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Once again students have become the object of a smear attempt by NZ Truth. This week's issue has an article entitled "They want both Reds and riches" which has a number of factual errors.
Written by
It says, "Wellington's Victoria University two student clubs will officially take part in the red celebrations and have already invited Russians to give addresses. These will hardly amount to lectures on history."
The event Mr. Rodgers says will take place, occurred some two weeks ago. If Mr. Rodgers was really interested in seeing how students celebrated the Bolshevik revolution he could have come along with reporters from the dailies to all the addresses.
If he read The Dominion he would have noticed a front page lead recently on what the Russian Ambassador said at Victoria University.
Labour Club President Mur ray Rowlands told Salient the purpose of the Russia week was to examine the cultural, economic and political development in Russia since the revolution. "Contingent on this was the Government's 'out of hand' rejection of the Russian Government wool offer," he said.
Besides the Russian Ambassador and the First Secretary who spoke to the students there were three academics who have some knowledge of the Soviet Union.
Mr. Rodgers continues: "The official statement accompanying the news that the students will celebrate amounts to so much balderdash."
The "official statement" he then quotes from is in fact extracts taken out of an article written by myself for the Evening Post two weeks ago. In no way should it be regarded as an official statement from the Labour Party Club and the Film Society who were sponsoring the festival.
Despite this he writes "sounding like a Soviet Information Service handout the statement goes on . . . and "while official student statements follow this line the academics are more likely to get the free work handouts they have been begging from the Government."
In fact, students don't want free work handouts as Mr. Rodgers suggests. They want work like everyone else so they won't be a financial drag on either their parents or the economy through falling units because of financial insecurity.
Mr. Rodgers has noted that students tend to come from the wealthier families and implies for this reason they don't need any special treatment.
Has he considered that perhaps it is not time the situation was investigated. Should the sons and daughters of the poorer classes be financially barred from the universities?
He says: "So far they have tried to push the Labour Department and the Social Security Department into being student sugar-daddies. But what the students don't realise is that the more money they get for themselves the less unemployed family men will get."
Of the Social Security Department students have asked whether or not they are eligible for the unemployment benefit, and of the Labour Department ways in which students can get jobs along with other unemployed.
Salient is not aware of a Government move to lower the unemployment benefit for family men should students qualify for the unemployment benefit.
Mr. Rodgers manages to use some rather emotive phrases like: "Their ravings to get special unemployment treatment from the Government . . . and "to woo the Reds and beg from their own country is mixed up adolescent audacity."
To date the "ravings" have consisted of letters and consultations with the relevant Ministers, press statements expressing concern that students will be unemployed and a Teach in on the general question of unemployment.
Salient Reporter
" Students should take steps now to get a vacation job," Mr. A. T. Mitchell, Secretary of the Appointments Board, told Salient.
The Appointments Board has been looking for jobs for students. It has sent nearly 10,000 circulars to employers and has advertised in the newsletters of various employers and trade organisations.
Mr. Mitchell told Salient students should:
The New Zealand Journalists' Association at a recent Conference adopted a code of ethics for journalists.
Salient Reporter
" We Need some senior students for the new wing." Weir House Warden, Dr. T. Beaglehole told Salient.
There will be many places for New Zealand students as well as Colombo Plan students, he said.
Applications for Weir next year close on October 31.
By the Editors
Salient goes weekly next year and will be printed in Wanganui by the Wanganui Chronicle on the web offset process.
A Recent meeting of Publications Committee approved the proposal making Salient a weekly paper once again. Salient was weekly when it started and after a change reverted to weekly publication in 1950. However, then it was only four pages and next year's issues are expected to be the same size as this year's.
The webb offset process gives superior reproduction over the rotary letterpress method currently used. It is not expected Salient's deadlines will be adversely affected as it will be printed about 2am in the morning and delivered to Wellington in the Dominion car on its return journey.
