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Articles appearing in Salient V and VI have protested, one emotionally, the other dispassionately, against the concept of the Maori Education Foundation.
This Foundation, as such, has no intention of usurping Governmental policy for Maori Education. Rather, the Foundation seeks to provide the means for Maoris generally to take advantage of educational opportunities already available to them in the way of Post Primary education followed by Scholarships, Bursaries and the like.
The Foundation is the logical outcome of years of endeavour by Maori and Pakeha leaders. They have been concerned with what, by European standards and conditions, is a regrettable tendency on the part of the majority of Maoris a lack of ambition for higher learning, higher status and higher class.
The Foundation is being criticised by a large number of people, the majority of whom are those with the "little minds" associated with segregation movements, those who will under no circumstances befriend a Maori because in their opinion they belong to the "lower order" in race relationships. The criticism is that the Foundation is paying too much attention to the Maori people, that the Foundation has been organised to disguise Governmental deficiencies in educational policy concerning the Maoris, and that the Foundation generally is, another method by which the general public might be mulcted of more money to provide for a select section of the community.
The second area of criticism comes from those who have the welfare of the Maori people at heart and who believe that the Foundation while a good and necessary aid, is going about the matter in entirely the wrong way.
The answers to these criticisms are not easy. As far as the "little" people are concerned, if they could not moan about the Maori Education Foundation then they would find something else about which to moan and their primary trouble is apathy, more specifically a hand out for what can be got, not a hand giving what less fortunate people need.
Those people who have travelled through the Maori areas of Gisborne and Hamilton, down the lower reaches of the Waikato and into the Urewera from Whakatane will know of the great crying need for Maori leaders with brains and initiative to improve conditions generally. Not only in the areas mentioned, but also in many other parts of the country does this problem exist.
Under the Education Act (
There are at the moment (
The Maori Education Foundation has been established, not to compete with the existing grants organisations but to provide economic security to enable a Maori scholar to remain at school in an effort to complete study scholarships and bursaries. As has been stated already a Maori youth will leave school at the age of fifteen to reduce family expense and to increase family income.
While as yet, there has been no firm policy decided upon by the Foundation trustees, there is the general feeling that the function of the Foundation will be to provide the economic balance in a Maori family, increasing bursary and scholarship income so that there need be no expense on the part of the family in keeping pupils at school.
The Foundation was established specifically to increase support for present bursary and scholarship schemes and in a manner similar to Heritage to organise support both moral and spiritual that a Maori scholar will need, especially at University level.
An equally important function of the Foundation is to combat parental ignorance and apathy, prejudice against Maoris by employers and the Europeans' ignorance of Maori culture and personality.
At the end of last term, insurgents from Weir House made an attempt to enter Parliament House. It is interesting to note that this unsuccessful coup received only a moderate mention, in lowercase type, in Wellington papers. But, in Taranaki and other Northern District newspapers, away from the scene of the crisis, gave it banner headlines. The Taranaki Daily News, for example, anounced in bold headlines: "Students Attempt to Enter Parliament House." The context of their report said, "most of the students were dressed in Fascist uniforms or as Fidel Castro". A delightful piece of press sensationalism.
* * *
Quips from a Cappicade vendor:
"Cappicade, Sir?"
"When you come down and clean up my ship," was the surprise reply. One seller had unwittingly attempted to sell a copy to the master of the Paeroa.
"Cappicade, Sir?"
"Look here, mate. I took one of those home last night, and this morning they excommunicated me from the Exclusive Brethren.
* * *
Let's turn Weir into a "Casa Academica." Vocational during term — vacational during holidays.
* * *
Take care when walking about behind Easterfield, lest you fall into a carryall, and become a foundation member of the new arts-and-library block. Work has begun on this ten-storey high project at last. Two storeys are to be underground and eight above. This should ensure that the sun penetrating through the arts block, will illuminate the scientists in Easterfield, with an aurora of "Interlectula Classa Humanitaria Superba." At least it will not be a complete segregationalist policy however, as the phsychology department is to have a floor of its own, and the DSIR applied maths department is to have half of the fifth floor. The building will be known as the Rankin-Brown Block.
* * *
Who caters for students who would like to drink tea in the cafeteria?
* * *
How about some of the numerous staff in grey flannel coats, attending to the grounds as well as the buildings? The state of most of the university grounds leaves much to be desired both functionally and artistically.
* * *
The chemistry department's new motto: "chlorine gas is good for you."
* * *
Quips copied from a poster announcing last week's Salient headlines "Our Cable Car, How Long Can It Run?"——
How long is the cable?
How long are a lot of things?
So long!
* * *
One final thought from a commerce faculty reader. "Are Lifesavers destroying the market for Minties?"
"University is not what I thought it was"—that was the direct answer "Salient" got when it set about sampling the opinion of freshers.
It is three months now since the academic year began. "Salient" thought it would be interesting to know the impressions of freshers with VIC now they have accomplished their first tour of duty.
"Frankly," continued this blue-eyed youth from Hastings, "I did expect the students to be a bit eccentric, but I did not expect the lecturers to be potty as well." The most striking impression made by the University community on this boy were the habits of dress. He admitted that this might be due to a short pants complex, but he felt that people ought to at least dress respectably. The question he posed was "how can you expect town gown relations to improve when the gown has degenerated to filthy old cords?"
One fresher who had been door man at the Capping ball said the students struck him as a pack of snobs. All the pretentious talk about liquor and how much people had drunk and would drink had annoyed him. If this was the product of higher education he for one asserted that he would rather stay at high school. Indeed the consensus of opinion was that all the palaver made about capping was a little unwarranted. On the day it seemed to go off like a damp squib. There were vague mumblings about the ineptitude of exec, and too many "bloody part timers."
The sports organizations showed the most vigour in the opinion of one man interviewed. But the predominant feature of all the organizations one girl thought, was the impersonal attitude of the place. She thought cliques developed and if you were not in one of them your chances of social success were about as rosy as those of a cop in an after-hours pub.
When the International Student Conference Secretary, Mr Kenny Khaw visited Victoria, eight students had the pleasure of hearing him speak.
This fantastic interest in world student affairs must have surely surprised our visitor. The advance publicity was ineffective. There was one solitary notice in the main foyer of the S.U.B.
The I.S.C. was begun twelve years ago. Certain members of the International Union of Students were disillusioned; they decided to form their own group — the I.S.C. Since
The I.S.C. and the I.U.S. are rival organisations. But they do not conflict with each other directly. Rather, the two organisations now operate in two different spheres. Some member countries belong to both the I.U.S. and the I.S.C.
Mr Khaw however admitted that there are more communist-prone countries in the I.U.S.
The International Student Conference recognises the fact that there is a diversity of problems concerning the member countries. The Research and Information Commission was consequently set up to investigate specific problems. The problem is to deal with these problems without political bias. The Commission is now studying situations such as racial segregation in North America, political oppression in East Germany, Hungary, South Vietnam. As situations changed, some of these studies were dropped.
As an example of a specific problem, the secretary cited the case of a Peruvian student-president being thrown into prison. He was released later on. The Research and Information Commission gave wide publicity at the time to the facts.
About fifty cables were sent by the member countries of the International Student Conference. This combined effort may or may not have had any effect on the Peruvian government's decision to release the person concerned. Nevertheless, the student was released.
Apart from taking action itself, the I.S.C. could always present the facts of any particular case to the United Nations delegates of the member countries. This happened to a case in Norway — reference to the United Nations had its desired effect.
The I.S.C. has now launched a programme to find scholarships, and students for those scholarships. The I.S.C. also can come in useful in partaking in agitation for the establishment of universities and various educational institutes where they are obviously needed. It has the interest of the student at heart.
New Zealand has a very stable National union — the New Zealand Universities Students' Association. The N.Z.U.S.A. can do a lot more for the I.S.C. particularly in the way of active participation in South-East Asian countries. Mr Khaw indicated the danger of New Zealand and delegates regarding themselves as saviours and leaders.
A bespectacled intellectual came out with a rather equivocal statement, puffing away on an immense pipe he said solemnly: "Now we are away from the bosum of our families we can pursue our instinctive desires."
