Churchill Government, they questioned Irish neutrality, and when the visitors' debate came they wanted to know whether the Chamber of Commerce was more likely to save the world than was the Communist Party.

With the end of the war came the sudden upsurge of enrolments at Victoria and the arrival of rehab ex-servicemen, earnestly searching for philosophical reasons for their wartime experiences.

And again the hot breath of controversy puffed vigorously through the halls of the college and from the platform of the society: the enormous row over WFDY, the Charter Club v. the Socialist Club, the Waterfront Strike and the Emergency Regulations. In all this, said the editor of Spike, the liberal tradition of Victoria continued through the Debating Society.

And today, things are as vigorous as ever, as witness these splendid arrangements for the anniversary celebrations. "A debating society is a necessary adjunct to every society," said our founders. "Unfeigned controversy is the life-blood of debating," said W. P. Rollings. 30 years later. What ample proof of these facts have been given by the society in the 69 years of its existence. Our founders meant that there should be at this university a place where people could be taught to think on their feet, where they could improve the technique of public speaking. But worthy and important as these objectives may be they were not the main objectives of those who founded the society. In almost 70 years of our existence they rarely have been.