The new Editor Bill Logan told Salient he wants staff for next year. Journalists at University are particularly welcome he said. Students are invited to submit photographs for publication as there is no extra cost for blocks.
The change to weekly publication on this scale is a natural development from the foundations laid three years ago when Salient was given $1 of every student's fee. On this solid financial basis the paper has developed.
Advertising has increased dramatically, and to aid the process, last year Salient decided to allow Advertising Agencies their normal agency commission.
Salient has used a quality newsprint and employed what are probably the best rotary letterpress printers in the country to print the paper.
The relatively recent arrival of web offset on the New Zealand scene and the economies which go with it have forced the Students Association to leave Truth.
The paper, largely due to this sound financial basis, has improved in quality. In 1965 (the first year the SI levy operated) Salient was placed unofficially second in the Student Press contest to the Otago paper Critic.
In 1966 Salient won the Press contest. This year Salient won the press contest again and news story by
Russian Ambassador at Vic...2
Residential scheme for adults...4
Reading knowledge blasted...5
Gager on revolution...7
Progress in the Vietnam war...8
Editorials...10
Cheers for teledrama...14
Mulgan review...15
Foreign films reviewed...16
Classical and pop record reviews...17
Letters...13, 18, 19
Sportsman of the year...20
So The Post Office Hotel is to apply for 7am opening. Hope they don't get it. Would spoil all the fun of the present 7am opening;. You know the furtive glances, the collar turned up, the three rings on the bell, the straw so you'll get the first one down . . . halcyon days, halcyon days.
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Was More Than a little interested to see Dinkum Diggers Election policy. Keeping gambling in the Common room to silver coin level and all that. Nowadays the cheapest games played are for dollar minimum bets. One wonders how some of the players can afford all these cigarettes they stub out on the floor, or the soft drinks, the remains of which blend perfectly with the butts to make the cleaners earn their money.
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Talking of cleaners and gambling reminds one of a certain day when a cleaner sat down with some student gamblers and joined the game. All was well until one IH Boyd happened to stroll into the Common room showing some bod around the place. A very red faced cleaner picks up the shovel and bucket between his legs and shuffles off.
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Let Us Sing the invaledictory again. Election wise that is. The ballot paper, in spite of all your wonderful constitutional amendments was invalid, dears. And that ballot tin that was opened! Shocking! How come that nary an election goes by without a technical hitch!
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Question to
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Good To See the Guv breaking wind up the Rimutakas. Signs of the times. Goes with rugby and half gallon jars more than Lord C did.
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The Dominion Strikes again! The first wool sale is, of course, no indication of how the year will go. The Wool Commission took only just over half and the Japanese (God bless em) bid a full ¼ cent over the floor price. Only trouble was that the floor price was 6 cents lower than last year's. I would like to announce the end of the drain on overseas reserves. They've just run out.
— Cynic
The reasons why so few marriages are happy is because young ladies spend their time in making nets, not in making cages.—Swift.
Whenever a man has cast a longing eye on public offices, a rottenness begins in his conduct.—Jefferson.
" Religion comes from the Middle Ages. There is no God. So we like our youth to spend their time in more useful activities than going to church, such as going to Universities and technical institutes," said the Soviet Ambassador Mr. Dorofeez, speaking at Victoria recently.
" But I don't think I am boasting if I say that the Soviet people have a higher moral standard than in any other country." He referred to the replacement of bus-conductors by honesty boxes, and added, "According to the law it is not hard to divorce a wife, but it is not so easy to do it in the eyes of your mates in the office or factory."
"Sometimes in the local press so-called experts on Russia publish articles denying that there is freedom of individuals in the Soviet Union, but they do have these rights under rules and laws." but he added that freedom in Russia does not include the right to disregard these rules to the detriment of others. "Our idea of freedom." he said, "has nothing to do with individual wilfulness and anarchistic neglect of social responsibility."
Mr. Dorofeez used statistics to outline the progress of the Soviet Union in the fifty years since the Revolution, citing figures for industrial output, and agricultural and cultural development.