From the wop wops of Ohakune to the coffee bars of Lambton Quay was too big a step for one person interviewed. He hated the artificiality of everyone here. He could earn more money in the bush, and thought that perhaps he would get to hell out of it next year.
The expense of varsity education came in for a lot of criticism. One boy went as far as saying: "There are only two ill effects from varsity, the effect on your ego and the effect on your pocket."
It was a girl who struck the reporter as being most honest. "I think New Zealand secondary school takes a bit of getting over," she said. "It is distressing to be flung suddenly from one environment into another; I expect we will all settle down in time."
Vol. 25, No. 7. Tuesday, June 5, 1962
Published by the Victoria University of Wellington Students' Association.
The opinions expressed in " Salient" are not necessarily those of the editors or stab. All unsigned and anonymous material must however be construed as editorial
Students may think Victoria has harmony troubles, with the Anarchists striking the discord in an otherwise peaceful settlement. Whatever it is, it is nothing compared with the disruption going on in European student circles at this moment. As most people are aware, the VIIIth World Festival of Youth is to take place in Helsinki from July 25 to August 5 this year. It appears, the Finns are playing unwilling hosts; the Festival's chief sponsors being the Soviet-centralised World Federation of Democratic Youth and the International Union of Students.
It is interesting to note too, that most of the Western countries are not sending delegations — Britain, Austria, West Germany, India, all abstaining. New Zealand shall not be represented. We remember, when a few years ago, some Communist festival cabled N.Z.U.S.A. for delegates, the reply went something like, "sorry can't afford to"; whereupon the Soviets replied that all expenses were paid! This caused N.Z.U.S.A. considerable embarrassment and kept the Excuses Officer working overtime to find another, more suitable apology for absence. Should N.Z.U.S.A. send delegates to I.U.S. and W.F.D.Y. conferences, and not to those exclusively Right in flavour, viz., I.S.C.? It's certainly a talking point.
Another amusing, ironical associated with the forthcoming World Festival of Youth has to do with the I.U.S. (Prague) publication The Student. In issue 2,
The Finns have their problems, and it seems, the Soviets theirs. Whether the latter succeed in their mass-recruiting campaign will be indicated by the size of I.U.S. membership after the Festival. (Apart from Soviet controlled areas, the vast majority of I.U.S. members are from the newly formed African states). In the meantime the Xth International Student Conference is scheduled to take place at the University of Laval in Quebec, Canada, from June 8 to 22. Delegates from N.Z.U.S.A. shall be attending this meeting.
A recent visit of Kenny Khaw, a Cosec Associate Secretary, was disappointing. Poor publicity and notification, the decadent administrative set-up of N.Z.U.S.A., and general student apathy, all helped to make Mr Khaw's visit to Victoria a memorable one. Eight students — all non-New Zealanders — constituted an audience at a meeting on May 21.
Dear Sir,—The review of the film "Shadows" in your last issue contained some statements which are in need of further discussion.
Your critic found that the Aim's "biggest disadvantage" was the "total boringness" of the lives of the characters. I agree that their lives were boring to the extent that they seemed to be aimless and somewhat futile, but I do not agree that because of this their lives were uninteresting. To say, as your critic did, that the life of the common man is not interesting to others unless it is altered, in its description, by artistic manipulation, is to make far too general a statement. It also reflects an underestimation of other people.
That the camera work had shortcomings in technical manipulation is agreed; but I can't see that "artistic manipulation" of the camera would have improved this film. The "lack of artistry" (but it wasn't always lacking) in much of the camera work was entirely in harmony with the subject of the film, i.e., ordinary people and the lives they visibly lead.
The spontaneity in the film also seems to have disturbed your critic. I suspect that he felt the absence that "artistic manipulation" of the script which is carried out in most films, even those which try to deal convincingly with non-extraordinary contemporary life. To me, the spontaneity of the dialogue was the element which made the film convincing. In many respects—I have not said all—one's life is spontaneous, lacks preparation. One is often not prepared for what happens. Because of this one may have no immediate insight into the motives for someone else's behaviour. The majority of the films I have seen and that have a contemporary setting fail to portray this. Instead the characters seem to be able to cope verbally with every situation, rarely does the script show them struggling to express a thought, and motives for actions or statements are either strongly hinted at or else blatantly pronounced. This manipulation of the script saturates such a film with artificiality, but it is just one of the insidious means of "glamorising" film characters that your critic seems to find necessary.
In many instances, motives for people's behaviour in real life are not clear until some thought has been given to the matter. Why then did your critic expect to have the motives of the characters in "Shadows" (a film dealing with real life) presented to him, each with its own neat label?
If, to have been impressed by "Shadows" means to be classified by your critic as one of the weird elements of the university population, I shall have to accept it. I think he should give the film more thought; however, since he has related weirdness to being pleased by the film I shall not be surprised if he is reluctant to do this. Yours, etc.,
Dear Sir,—Colonel Blimp was right! Your policy of not printing letters over nom-de-plumes is ridiculous. One does not necessarily agree with those one likes. Must one either risk one's social ease or else be silent? Must one always hesitate?—will this opinion make anyone think less of me? No sir; this is part of our freedom of speech. A man must be allowed inconsistency, occasional extreme views, violent controversy with himself under several names, without risking losing his job 20 years later.
After all, most of those controversies are over questions of fact or principle, not over personalities. A fact may be true, an argument valid, no matter who says it. Whereas if you have to sign it "Alfred Blurge" everyone will say " I know Alfred Blurge and he's a drip," and not read the thing.—Yours etc.,
Dear Sir,—May I use your columns, to let all Salient readers know where and when I am available to students. My name has already appeared, my existence been established and my credentials presented in an earlier issue this year but till quite recently my whereabouts have been very vague.
I have now, however, been established both in Space and Time. I am to be found in the Student Adviser's room next door to the Library on the first floor of the S.U.B. I am to be found there at the following times—in the mornings on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday and in the afternoons on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.
People constantly ask me what is my job around here. In some ways and especially because it is a new position, it is not very easy to define it in clear-cut terms. I cannot point to anything and say —"that is it." I am not a member of the teaching staff and therefore have no ready-made clientele. I am not chaplain to E.U. or S.C.M. and therefore have no particular group to organise.
I have been appointed by all the Churches except the Roman Catholic, to be available to students, in a full-time capacity as an adviser and counsellor. Naturally as a minister of religion, I am available to talk about and explain the Christian faith and what it means, to any who wish to find out. I am also, I hope, open-minded enough to any criticism or objections you have to bring against Christianity and the Church.
But also I am here to be of any assistance I can to students who need guidance in any matter, not necessarily religious at all, or who just want to talk something over with somebody. The need for this type of service in our Universities is becoming more and more realised and the practice of appointing chaplains and counsellors is steadily growing.
My whereabouts have now been established and if you wish to talk over any matter with me, please feel perfectly free to do so. And, by the way, if I am not in my room, you will more than probably be able to find me drinking coffee in the Cafeteria.
Sir. — On reading John K. Murphy's brief survey of capitalism, the first thought that struck me was why he had bothered to write it. It says nothing new, nothing provoking—it just confirms facts that most of us know already. He falls into the same trap that do many critics today— he criticises without replacing it with something better.
One does not expect any earth-shaking remedies, but at least he could have offered a few small remedies to faults to which he draws attention. As he has not, why bother to spend half a page telling us facts we know?
Perhaps I read too much into Murphy's survey. He may only have decided it was time he had his name in print. It was not a very good way to go about it. Admittedly, there were a few stranded sentences that were of fleeting interest, but they were few.
There are some faults within his survey. Attempting to argue that the Welfare State entrenches capitalism, he gives Unilever as an example. But, it is based in the U.S., where there is certainly no welfare state. Examples should apply to the case in hand.
Further, when he decries that modern capitalism "contains within it the seed of its own destruction" he may be talking nonsense himself. He defines modern capitalism as a system dominated by great corporations. In countries where this has been taken to extremes (e.g., Texaco, Shell, United Fruit Co. in Cuba) and from the definition could be thought a purer form than New Zealand's modern capitalism, this system has led to popular revolt.
