Standard of Blues.

Apropos your remarks concerning the need for improving the standard of our Blues award.

The final judge of Blues standard is not the Blues Committee but the Executive.

This was clearly illustrated when the past Executive completely ignored the Constitution and awarded a Blue which was turned down by the Blues Committee on the Ground of lack of "excellence in sport."

Obviously the standard of our Blues will not be raised in this way, and your own words will soon be realised, "our Blue becoming only a name."

Your comments concerning the proposel half-blues were probably inspired as amendments to the Constitution. Amendments along the lines of your suggestions were draftel prior to the last Annual General Meeting, and are, I understand, to be submitted to the Association members at an early date.

Blue.

The Extrav.

I regret that Mr. Sellers has so little faith in the secretary's honesty, The point at issue is; did Mr. Phillips or the Exec, first suggest that Mr. Phillips should write the Extravaganza? The truth is not always clear-cut or simple. In this case it was obvious that everyone hoped and expected that Redmond would again write the Extrav, and Mr. McGhie's rather vague phrase, "it came to the ears of the Executive," exactly describes the situation. The fact that individual members of the Executive talked the matter over unofficialy with Redmond tends rather to confirm than to give the lie to the secretary's statement. Doug Burns, after talking with Redmond, gathered that he was considering writing an Extrav., and informed the Exec. of this.

I am aware that the last Executive, like their predecessor, did not always make wise decisions. We were to blame in making an indefinite arrangement with Redmond, but when Mr. Sellers accuses our most conscientious secretary of lying, then he forgets that moderation and fairness which are typical of him.

Mary Hursthouse.

Extrav. Again.

Mr. Sellers was right when he said he was considerably handicapped in writing his letter, and, in the circumstances, he was a bold man to write such a letter on the interpretation of a sentence he did not hear used.

The only point he desires to make is that Mr. McGhie's worlds, "it had come to the ears of the Executive," implied that Mr. Phillips was "a pedlar" of plays. In the first place that is a possible but very strained interpretation of the words, and secondly it was an interpretation which did not occur to the meeting. Surely there are a hundred other ways the Exec. could have heard that Mr. Phillips was thinking about writing a play.

As far as Mr. Sellers' witnesses are concerned, we can only hope they were competent to remember what happened and were entirely unbiassed!

—Carolus.

Women's Club Bridge Party, Saturday Night, in aid of Building Fund.

Records.

It was not my intention to carry the matter of the University's records further until I learnt that the Executive had again appointed Mr. Birks to the posotion. This seems to be a very surprising step, for his letter in reply to mine seemed to indicate a small amount of activity, and, furthermore, I understand that he admitted to the Executive that he had not been able to do very much in his capacity as Records Officer. Will he have any more time now that he is a member of the Executive?

In his letter to "Smad," Mr. Birks said that the Records Officer was not "historian of the College," but in an earlier paragraph he quotes as one of the duties of the office the compilation of a list of past and present students, together with their records, I maintain, Sir, that the Records Officer should, in a sense, be a historian; that he should collect photographs and press cuttings and keep a record of current events, and thus compile something of more interest than a mere biography of students and their careers. If this were done now and continued from year to year, there is no doubt that the records would become valuable in the future.

In conclusion I suggest that the office is one which could be better filled by a person who is not a member of the Executive.

Pepys.

The Last Round Up.

If only as an appreciation of our posters and the weekly notices in "Smad," it is to be hoped that the next few days will see the letter rack snowed under with envelopes addressed "Editor, 'Spike.'"

In case anyone is in ignorance of the fact, we would like to bring before the notice of contributors that the final date for accepting contributions is next Saturday, July 27. At the same time the editorial staff is conscious of the existence of exams. and other acts of God and professors, and will accept contributions that have evaded finalisation, later than the 27th, provided that notice is received of the intention to submit them.

In giving this notice, will contributors please intimate the date on which their submissions can be expected? The foregoing remarks are also applicable to photogarphic entries. These will be handled with extreme care, and those not required for reproduction will be carefully returned to entrants.

Coming Events.

Saturday, 27th: Women's Club Bridge Party in Women's Common Room.

Closing date for "Spike" contributions.

Monday, 29th: Closing date for Literary Society's Competition.

Wednesday, 31st: Labour Club Meeting-Max Riske: "Further Lights on Russia." Final number of "Smad" for this term.

"I wonder why my fiancee said I was good enough to eat?"

"Evidently because he's fond of plain food."

* * *

"My brother is a detective. He got a man involved in a murder."

"The murderer?"

"No; the man who was murdered."