Looking forward to what he called the "socialist Utopia" he predicted that by 1970 national income would increase by 40 per cent, passenger-car output would increase four-fold, a 35-hour week would be instituted and the paid holiday period would be prolonged by a month.
"Facts show that the Revolution brought education to within the reach of the broadest masses," he said. "Before the Revolution four out of five children were not in school, but today three out of five people (excluding pre-school children) have studied in the Soviet Union.
"University students get a scholarship which is large enough to live on," he said, but added later that a university course might involve six lectures a day. six days a week, all obligatory.
Looking at Soviet Union with the wisdom of hindsight the Ambassador asserted "In my mind the creation of socialist society means an entirely new stage in the history of mankind. It creates an entirely new way of life in all spheres, social, economic and political.
"Our country pioneered economic planning," he said, "and now the system has been started in many other countries. Planning of the economy put an end to anarchy of production and unemployment.
"We think that world civilisation has been enriched by the concepts of abolition of private property, planned economy, abolition of personal exploitation, obligatory work to all, guaranteed employment and socialist democracy of real people's power."
Asked if he thought Soviet Union's standard of living was expanding fast enough to absorb New Zealand's wool production he said "We haven't closed the door. The ball is in your court. Pass it back."
On the subject of international warfare, he said, "We support peaceful coexistence because we know that only suffering for the people will result and nobody will win anything taking into consideration the destructive force of modern weapons. We are sure that sooner or later we will win the minds of people by peaceful competition."
Card-Holding student freezing-workers will not be discriminated against this summer vacation in any freezing works in New Zealand no matter at which works their card was issued.
Speaking to Salient about reported cuts to be made in the number of jobs available for students in the coming season, Mr.
"A student holding a card from a previous season will get whatever jobs there are in preference to a non-cardholding man. even if he is married with six kids.
"A bloke might be a student casual worker when he comes to us, but as soon as he gets a card he's a freezing worker and he'll be treated in the same way as any other card- holding worker. He's entitled to the same privileges as any other union man even if he is a student for most of the year."
" The Generation of people trying to build up my country today are the generation
"This doesn't mean they can't think, but they have difficulty in understanding what is going on outside their reef. They know what they want for the Cook Islands but don't know how to fit this in with the rest of the world. The only book they read regularly is the Bible, and that doesn't tell them what is happening in Vietnam or Egypt or Palestine."
Recounting the political development of this "lot of small islands scattered over a wide ocean" to their present status of a self-governing but integral part of New Zealand, Mr. Henry said. "The South Pacific territories now are trying to decide what kind of government they want. They have been watching our form of government. They thought it wouldn't work; but it is working.
"Today the constitution says we can run our own affairs," said the Premier. "There is no longer a resident commissioner, but there are two things which New Zealand does look after for us; our foreign affairs and our defence.
"We can make our own laws about everything else. If there is a law which New Zealand made in the past that we don't like we throw it out, and this is what we have been doing in the last two sessions.
"I can foresee the time when our financial dependence on New Zealand support will be cut down to an absolute minimum," he said. "When New Zealand was running the place they could spend the money. but now that we are running the place they give or lend us the money and we have the full right to spend it however we like."
Commenting on the Cook Islands' early history Mr. Henry said, "The missionaries thought more of their church than the islands and the people themselves. They destroyed most of the arts of the people.
"The missionaries did do one good job." he conceded. "They changed the people from liking to eat people to liking to eat other things like pork and chicken.
"I don't know whether that was a political change or a social change," he quipped. "It was probably a matter of taste."
Said the Premier "In New Zealand's present economicset-back you might say 'why do we have this little buggy hooked on to our cart? Our horses are getting tired and can't even pull our own cart. why should we have that little trailer too?' I believe that with the will of God you will be able to pull both carts."
Wonder if the Campaign for Civilised Drinking will face up to the main task now that we've got ten o'clock closing?