However, I hope this minor criticism of Murphy does not deter him from writing many more articles to Salient. Perhaps he might write one on Communism in which he can uncover such startling facts as state-ownership exists in the U.S.S.R.—Yours, etc.,
Students at the start of a difficult course in one particular faculty of this university, have had a gruelling time this year in establishing a firm basis for their studies.
The following notes were taken practically word for word at a lecture, typical of those which have been delivered throughout the year.
'I think, I hope you can see, that the, no perhaps if I put it this way, but of course it would only be true if what shall I say— yes, two hundred pounds of meat, then one aspect of it is that it would, say in terms of meat, be worth say sixty pounds of steel, but, this is, you'll realise, only an estimate. It is therefore a decline, as I said, in value of, well — one would say; now, of course it is a little difficult, but perhaps —yes— this example would help — presuming conditions to be an equilibrium. I mean, you see, this point will come out later when we talk about uniform standards of living, but I'm talking now of average per head. That is to say —
(Here, a question was interpolated by one of the despairing students.)
"You say people are assumed to be rational — doesn't that mean that we assume that they rationalise their rationalities?"
(Now, the answer came.)
'No! . . . well, not exactly — that is to say, not really . . . well, I suppose you could say . . . yes.'
At this point, the notes ceased. The reporter was feeling sleepy.
The Question is: are we Being Taught Properly?
Two young students believe that they have perfected the art of Dozing. According to our sources, it is now possible to attend an all night session, and still arrive at lectures as refreshed as one who has slept all night.
Their method is based upon that used by servicemen during the last war, who were able to gain much needed sleep, and still he alert to any movement, from an unfriendly direction.
"If on a train, or tram," says one of our informants, "concentrate on your destination. This is similar to the common practice of concentrating on the time at which one wishes to awake, which with practice is accurate, usually, to the nearest 10 minutes, or so.
"The second step, apparently, is to fix one's mind upon some totally familiar object, and then lapse into pleasant slumber. According to experts in the art of Dozology (exponents are termed Dozy Fellows), one never completely loses consciousness."
The system works only too well, as I found out when I dozed through five stations too many.
Three years ago the West conspired to overthrow the neutralist government of Laos lead by Prince Souvanna Phouma. The motive? To save Laos from Communism. Having brought to power the pro-West Prince Boun Oum and his Svengali, Deputy-Prime Minister and Defence Minister Phoumi Nosavan, the West sat back to enjoy security in, at least, one area. The Royal Laotian military strength was built up whilst the economy of the country was allowed to stagnate.
Now the West, lend by the U.S. are attempting to replace Prince Boun Oum by Prince Souvanna Phouma. The motive? To save Laos from Communism! The wheel has turned a full circle and one might be tempted to proclaim aloud the wonderous ways of fate. However, not being a fatalist, the whole calamitous business has, for me, other morals.
We in the West, if we are going to stop the spread of Communism have got to stop seeing a Red under every palm tree. Our blind, hysterical fear of communism is hiding from us the true nature of the social forces at work in Asia today. The Laotian people, although they can hardly be described as pacific, favour a neutralist line. We destroyed the government that reflected this philosophy and replaced it with one that could hardly be expected to win the favour of the articulate in that country. The people of Laos just want to be left alone. What they will do with their aloneness Is hard to answer. Certainly many things would take place that would be unpalatable to us; nevertheless the triumph of Communism in Laos would be unlikely. The basic attitudes of the people would ensure this. One thing is particularly Interesting In the present situation. The USSR is working, along with the West, to return the neutralist group to power. One would assume from this that the Pathet Lao forces have come increasingly under the influence of Red China. Perhaps the USSR is attempting to demonstrate to the West that her professed policy of Peaceful Co-existence is genuine. Why don't we try to find out? This way we may be able to keep in check the growing aggressiveness of Red China which constitutes one of the major threats to world peace.
The lack of faith demonstrated by the selection committee of the Citizens organisation in their own prospective Mayoral candidates is hardly likely to inspire the voter with any confidence. Wellington, admittedly faced with a large number of unique problems, is probably the worst planned city in the world. The lack of imagination and drive displayed by the City Fathers (!) Is known to all, yet the same bumbling figures continue to be elected year after year.
Lower Hutt, however, is now probably one of the best laid out, best developed and forward looking city in N.Z. One would have thought that the lesson would be plain for all Wellington voters to see and act upon. Unfortunately most voters are so concerned with the level of the rates that they allow to be returned each year a group which has already demonstrated its incompetence and its concern with the interests of a small business clique. Long may they reign! And long may we go without swimming pools, community centres, trust hotels efficient transport and all other mod cons. After all, progress has to be paid for and we just can't afford it can we Citizen?
Well our troops are off to Thailand to defend the democratic government of Thailand, and I wish them an unpleasant journey. I hope you all read their comments upon their expected pleasure jaunt in the local paper. Most seemed to be looking forward to killing lots of nasty communists, killing, killing—. They didn't mention that they were looking forward to taking part in more competitions to see who could bed the most, the oldest and the youngest women; pastimes that were so popular with our troops in Japan and Singapore in the past. Still the Chambers of Commerce and the moms of the country wouldn't have appreciated such sentiments. But killing nasty communists. Lovely!
Being a cynic holds many pleasures. One of the chief of which is that one can keep the conversation from flagging by just saying "Yeah".
For a team that started as a beer-and-biscuits social outing about ten years ago, the Weir House Rugby XV has scaled the I heights. The halcyon days of flagons broken out at half-time, have been replaced by regular practices twice weekly and a commendable record in recent years. Last year the team tied first, equal with Hutt for the Junior Second championship, incidentally scoring more championship points than any other Varsity team. John Armstrong and Barry Finch, this year's captain and vice-captain were selected for the Junior representative team.
This year the team started well, winning its first three games comfortably, before dropping its first two points last Saturday. Two Weir Old Boys' teams have been formed, both playing in the Junior Third Grade, and these two stick more closely to the old format of "relaxed" training.
Lloyd Clarke and Jock Donovan are both playing senior football for Varsity this year. Jock took the place of Weir Old Boy the redoubtable Neil Wolfe.
The Heath Robinson maze of wires and odd valves in C18 is John Hirst's TV set. It was built around an old oscilloscope and cost about £15—half of which went into a commercially-built tuner. John claims he knocked up his infernal machine in about two weeks, and it has been running faithfully since last July. He watches "Crusader Rabbit" and "Robin Hood" because the picture is rather a nice shade of Lincoln Green.
President of the House Association this year is Ivan Kwok, a third-year resident and law student from Taihape. Ivan is a part-timer. The results of this year's House elections were: Tom Wilson (Vice-President), Mark Horton (Secretary), John Lander (Treasurer), and Lloyd Clarke and Barry Jackson (Committee Members).
The Association, under the aegis of the Warden, is the House as a body politic, and besides being a general meeting where residents can air their grievances and make suggestions, it delegates committees to run the canteen, the social functions, discussions, debates, the magazine and various House amenities.
The "Groin" school of anarchic abstractionists opened its Winter Exhibition in the C-floor gallery. Six paintings were on display, and Salient particularly noticed "A Glurk Trolling" an essay in cosmic awareness and "Still Life: Gas Guitar and Gumboots", which is an apt commentary on the school's declared credo of "Directed Nothingness manifested in Concentric Striving."
Another artistic efflorescence, or excrescence if you prefer, was a spontaneous outburst of satiric poetry which was channelled by the Warden into a poetry contest —contributions to be written in Petrarchan or Shakesperean sonnet form or terza rima. The prize was taken by an anonymous contributor, "Earwig," who seemed to be the only one of the three entrants who knew what a sonnet was.
This is Just a Touch of Things to Come. Womens' Hostels Vic. A., Helen Lowry, and Vic B. See if you can Reduce some of your Activities to Writing. "Salient" Guarantees to Print it.
The V.U.W. Tramping Club ought to mark out as its own, an area in behind Nelson, said Professor C. L. Bailey, the President (
Professor Bailey and others welcomed the change in policy towards more tramping and less climbing. Climbing instruction and experience could be more effectively obtained through the Wellington Section of the New Zealand Alpine Club, which welcomes younger members.