Little old New Zealand needs a cogent and active pressure group to ensure pubs provide the sort of civilised amenities to make later closing worthwhile. We need good but reasonably cheap entertainment—the odd dance band and a few square feet of gliding space wouldn't be a bad start.
And the whole effort's pointless unless we press for suburban taverns.
The myth of Victoria University's Grand Establishment still survives in some quarters. Wouldn't a rapid dissolution be preferable to the slow process of being forgotten?
Grand Establishmentarians, be like the brave man and end the misery not with a whimper but with a bang.
When nine out of fifteen exec members get in unopposed it suggests there is not much interest in student affairs. Granted it's the third term and all that jazz, but this doesn't account for the wide absence of competition.
If executive was smaller (say eight members) we could hope for greater competition promoting greater interest. As a result we may even get better quality.
Examinations are reported to be close at hand. Now's the time to drag out all the sprained writing wrists, the impending flu, and a year's dose of neurosis.
The Catholic world is getting exciting. A ban on the Tablet in one Christchurch parish smacks of forward thinking.
It just goes to show that the basic divisions in matters religious (like politics) are not a vertical difference between sects but a horizontal difference between conservative and liberal within each sect.
These student politicians do assume great powers to themselves. Get on Exec and control the world.
According to pre-election policies we can expect the extensions to the Sub to be ready for next year, a reorganisation of the NZBC, a fantastic rise in bursaries. new squash courts, the common rooms to become an edifice of art, the Wellington public to start loving students overnight. we can expect .... we can expect ...
How unfortunate that all positions on exec were not contested. We could then have expected 9/15ths more than at present awaits us.
But whatever, don't expect realism.
Believe It or not section: A convulsive Executive, tittering here, giggling there turned its gubernatorial attention to Homosexual Law Reform at a recent Executive meeting.
Perhaps Mr. Hanan is right in his assertion that New Zealand is not ready for a change in the law.
The University Council has approved in principle a scheme for a residential centre for adult students. The council approved the scheme the director of university extension, Mr.
Financial implications are to be explored, some speakers suggesting that ultimate realisation could be a long way off.
A Council member and former principal of the Wellington Teachers' Training College, Mr.
As well as having educational advantages, a residential centre designed to accommodate adults would enhance the service the university gave to the community, Mr. Dakin said in a report.
It would accommodate leaders and potential leaders in various walks of life taking part in extension seminars as well as graduates attending refresher courses and a wide range of other extension students.
It could be the venue for conferences of scholars from other universities and could help specialist groups, meet overseas scholars.
Wellington with its central position provided an excellent location for an adult residential centre, being the seat of Government and of many national institutions and the headquarters of many organisations.
The presence of head offices in the city facilitated planning courses of national scope, and aided recruitment of lecturers.
The university was well equipped to deal with subject areas—social and political sciences, economics, public and business administration, law —which were best studied by adults under residential conditions.
Mr. Dakin said that apart from various professional fields such as law, accountancy, social work and administration, there were other more general fields of importance that the university was well fitted to cultivate.
These included race relations, management, industrial relations, child study, and educational administration.
New Zealand would require a high standard of continuing education and training if it was to maintain its economic position in the world of the future.
A residential study centre strategically placed and administered with the university tradition of freedom of discussion could make an important contribution to maintaining vitality and efficiency among leaders in a number of sectors of New Zealand society, he said.
Perhaps The most touching story of the week was the one which arose innocently and mundanely enough with the announcement that the present Governor-General was shortly to be removed to make way for a shining new one (New Zealand-assembled). Fergie himself was of course to have been sent to the Imperial War Museum to complete an exhibit entitled "Why We Lost At New Orleans," whilst his wife was to have trained as a test pilot in an internationally-known broom factory.
These plans however were made without reckoning with the true Kiwi sense of humour. "Why," everyone exclaimed, "they can't do this to us. Where are we going to take our kids on Sunday afternoon? The zoo's not a patch on old Fergie for entertainment value. He may be a ninniefied old creep but what would we do without him?"