After the formal business, people showed slides of their recent trips. Two films were screened. "Basic Principles of Rock Climbing" showed three gallant Royal Marines called "One", "Two" and "Three" scaling a difficult cliff-face in a manner faintly reminiscent of cadet-drill.
The other, entitled dramatically "Mountain Rescue", began by portraying the life of a Welsh shepherd. But in due course the small rescue party sets off upwards, to snatch from certain death on a perilous rock-face a Welsh mountain sheep.
President: Professor C. L. Bailey. Vice-Presidents: Miss J. E. Ross, Mr I. D. Cave, Mr K. B. Popplewell. Chairman: Mr R. Hoare. Vice-Chairman: Mr J. C. Ross. Chief Guide: Mr W. Stephenson. Treasurer: Mr S. Reid. Secretary: Miss L. Redmond. Committee: Miss M. Macpherson, Mr S. Moore, Mr G. Norris, Mr P. J. Barry.
Artistically lit and charmingly compered by 2ZB's Bas Tubert, the Jazz Club's concert was best summed up by the adjective "tasteful."
The ensembles were well-rehearsed and there was little rambling, but one began to wish for some of the old bumptiousness that characterised the earlier concerts. The opening quintet presented some familiar faces. Gary Gervin blew a refined alto and Dave Fraser supported well, but it was up to Geoff Murphy, in spite of his technical limitations, to rouse the soloing out of a rut with some thoughtful trumpet.
Tommy Tamati was a humorous and strongly rhythmic bassist, and showed some playful inventiveness in his work with the Dave Fraser trio. Dave Lawrence rather unfortunately fell away from the beat several times, but helped to pull the soloing together quite ably.
Three piano-bass-drums trios were about two too many; all four of the evening's pianists seemed to be touched by the long arms (left and right) of Mr Brubeck, although Dave Fraser was the least obvious.
Nicky Smith tends to depend on a few stock gimmicks; the jamming right hand got on my nerves after a while.
The Giants of Jazz—self-styled—provided some honest Dixie of the mouldy fig variety. Incidentally, I wish people would stop trying to pigeonhole jazz in fine-sounding categories. The use of the rather spurious term "Mainstream", strikes me as both pretentious and inaccurate, especially to describe this sort of modified Acker Bilk.
The real and pleasant surprise of the evening was the last group: a polished quintet headed by Noel Evans on bass. The versatile Bruce Johnson blew baritone, clarinet and flute with equal precision and imagination — which excused some obvious neo-Parkerisms.
Gary Kennington was on nodding terms with Miles Davis, but avoided name-dropping, and the rhythm section of Allan Henderson (piano), Noel Davis (bass) and Terry Crayford (drums) drove the group along forcefully. Johnson's clarinet showed its more manly qualities—a lesson to the effete Giuffre school.
The two biggest faults of Varsity jazz right now are a lack of bite and a tendency to derivative playing. Nothing sounds worse in concert than obvious parodies of big-name jazz artists without the genius that underlies their more obvious mannerisms. No one minds if Varsity music is unpolished, but it is hard to forgive it for being unoriginal.
A noted Lutheran Theologian, Dr Herman Sasse, will be visiting V.U.W. this June to carry out a teaching mission in the University. Dr Sasse STM, TH.D., was educated at Berlin University and Hartford Seminary. He later taught Church History and Symbolism at Erlangen University, Germany, and is now at Emmanuel Theological Seminary, Adelaide.
Dr Sasse was instrumental in the founding of the "Confessing Church" Movement during the Hitler period in Germany. This movement was a protest against Nazi attempts to control and muzzle the Church, and a stand for Christian belief and ethics in the midst of the militant paganism of the Nazis. (Many of the movement's leaders ended up in Concentration Camps.)
Although a world authority on Lutheran Sacramental Theology, Dr Sasse's teaching mission will primarily deal with other aspects of Christian Theology, and his five addresses in the University will be on the theme "The Old Man and the New". Titles for his addresses are:—
Dr Sasse's visit is being sponsored by the Evangelical Union.
A recording made by Stravinsky is much more than a recording: it is a document. As such the four 12 inch discs recently released by Philips deserve our attention for their historical value as much as for their excellent listening. "I regard my recordings as indispensable supplements to the printed score" says the master. Clarity in tempo and rhythmic articulation are the essential elements in a Stravinsky recording (they should be in all music), and with the maestro in control orchestra, choir, and chamber ensemble perform with a precision which they themselves cannot match under another guiding hand. Don't be put off by the Ace-of-Clubs look: the pressing inside are what's important. For the listener who is keen but knows little of the master's work, I would suggest that he buy all four, and play bits of each. The rest should buy all four anyway.
In the middle of last year there was an influx of American Columbia discs. Among them was the set of Stravinsky's new revised Firebird, Le Sacre, and Petrovshka. The imposing photograph which figured on this set is the same one which appears on the Philips releases. But the Philips Firebird and Le Sacre are not from this set. They are the re-issue of a much older version made in
A lot of guff is written in reviews of Stravinsky. A model of clarity, he would probably resent it as much as I do. Much is made of the "frenetic rhythms" of Le Sacre with their "stark primitiveness." Rhythm is a feature of a lot of other music, too, but 1 found I did not understand what rhythm was, until I heard Le Sacre. Now I am beginning to hear it in Beethoven and Haydn, given a good performance.
What gives Le Sacre its kick, though, is the unequal repetition of strong rhythmic figures, giving a passage a deliberate discontinuity. Stravinsky will repeat a striking figure on the spot in all sorts of ways; some longer than the first, others shorter. Then when all its possibilities of expression and syncopation seem to be exhausted, off we go again. If a progression leads somehow to a tremendous crashing chord, just hold your breath and the music will run past and turn about and charge at it from another direction. If the opening of the second half of Le Sacre sounds to you (as it does to me) the purest and deepest expression of a D minor triad, don't lift back the pickup arm to play it again: the repeat is built in. Besides its climaxes of gradually-accumulated power, Le Sacre has moments of great lyricism and calm. It is far from the continuous full-scale bombardment it is sometimes made out to be. In an otherwise flawless performance, I noticed one quiet mis-entry from a bass clarinet who sounded suitably chastened thereafter.
The 1919 Suite From Firebird always seemed too short for me (and Lord knows I'm short enough), and when as last year only the Lullaby and Finale are played the effect of disproportion is overwhelming. Stravinsky's 1919 revision to a certain extent restores the balance between the Finale and the rest, and the work in this form fills a 12 inch side rather than serving as the filler-in which the old version so frequently appears as. Again the stimulating precision that we experienced live last year is captured on a record of sustained brilliance. With the grooves somehow closer together what filled two LP's now goes on one: it is therefore what Sellars and Yeatman would call, A Good Buy'.
No, not Brahms (heaven forbid!) but the master's Symphony in C, which is the nearest to Beethoven he has come. It uses a Beethoven-sized orchestra and bears more than a few technical relations to his predecessor. But it sounds like Stravinsky and is in fact much cooler than we expect Beethoven to be. I know of one other version of this work available in New Zealand: that of Ansermet, but I haven't heard it. But why I shouldn't be able to compare it with a Nat. Orch. performance I do not know, for it is well within their reach and a delight to listen to. Ah well, give Mr Hopkins his due, he has such a backlog of 20th century music to catch up. To the Philips recording, KLC 2787, one must turn in the meantime. The Cleveland Orchestra plays it cool and classical till the finale , when Stravinsky's extraordinary imagination brings forth some very low-register bassoon passages, punctuated by brass chords pianissimo which are so deep that one strains down with one's whole body to accommodate them. The whole finale has a soul-searching sombreness which would be romantic (in which case unique) if it were not so restrained.
Restraint is the chief characteristic of the Cantata ( 1052), on the reverse side of Symphony
A new version of the Suite from The Soldier's Tale is quite superior to the composer's earlier release (also Philips) for its greater clarity. The interpretation (or is it merely the technician?) of the new version emphasises the violin and double bass. I must confess, though, to preferring the dramatic percussion finish of the earlier version to the more subdued triumph of the new Devil.
"When you can't get a Stravinsky by Stravinsky get a Stravinsky by somebody else" is one of my favourite axioms. Pulcinella and Le Baiser de la Fee on Record Society RZ6008 and the complete Soldier's Tale on RZ6019, are both not out in any other version as far as I know. In the former Markevitch keeps a fairly steady beat, but is hampered, particularly in Pulcinella, by some bad brass intonation. I am interested in the Tschaikovsky-derived Le Baiser because general opinion ranks this work fairly low down on Stravinsky's opus—it therefore seems quite likely to turn out to be one of his most important works. Both this and Pulcinella are interesting studies in orchestration. The second movement of Pulcinella, and the horn quartet passages of Le Baiser are particularly beautiful.
As for the complete Soldier's Tale, it fills an important gap, certainly, and the new English translation is infinitely better than the old doggerel. Helpmann, at the head of the speaking cast, is a chilling Devil: under his direction the story is a great dramatic success. But the music is no more than adequately played, alas: and I felt tempted to use only the speaking part and supply the music from Stravinsky's new version, from another set.
The University Music Club's concert deserved a bigger audience, than it got. Maybe Vic. doesn't care that it has a music club with some resources of talent; but perhaps it doesn't know — does the club committee advertise enough?
Wednesday's crowd didn't look too bad during Maurice Quinn's performance of yet another of those off-the-peg Telemann sonatas.
When most of the audience trooped onto the stage to sing an unaccompanied medieval sequence, motet and Missa Brevis, we realised how few of us were left on the floor to applaud. As it turned out, we applauded Warren Bourne's choir more on principal than out of conviction.
It was good to hear early music tackled so gamely. Mr Bourne should be asked to tackle more, and the importing of Roy Murphy's trombone to support the tenor line of the motet was imaginative and right. But the whole thing sounded (and perhaps was) grotesquely under-rehearsed — resonant attack after resonant attack sinking into embarrassed fumble.
The magnificent F minor Schubert Fantasy for piano duet came as a relief afterwards. Though Jenny McLeod and Murray Brown tended to rant and roar in the aggressive parts and their texture throughout tended to be muddy, their balance and sense of architecture was always satisfying.' Treatment of the relaxed moments was often very beautiful.
The evening ended with a group of bass-baritone songs sung by Nelson Wattie, who made an intelligent and generous noise, though perhaps throwing his weight around overmuch. Having struggled manfully with a movement from a Bach church-cantata, brought the house down with a Hugo Wolf comic piece and peered dimly at a Debussy chanson, he riveted all our attention with two ghoulish ballads: one of Moussorgsky's Songs and Dances of Death, and David Farquhar's setting of "Lord Randall."
The composer was heard to murmur that there was more Wattie than Farquhar in the latter, but the Moussorgsky alone was worth the price of admission (sixpence optional, coffee included). Why weren't there more people to hear it?
One cannot, in a short article, do anything like justice to the complex question I would like to discuss today. Can there, in the first place, be any absolute and objective art criticism? Manifestly no. Objective Art criticism is no more possible than objective art; but the necessity of art criticism is incontestible. What qualities ought a critic to have? He must have sound judgment, knowledge and instinct; he must defend sincerity, greatness—in God's own country this is one aspect rarely calling for its defence because of its singular absence and purity.
The critic, whatever his subject, be it letters, fine arts, music, cinema or the stage influences public judgment and must feel a responsibility to his public and to his art.
One of the great evils of the commerce of journalism, is the critic's indulgence in mere descriptive criticism: a critic's mere narration of the impressions made by a work are not enough; there must be an attempt, at least, at a critical evaluation. To say as I have heard say, that one must be a painter to assess painting is nonsense; if this were so there would be no bad painters. I rather fancy a deficit of film critics if this proposition were applied to the field of cinema. Film producers are not, as a group, noted for their saturation. Before considering the application of these principles we must understand the change which has taken place in contemporary art criticism.
Up to, say, the advent of impressionism, the critic had seldom been up against a painter's lacking of a certain pre-requisite and fundamental standard; for the painter's aim was technical perfection. However, today, many of our painters are not — as their predecessors — skilful craftsmen understanding their Metier. No stringest apprenticeship to one or more masters marks out the present day artist; in fact, there is a race to hang up the artistic shingle and grull a very gullible public.
With the advent of photography and the collapse of institutions in which the artist believed, the painter, with his counterparts in music and letters, became segregated from society. No longer bound by the stringent values and conservatism crumbling beneath his feet, the painter turned to the exploration of the formal values of art: Art for the sake of Art. Solid, artistic form was eclipsed by the obsession with personal expression; no great technical competence was, or is today, required, for the explorations of the formal, abstract values, with which the contemporary artists are so pre-occupied.
Form today is concentrated on for the sake of form; colour for the sake of colour; in fact creation has displaced communication; all, regardless of the conimunicability and coherence or otherwise of the work. I do not say all abstract work is therefore bad painting; I do say that when an artist with no evidence of prior training in representative work springs up out of the earth like a mushroom, demanding a critic's assessment, then one ought to be very wary indeed in delivering judgment.
The deficiencies in such work by two recent painters Andre Brooke and John Godrich, to me apparent, can be concealed by endless expedients; Godrich's for example by the ornamentally-decorative quality — the gigantic and weird impasted effect hides inadequate skill in the handling of depth and perspective. Mr Brooke's work one finds no mastery of the constituent elements, no consistent skill or quality; merely thematic consistency. It is a gross impertinence for young, immature, incompetent or merely indifferent artists to expect favourable reviewing; in fact, if they were in England, they would get no review at all. It is easier to exhibit in Wellington than anywhere else in the world; press notices are bestowed regardless of the quality, or lack of it of an artist's work with the result that first-time painters, Sunday painters, and very indifferent painters are reviewed on a par with professional painters who suffer from this false and ludicrous state of affairs. The recent James Smith Gallery fiasco is a fine example; getting, as it did, as sympathetic a public write-up as, say better work by Peter Mclntyre.
When that brilliant New Zealand painter Douglas Macdiarmld exhibited last year, critical appraisals were very similar to those awarded to other painters of lesser stature. Yet, Macdiarmid stands out like Shakespeare at a Chinese wedding! His work deserves in equity, at least twice as much space and thought given to, say, an inferior artist like Brooke. Others merit no mention at all; invariably when it is given it is resented, unless the critic prostitutes his sensibility at the foot of the (presumably) God-like artist. The sooner this N.Z. egalitarian mania is disposed of the better!
A word on the one-sided acceptance of, and reliance placed upon, formal elements like form, colour, texture, line or tonal values. All these separate elements are integral parts, going to make up good painting. Where the painting relies for its value and intrinsic worth solely on these separate elements — even though in combination — the work must contain soul, sincerity and warmth.
Far too many abstract works — both in music and art — are churned out by routine, barren and empty, satisfying only the theories giving birth to them. I personally do not believe colour alone can replace the other pictorial elements; mechanical art ought have no place.
The most amazing defect in N.Z. painters is their neglect of genre and figure painting. Topographical trifles are not enough. Contempt of schooling by our younger painters is a prime cause: the level of erudition in the part of many of our artists is deplorable. The critic today cannot, I think, give unmerited praise for work which is quickly depreciating in technical skill. A new synthesis is long overdue in our country and, no doubt, there are painters coming on at this time who could show the way. Qualitative, artistic values must take precedence over the merely subjective ones: but our whole culture is to blame. To live, the Kelliher topographers must "pot-boll" their work to sell it. Given enough commercial and private commissions, this could be overcome. I foresee, otherwise, only further alienations of the artist from society. The noxious inroads of commercial art are no less dangerous but there is little that can be done; only by public education can one hope to instil a receptivity for good painting and then, only when such painting has reappeared.
In this article Contributing Editor Gary Evans discusses the problems of Art criticism and touches on its allied question: what is good painting? The consideration arises partly out of a recent letter received in which our critic's assessment of the work of a Christchurch painter, Andre Brooke was attacked.
Cancer has an incidence of one in four and consequently very few families indeed have not had first hand experience of the disease. It is a social menace which is assuming larger proportions as the advance of medical science and social hygiene reduce deaths from other diseases. Only by obtaining the active cooperation of the public can the fight against cancer be waged successfully. The British Empire Cancer Campaign Society aims to obtain this.