Suddenly people began to realise that Fergie was the epitome of all that is British and spurious. To the kids he was something to smear with ice-cream at Plunket meetings. To the swinging teenagers he was "Carnaby Fergie" resplendent in his outrageous attire and ever-ready to freak out in the name of Her Majesty. To the Mums and Dads he was the nice old man down the street who couldn't afford to have a full pair of spectacles. And to the old folks he was "The Governor" plain and simple (they all thought he was Hobson).
In other words they couldn't bear to part with him and this sentiment was soon to find expression in the phenomenal growth of the "Preserve Fergie for New Zealand Satire" movement.
This in turn drew strong feelings from the newly-formed "All Poms are Finks Association" and soon Fergie was the subject of a fierce political controversy, a veritable hot-potato if one were to lapse into the vernacular. Like all political hot-potatoes therefore the only way to resolve it was through a referendum.
After much heated debate the ballot paper was decided upon.
I Favour The Expulsion Of Fergie I Favour The Retention Of Fergie As A National Monument, The Actual Hours Of Display To Be Adjusted In Accordance With Local Conditions.
And what a turnout there was (even half a dozen Maoris voted). Pretty soon the will of the people was known with Fergie carrying every electorate, an old rusty sword, and to all appearances, a child.
So now their stands on the WellingtonFeatherston road between the hours of ten and six (including Sundays) none other than Fergie. and in front is a small plaque bearing the inscription:
There's a martial-looking idol to the north of Waiwhetu
And "Beware of Wind" is carved upon his feet He's condemned to stand forever on the Rimutaka Hill
In the pouring wet and wind and rain and sleet.
It's an honour just to have him (they don't make 'em anymore)
His career was the greatest, so they tell, But he was a rubber stamp and did nothing very much
Tho' he did it so exceptionally well.
Why has the reading knowledge requirement had defenders in the past? Mainly, I think, because there has been confusion between what can reasonably be maintained about (a) the complete mastery of a foreign language, and (b) the ability to understand the written forms of a foreign language. Hence all sorts of ideas have been produced to justify the requirement which in fact only have relevance to complete oral and written fluency in a foreign language. The case' for dropping the reading requirement is simply that none of the things which are claimed for it can be related to reading knowledge courses.
The usual arguments in favour of foreign language study are (I) the window on the world theory; (II) the suggestion that the study of a foreign language clarifies thought in or about the native language; (III) the argument that language learning assists intellectual development and helps to develop general qualities useful for study purposes; (IV) the invocation of ideas about language as a means of communication. It takes little effort to demonstrate that compulsory reading courses are quite unrelated to any of these claims.
Consider firstly. (I). The foreign language is supposed to increase the student's sensitivity to other ways of life and thought. Now, obviously, we can learn about other cultures without learning the language of these cultures. But it is argued that without language we never experience directly a different culture in terms of the spoken and written symbols with which it uniquely reveals itself This may be true, but it can only apply to a full foreign language. A reading knowledge cannot be expected to fulfil such a role. The written language is not the primary cultural manifestation of a civilisation. Language is a social activity taking place between people in living situat ions. Reading knowledge courses give no encouragement to thinking in the foreign language, which is surely the way a cultural sense is acquired.
The second claim, that the study of the foreign language clarifies thought in or about the native language, is again only applicable to full fluency in the foreign language, since the reading courses do not aim at producing thinking in the foreign language. The argument runs that a foreign language uses different concepts from the native language, and in moving to the thought system of the foreign language one may leave behind the concepts of the native language. In so doing. the concepts of the native language are said to become clearer. But recent investigation has not tended to support this claim. Study of foreign language students in Wales showed that they tended to keep the concepts of the mother tongue when using the foreign language. The old story about the glories of latin sometimes enter here, too. It is supposed to throw light on the structure of English. We are asked to believe that there is some alternative method of acquiring information about one's language other than by actually studying one's language!