It is probably true that no other disease is surrounded by such an atmosphere of misunderstanding and fear. It is this unfortunate public reaction to cancer which is undoubtedly the cause of the loss of many lives unnecessarily. Of all diseases which afflict mankind, cancer is one of the most easily treated but only if caught in its early stages. Early diagnosis is essential. If people could be educated to the simple facts about cancer and alerted to its danger signs, the toll in human lives from this disease would be halved, even with existing knowledge of the disease. Here in New Zealand we are curing one in four of cancer victims only, when we should be curing one in two.
As the advance of medical knowledge has permitted us to reduce mortality from such diseases as tuberculosis, pneumonia and the common infections, more and more people are succumbing to cancer because they are now living longer. It is said that cancer is a by-product of modern civilisation, but only in the sense that civilisation has increased our life span and therefore our period of exposure to the disease, is this true. Cancer is essentially a disease of the older person. Among communities where life expectancy is less than forty years, such as in Egypt, Chile, India, there is little incidence of cancer.
Before the last war a diagnosis of cancer usually meant death. This is not so today. With the improved surgical techniques, more effective drugs, better anaesthetics and the use of blood transfusions the surgeon can now confidently undertake surgery which would formerly have been impossible.
Although it is possible however to cure half of all cancers, here in New Zealand we are curing one in four only. The responsibility for this must lie with the community. The medical profession has the knowledge and ability to achieve a much higher cure rate but it can do little until it receives the co-operation of the public. In the United States of America, the cancer cure rate has been raised from one in four to one in three over the last ten years. They know no more about the disease than we, nor have they any better means of treating it. But during the last decade the American Cancer Society has carried out an intensive programme of public education to alert people to the symptoms of the disease so that they are in a better position to recognise cancer.
There are many misconceptions surrounding cancer. It is not true that cancer is contagious. Although no one can speak with authoritive knowledge, for understanding of the disease is yet in its infancy, we do know that it cannot be passed from one person to another. No doctor or nurse having spent a lifetime caring for cancer victims has been known to contract the disease from a patient.
Cancer is not hereditary, although we may inherit a weakness which makes us more liable to get the disease. We have learned from laboratory experiments with mice that the ability to pass on cancer is the recessive trait and the ability to resist the dominant trait. If two persons marry, one with each characteristic, their children will not inherit cancer and as all human beings are hybrids, there is little reason to believe that cancer is inherited.
Cancer is not caused by an injury. Women particularly are apt to associate breast cancers with a remembered blow or knock but the evidence is against there being any relation between injuries and cancer. If we developed cancers on the site of injuries, cancer would be rife.
Cancer is not a sign of a misspent life. It is completely indiscriminate in its attacks. It affects all races and physical types. Research into its control therefore is the responsibility of the community. Wide public support is needed to alert people to the menace of cancer and so reduce its appalling toll of human Jives.
Known causes of cancer account for only a small fraction of the total number of cases. Most cancers are regarded as occuring spontaneously. In addition only a minority of the people exposed to the known hazards actually develop cancer. There must be another factor which can be classed as individual susceptibility.
Intense heat can cause cancer Natives of Kashmir tend sheep at night and to keep warm suspend baskets of hot charcoal beneath their robes. They are the only people in the world who develop cancer of the skin of the abdomen.
Chronic irritation can cause cancer. Gall stones if left untreated may in time cause a malignancy.
Chemical compounds may cause cancer. It is known that arsenic, tar, creosote oil, crude paraffin oil cause cancer of the skin.
Asbestos, chromatic compounds, tar fumes cause cancer of the lung.
Of the known causes of cancer, the greatest single factor is sunshine. Prolonged overexposure to the sun is harmful especially if you are of the fair-skinned type who does not readily tan. To put into perspective the amount of exposure required, skin cancer was formerly known as the "Sailor's" or "Farmer's" disease.
There are four ways of reducing the chance of becoming a cancer victim. They are:—
The seven danger signs of cancer are:—
If you have one of these symptoms it does not necessarily mean you have cancer. But if your symptom persists in spite of usual remedies, the intelligent course of action is to seek a doctor's advice for it is because cancer so often hides under the symptoms of innocuous complaints that it takes an unnecessarily high toll of life. People are misled by the apparent benignity of their complaint. The way to raise the present cure rate of one in four to the possible one in two is for everyone to appraise their own state of health intelligently. But meanwhile do not worry about your health. The time to start thinking about your health is when you have a persistent symptom. Even then you will probably not have cancer but you cannot afford to take the risk.
The incidence of cancer broadly speaking has been static except for lung cancer in the Western world, where the rate has shown, and is still showing an explosive increase.
Cancer strikes one in four of the population at some time in their lives and the present death rate from the disease is one in six in New Zealand. After heart disease it causes the largest number of deaths. In most cases a death from heart disease can be attributed to the natural decline of physical powers. But not so with cancer, a death from this disease is the result of the growth of an abnormality which by interfering with the body's mechanisms causes death.
Cancer is not peculiar to the human race. It afflicts all forms of life, animals, reptiles, birds, insects, trees, shrubs and plants. Wherever there; is life, there is also cancer. Nor is cancer new. It has existed throughout all time. The Ancient Egyptians recognised it as did the Greeks. There are fossilised bones of dinosaurs in existence which show signs of cancerous growth. Budgerigars, domestic poultry goldfish, mice and dogs are more prone to the disease than rabbits and primates. Certain breeds of dogs, such as retrievers, are very susceptible. Chows and Pekinese on the other hand rarely contract it. Only six per cent, of old horses die of cancer, but eighty per cent of old grey horses develop It. All human races are in total equally susceptible to cancer but there are remarkable differences in the forms of cancer which occur.
Here in New Zealand the fight against cancer is being spearheaded by the British Empire Cancer Campaign Society. The Society is divided into five divisions, all of which are completely autonomous in all matters including finance. They collaborate through a central committee to coordinate activities and to carry out research. The Society has existed in this country since the late nineteen twenties. It has little connection with its parent body in Britain except in sharing the same objectives.
The Society is fortunate in enjoying the full support and cooperation of the Department of Health and the two bodies have often acted in close liaison. It is possible that in the near future the Society and the Department of Health will mount a joint campaign to promote the early diagnosis of cancer.
In the public educational field, the Society's two Divisions in Auckland and Wellington employ", full-time staff who are available to lecture to groups and show films on cancer. All Divisions engage in professional education and the purchase of equipment for hospitals. In the five major centres in New Zealand, equipment to irradiate cancer has in all cases been provided by the Society. The "Divisions also combine to support current research in Dunedin; the value of the work being carried out there in connection with hormone dependent tumours by Dr Bielchovski has received worldwide recognition. There are also research projects proceeding in Christchurch and Auckland financed by the Society. Valuable work has been done in Auckland in the search for a cancer inhibiting chemical compound.
The touring Australian Universities team climaxed their New Zealand tour with a test match against a N.Z.U. team on Easter Monday at the Olympic Stadium, Newmarket. The Australians once again won the shield presented for this meeting (in fact, New Zealand has yet to win this handsome trophy). But their winning margin was not as great as was expected (25 points to 20).
W. Earle won the sprints for the Australians in fine style (as was to be expected from his earlier tour performances—particularly in his N.Z. record of 9.5 100 yards at Palmerston North). But A. Steel and D. McKenzle both ran well to fill minor placings. D. Black and M. Malouf ran solidly to take maximum points in the 440 for the Australians. But in the 880 and 1 mile N.Z. reversed the roles, filling first and second placings In each event—with good running by Stu McCrostie and Bob Hamilton in the ½-mile; and excellent teamwork by B. Cooper and K. McDell in the mile.
The pole vault was won by Australian captain, Dick Watson at a surprisingly low height (l1ft. 6ins.) and the long jump went to the Australians also although N.Z. expected W. Jowett to take this event. Murray Speden showed his versatility by outjumping the well-performed Australians, Andrew Reed and Peter Hutchinson, in the hop, step and jump.