The third suggestion is that through language study the student is gaining intellectual development and such useful study habits as discipline. Now there is some experimental evidence, based on investigation of bilingual children in Montreal, to suggest that experience with two language systems gives a superiority in concept formation and a more diversified set of mental abilities. But it is not known whether the more intelligent child becomes bilingual or whether bilingualism aids intellectual development. Nor is it known if proficiency in, say, mathematics or logic has a similar relation to intelligence (or vice versa). And obviously there is no basis for comparison between a child growing up in a bilingual community and a student in a reading knowledge course.
As regards discipline.
This discussion of the reading knowledge requirement will make the following points: 1, there is no good case for the compulsory reading knowledge requirement at Victoria; 2, the present reading knowledge courses serve no useful purpose; 3, there is a case for a non-compulsory reading course of a different type, says Jack Richards of the English Language Institute.
Fourthly (and as a last resort) some reference is made to the Communication value of language. This argument is only valid if some communication is demanded of the language, hence it has no relevance to reading knowledge courses. Language can only function as a system of communication if it is taught as a system of communication. Current reading knowledge courses concentrate on the translation of set texts. In so doing they of necessity divorce language from its social context. Just as it is pointless to talk about language study conveying knowledge of a foreign literature when the teaching makes it convey the non-literary aspects of the foreign civilisation, so it is nonsense to talk about language study developing communication if the teaching is directed towards developing reading.
Thus it is clear that the arguments generally produced in favour of the compulsory reading courses are quite irrelevant, arising as they do from wishful thinking about complete mastery of a foreign language. There is neither logic nor evidence to support the exaggerated claims that have been made for the compulsory reading courses. Yet even if the present courses were made optional they could serve little useful purpose. This is because they are not in fact reading courses, but, text study courses. We would expect genuine reading courses to fulfil two requirements. 1, to serve as the introduction to a foreign language which is not taught at school, such as Russian; and 2. to enable students to obtain information written in other languages. These are requirements for students with special Interests, such as those needing to read medieval texts, or Latin, or Indonesian modern history, and so on. so these courses would be optional.
It is unfortunate that defensive attempts to justify the present reading knowledge courses using arguments like those outlined above, have made the existing courses quite incapable of fulfilling the purpose of a genuine reading course. Anyone without previous knowledge of a foreign language, could confim that it is not possible to acquire a reading knowledge from the present courses. Why is this so?
To achieve a reading knowledge of a foreign language a vocabulary of about 4000 of the most" frequent words of the language is required. 8. This accounts for as much as 97 per cent of the total words encountered in average reading. If the course is a reading course, it should concentrate on teaching as much of this vocabulary as possible, together with a relevant syntax. Text study courses, such as we have at the moment, stand in the way of developing a reading knowledge, since the average text contains no ordered or controlled introduction to vocabulary, and frequently contains too much irregular language. An analysis of one text revealed that one sentence in five contained an irregularity of either vocabulary or sentence structure. This means that either the vocabulary is Infrequent, or the sentences irregular for stylistic reasons. Ordinary language contains too many irregularities and too high a Proportion of new words to repeated words to enable it to help establish vocabulary.
Text study courses can also have a harmful effect on the Speed with which one reads one's native language. It has been shown that reading ability is transferred from one language to another. 9 The present word study technique used in reading knowledge courses forces concentration on each successive word. The same technique transferred to English is characteristic of the slow reader, of which there are a considerable number among the student population judging by interest in faster reading courses. The university has experts in the teaching of reading foreign languages. A senior lecturer at the English Language Institute for instance, did a year's, full time research to determine the vocabulary needed to read university text books in English. It would be an appropriate time to drop the compulsory courses, and appoint a committee of such experts to advise on the design of optional reading courses for other languages.