The high jump, which concluded well after the meeting had finished provided a thrilling drama between Otag's young W. Spiers and the two Australians, John Hunt and John Anthill. Hunt (6ft. 3ins.) finally won with Spiers second in a very close finish.
Big, bouncing Ken Mottram threw the hammer well (160ft. 10 ins.) and put the shot at 47ft. to take a first and second placing in what was an uneven struggle of one Aussie against a host of New Zealanders.
The hurdles showed the Australians at their best with Ian White and Barry Hoffentsetz taking a first and a second each in the 120 and 220 yards. Vic's Joe Pope took third place on each occasion. And Brendon Higgins raced away in the 440 hurdles.
The 4 × 440 relay was expected to be a walk-over for the strong, fast Australian team (with average personal bests of 48.5 sees.). However, good tactical running by the N.Z. team (R. Hamilton, C. M. McGuire, A. Martin, B. McNeil, whose average best was round about 50.5) saw a thrilling finish eventuate in which the New Zealanders narrowly won in the good time of 3 min. 17.5 secs.
The organisation for this meeting far exceeded the level in the N.Z.U. champs on Saturday; and the better conditions were indicated by the good performances both in the test match and the North-South contest.
Victoria today is a different place from the Victoria of 1950. Looking at an issue of "Salient" for that year we can see the reason for this.
In a front-page article, Conrad Bollinger outlines left-wing activity. In 1919, no fewer than Three S.G.M.'s were held. The third of these was to oppose conscription then being introduced by the Labour Government. The National Party's paper, "Freedom" termed the students 'bobby-soxers and teenagers kowtow (ing) to ikons of Czar Stalin I."
"Truth" was not silent. Under a banner headline, this intellectual weekly called Vic. "a hotbed of Revolution." The banner headline, " Red Hot" was printed in black with red flames leaping from the top.
Other activities: Support of the World Peace Congress declaring the Russians as "worthy of our friendship;" 300-strong demonstration against the Dutch invasion of Indonesia; a telegram to Czech Premier Gottwald which caused another S.G.M.
Every year the Debating Society takes a disillusioned delight In proposing a provocative religious motion for debate, aware that this venerable Institution Is crammed with religious-conscious fans and anti-fans, who will not be able to resist.
The topic for Friday. June 8 Is "That the Roman Catholic Church is the Point at which Religion Ceases to be Funny."
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
Now please don't ask us exactly what this is supposed to signify. No doubt the Philosophy Dept. will eventually unravel its twisted lack of logic and be able to elucidate the complex implications within a few decades. Anyway, make sure You come along to the S.U.B. Theatre at 8 p.m. to listen to ranting prophets, abusive atheists, ardent agnostics and the usual raving demogogues!
Once again, the time is close for the Victoria Debating Society's annual oratory contest — Plunket Medal. This will be the 56th year that this contest has been held, and a continuing tradition of quality and close competition makes it an occasion that should not be missed by anyone interested in top-level public speaking. It will be held In the Concert Chamber on Friday, June 22 at S p.m. under the patronage of His Excellency the Governor General. There are no restrictions regarding choice of subject. All those interested in speaking at this contest should apply in writing to the committee as soon as; possible.
By the way, all members of the Debating Society Committee are reminded to attend a Committee meeting on Tuesday, June 12 in Committee Room 3.
New Zealand hardly knows the meaning of this word. We have not the millions starving in our cities, as China or India have, nor suffer from the universal malnutrition of Italy or South America. Very few New Zealanders know the experience, not just of temporary hunger, but of no prospect of food, ever; not just the next meal, nor the next few days, but the coming years are hungry — no assurance at all. They are not hung y because the people are lazy, or unambitious, or ignorant — but because there are too many of them for the amount of food the land can grow, and too many for the amount of work available. If they had work they might improve the land with their earnings, and buy its food.
It is a never-ending cycle. Poor food—poor health—poor work—insufficient money and food.
Obviously, any scheme merely to feed the hungry would be useless. It is not the food the Indians and Asians need, it is the means by which they may produce it, distribute it, buy it with, improve the quality as well as the quantity. The situation is aggravated by the rapid increase in population in these very countries of limited capital resources. 20 countries (total population 500,000,000) have a surplus of food; the rest (total population 2,500 million) have food shortage. Redistribution will not solve this problem.
F.A.O. and U.N.I.C.E.F., two of the U.N. organisations have set themselves a long-term plan to improve agricultural methods, develop better seeds and fertilisers, irrigation, transport, education and training. There has been much scorn poured onto Western 'patronage', on American brashness, and British 'flour and sugar.' Anything which suggested imperialism was bitterly rejected, if the recipients had an opportunity to refuse. But U.N., by insisting on self-help, and the participation of all members in its schemes, is being far more effective.
The N.Z. committee for 'Freedom from Hunger' is holding a major campaign to enlist public support for the £500,000 N.Z. is to raise for the F.A.O. and Unicef fund. This money is going into specific projects: land reclamation in Korea, resettlement schemes, a milk treatment station in Tanganyika and village rehabilitation.
On June 13, 14, 15, a campaign at Victoria is being organised by the World University Service for the 'Freedom from Hunger' Campaign, to coincide with the nationwide effort. The money we send to W.U.S. is aid in student health programmes; in some areas as many as 80% of the students suffer from diseases such as T.B., pleurisy, dysentry or malaria which are mainly the result of malnutrition. It is aid in building clinics and providing drugs and medical equipment. It provides canteens and hostels for the thousands of refugees and homeless students in Asia and Europe, and even 'food scholarships.' Many universities are desperately short of book and technical equipment which W.U.S. committees in our universities will collect, or provide them with materials to make their own books and periodicals. If there are the funds available W.U.S. will provide special scholarships, education and advisory services, but the emphasis is not on individual aid, but on general projects in which the whole university or community may share. Disease and hunger is its main concern, especially in this 'Freedom from Hunger' year.
When you are approached by a collector, do not look embarrassed and mumble something about pay-day. This aid to the universities and people of Africa, Europe, South America and particularly Asia, is of vital importance to us. More than once it has been said that our future depends on the needs and ideals of the Asian people; if they are hungry, and needing land, education and technology they will soon be demanding it from us, not from a distance but at our doors.
Give, and give generously in this Campaign.
About half-way along Willis Street. Very smooth-flowing silent wool for knitting during lectures. Muffled needles told. Seriously though, specialists, with the best range of plys and colours in town.
At 48a Manners Street. a co-operative bookshop. Buying a single share (£1) on-titles you to 10% discount on all titles for life. German. Spanish. French and Russian. Any book ordered from anywhere in the world—delay about two months.
At 102 Lambton Quay, Phone 43-910. Religious books of all descriptions e.g., theological, devotional, church history - and children's.
54 The Terrace. Carry A Complete Range Of Student Books In Commerce And Law. Price Lists Available On Request.
Lambton Quay, Wellington.
For the most complete range of Text Books. Discounts available to Students for Text Book Purchases.
Comes a degree. Comes a wife, child and bank account. Get in early with a BNZ cheque account. Pay by cheque. Get the record of your statement. Control your spending.
A network covered by trams, diesel buses and trolley buses, will take you anywhere in the City. Timetables can be procured at the Lambton Quay and Courtenay Place Terminals at 6d. per copy. The sight-seeing tours are truly remarkable and will make you familiar with the terrain of Wellington. Telephone 42-719 for further information.
Half-way along Willis Street, long-standing connection with University sport. Every one of Vic's twenty-four sports catered for here. All contingencies provided for.
Nearest to the University, on the corner of Willis and Manners Streets. Many like the Back Bar. Never too crowded and comfortably twilit. Handy to eating places. Red Band Draught, drawn from a refrigerated tank room.
John I. Gray. Photographer, Shell House The Terrace, wishes to advise that the advertisement on Page 6 in intended to be taken seriously.
In the T. & G. Building, opp. Cable Car Lane. A most handy shop with the usual range of soaps, cosmetics, ointments and soothing balms. Prompt prescription service.
At No. 3 Ballance Street, in the Maritime Building. Wholesale wino and spirit people. Vintners to Students' Asia. Especially of interest are their sweet and dry sherry sold in flagons, which go well al a party. Also rod and white dry table winos at 6/-. Minimum order 2 gallons.
Socially and intellectually, the weekend camp held by World Affairs Council turned into a roaring success. 50 students in attendance.
Friday evening was spent by campers getting to know each other. The company split up in groups in different huts, some conversations continuing well into the morning.
Came Saturday, the campers heard a talk which was the highlight of the camp.
Lecturer in Anthropology, Ken Maddocks (Auckland) gave a talk entitled "Primitive Societies and the Myths of Communism and Anarchism." He examined the anarchism of primitive tribes pointing out that their anarchism was caused by a low level of output and energy. This example was being used fallaciously by modern-day Anarchists.
Wolfgang Rosenberg, lecturer in Economics at Canterbury talked on "The Economics of Underdeveloped Nations." He claimed that the land could be utilised by central planning. To achieve this, there must be one party government. This proved the main bone of contention in the ensuing two-hour discussion.
"Twelve Angry Men" was screened on Saturday evening. This was followed by an informal social evening, people spending their time dancing, talking, eating, while there was a modicum of light drinking.
Late Sunday morning, Trade unionist Toby Hill arrived to put the worker's point of view. Although not entirely logical, his talk was generally stimulating.
Finally, on Sunday afternoon, there was an organised debate on central planning. The case against this central planning, although based sometimes on hazy terms, was generally the most convincing. Unfortunately, no floor speakers added anything worthwhile to the argument.
The University Council have made funds available to the Accommodation Service (run by the Managing Secretary of the Student Union) so that student accommodation may be inspected. It is intended to operate a grading system of the sort used in classifying hotels, and a start will be made by inspecting houses where it is known that students are living at present.
It may be of interest to students to know that this is taking place and that eventually flats will be looked at as well. It is hoped that in future the lists of accommodation that are issued at the beginning of the year will include the grade of each accommodation address.
It is not intended to introduce the idea of registered lodgings, which is used in universities overseas.
It is a little frustrating, when one passes a cinema, to see a poster outside in which some pneumatically built starlet has had her exposed charms covered with a strategic daub of paint which doesn't quite match the background. Or to see a large-scale fiend's face with the maggots dripping from the putrefying half carefully obliterated. Then there are the numerous cases of slack jawed moronic teenagers threatening each other from a crouching position in which their clenched hands are out in front of them — hands that once held flick-knives but are now smeared with paint.
It is obvious that the Censor has been at work again and one's morbid regret at missing some possibly salacious detail is tempered by the thought that at least it could have been worse — the whole poster might have disappeared.
The censorship regulations gazetted in
When you see a film a week or so after having seen the trailer, you wonder at the brilliance of the job done by the man who made the trailer in his success at suggesting more than the parent film delivers. It is obvious that being blatant advertising rather than sober information, the trailer is going to inflate its effects to excess in its attempts to sell. Hence the use of out-of-context scenes of violence, sex and glamour to whet the viewer's jaded appetite.
When the trailer of a restricted feature is shown in a programme which may consist mostly of (G) certificate material, the short cannot be treated to the privilege of the same grading as its parent— obviously. Trailers are therefore cut down to the (G) level; though that is not to say that they may not be banned altogether.
In 1957 for example, 195 excisions were made in 122 trailers (compared with 127 cuts in 98 trailers in 1956) provoking the Censor to comment wryly at the time that these figures must constitute. .." almost certainly an all-time record." But the next year, 1958's total was 308 cuts in 171 trailers and prompted his remark that this was". . an all-time record." This record was untouched by the 1959 figures (266 cuts in 156 trailers) hut surpassed in I960—492 excisions in 212 trailers. The Censor's remarks this time are unrecorded.
If this trend continues, one sees the possibility of no trailers whatever getting through unscathed, for in the
What happens if the distributors submit a film for inspection and disagree with the Censor's decision, on either publicity, trailer, excision or rejection?
In this case they may appeal to a special three-member board who will view the disputed film (or other material) and judge the case on its merits, starting right from scratch. They may then amend the Censor's original decision or uphold it. Usually there is little need for the distributors to appeal, for they get, on the whole, a pretty fair deal. Each year, however, there is a small handful of appeals which is heard by the board. The following notes may be found in the Censor's annual reports.
In
The only other appeal concerned the Censor's projected treatment of a British feature, which he had offered to approve either with a (G) certificate if certain excisions were made, or with a (Y) certificate if no cuts were made. The appellant asked for a (G) certificate without excisions. The board upheld the latter course in favour of the appellant.
Four new films, including one 16mm feature (Unashamed), were subject to outright refusal of certificates in The Wild Party and The Delinquents was upheld and Chained For Life was released with a restricted certificate after some cutting.
Another film (No Orchids For Miss Blandish), the rejection of which had been upheld by the board early in (Cell 2455 Death Row) previously banned on appeal in
In Blood of Dracula, Motor Cycle Gang, The Party Crashers, and Karamoja. The film Blood of Dracula after substantial re-editing was re-submitted as Blood Is My Heritage, and after further cutting was approved for exhibition with an R:16 certificate. The 16mm feature, Karamoja had been refused a certificate previously in 35mm.
Appeals were lodged in respect of the other four of the rejected features. The Board upheld the Censor's rejections of I was a Teenage Werewolf, Tictaban and High School Confidential. The appeal in respect of the fourth, Naked Paradise, was allowed and the film approved with an (A) certificate after substantial cutting.
In another film, Cry Terror, the Censor issued a certificate restricting screenings to persons 16 and over, required certain cuts to be made and rejected the trailer. An appeal was lodged and the board upheld the Censor's decision in respect of the restricted certificate, rejected the trailer, but allowed fewer excisions than the Censor had required.
The trailer for the film Portland Expose was rejected and no appeal lodged. An appeal lodged in respect of Jet Pilot was withdrawn by the appellant. No appeals were received regarding publicity material rejected.
The following year,
I Was A Teenage Frankenstein (feature)
Return Of The Fly (trailer)
The Cool And The Crazy (feature and trailer)
The Fantastic Disappearing Man (trailer)
I Mobster (trailer)
The Screaming Skull (trailer)
Riot In A Juvenile Prison (trailer)
The Shameless Sex (trailer)
It, The Terror From Beyond Space (trailer)
Teenage Doll (feature and trailer)
Elysia (feature and trailer)
Teenage Monster (feature)
Passport To Shame (trailer)
Macabre (trailer)
The following two features and three trailers and the advertising short were later resubmitted, after substantial re-editing, and approved in the amended form:
Dragstrip Riot (feature and trailer)
High School Hellcats (feature and trailer)
Adam And Eve (trailer)
Seven features and two trailers were subject to appeal. The appeals were allowed in the following two cases both in respect of features and trailers.
I Want To Live: Approved for exhibition to persons 16 and over after certain excisions.
Call Girls: Approved for exhibition to persons 16 and over after certain excisions.
The Board of Appeal upheld the Censor's decisions in respect of the following five features and two trailers:
Beat Generation (feature and trailer)
How To Make A Monster (feature and trailer)
Teenage Wolfpack (feature)
The Last Mile(feature)
The Wild One (feature)
The last-named film, The Wild One, was submitted to and rejected by both Censor and Appeal Board for the third time. No appeals were received regarding publicity material rejected.
Last year, thirteen feature films, sixteen trailers two 16mm features and one short and nine television films were refused certificates of approval. Appeals were lodged in respect of four feature films and one television film. Two of the feature films rejected were later resubmitted after substantial re-editing and were approved in their amended form.
Appeals against the Censor's classification of the feature film Dark At The Top Of The Stairs and the short Polygamous Polonius were allowed while one against excisions required by the Censor in the feature My World Dies Screaming was dismissed. Appeals against his rejection of Girl's Town. The Pusher, This Rebel Breed and Peeping Tom were dismissed. The appeal against the rejection of the television film Jockey Underwear was allowed.
Appeals against the rejection of certain posters for the films Doctor In Love, Make Mine Mink and Hell To Eternity were allowed in whole or in part.
(The final article in this series will appear in the next issue.)
A lady yesterday was walking up the very steep part of Talavera Terrace, Backwards. Must have been one of the old gravity-feed; models.
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