One other point is perhaps worth making. There seems to be a belief in the minds of some faculty members, that a BA degree represents what a degree at an American liberal arts college represents. These colleges try to produce a special type of all round student and hence prescribs carefully the ingredients of a "liberal" education. Some of these colleges require a full foreign language. But in view of the general lack of prescription involved in a Wellington BA such an equation hardly seems valid. The only point at which any prescription is involved is with the reading knowledge requirement. when this special conception of the BA is suddenly argued for and a different type of thinking begins to operate which has never been evident at any other stage in the student's choice of subjects.
Perhaps we can hope for some clearer thinking on the subject of compulsory reading courses in the future. The results would be (a) the dropping of the compulsory reading knowledge requirement and (b) their replacement with optional reading courses for students who require them.
Notes:
Dear Santa,
You should head south early this year as you'll be meeting abnormal traffic complications in Sweden and poor landing conditions in New Zealand. It's been a bad year for snow. Frankly, it's been a bad year in lots of ways. The new dismal currency is pretty, but less plentiful than the old stuff and everyone is longing, more than ever, for the merry season of getting and receiving. More than ever you will be welcome as the symbol of the good that comes without referendum. Nihil referendum esse.
I enclose my 1967 application for no-questions-asked gifts. I have kept it short as some of the items are unwieldy. Annual Scrounge List (Div Phys Ed, students for the benefit of; in trip; delivery date; trad.)
Please may we have: Claus One — a swimming pool on the University Campus. Provided it is clean, warm and conveniently sited, you can ignore Olympic specifications (which in many matters are controversially ambiguous these days). Non-swimming politicians — the famous few who swim prefer to swim in rivers — and designs of the shape of university facilities to come may measure value by versatility, so please make the pool:
Claus Two — Another playing-field or several fields. 5000 students on to one Boyd-Wilson field won't go and couldn't even if they would and even if it weren't unfit. Please send us an all-weather. flood-lit playing area suitable for playing and competition (in hockey, tennis, soccer, athletics, etc) throughout the year whatever the weather and a special paddock for our new All Black.
Give the University teams Home Rule in our time: home grounds for home teams. If student sport is insipid it is not because our players are unskilled in the friendly punch-ups and fun-filled referee baiting that the discerning crowd enjoys, it is because they are committed to combat on foreign fields without the happy hysteria behind them of supporters made stronger in numbers and persuasive power by their territorial advantages.
Claus Three — A vast nylon ski slope. We need at least another 400,000 toothbrushes or a piece of matting 30 yards x 10 yards and you're the only one I know who can smuggle such things past You-know-who these days. By the way. make sure antler velvet is intact when you present yourself to agriculture and Immigration.
Claus Four — a few additions to the gymnasium, like a Sauna clinic, a refreshment bar and a room in which to keep the Karate Club. They escaped from the Dance Room, through the walls, and obviously require something similar to the facility being sought by those who would have a creche on the campus. Perhaps the two groups could combine to form the first Punch-n-grow Society and share facilities.
Calus Five — a concrete path which appears to lead from the northern end of the Rankine-Brown building diagonally across a well-known bare brown lawn in the direction of the Student Union Building but in fact by a devious illusion leads students repeatedly and irresistibly towards the Gymnasium.
Claus Six — a few statues on the old "health and physical vigour" to line the avenue from the planned Piazza del Library to the Gymnasium. Perhaps you could pick up the odd discobolus on your way through Florence. If funds are low, you might obtain more cheaply a couple of those incomparable 1938 Nazi concrete magnificences. It beats me how they can be so cheap considering how much concrete went into them. Please. no Clay models of heavyweight boxers.
If your baggage allowance allows, please include also: a bundle of signposts mostly marked "To the Gymnasium"; a supply of indestructible badminton shuttlecocks: and a lid for the Evans Bay Track.
We are truly grateful for what we have received. Thank you particularly for the now Vice-Chancellor, even though the last one wasn't fully used up.
Please don't think we turn to you only as a last resort, even though, for the present(s) at least, it seems you are.
More students are going to Australia in the coming vacation, fewer to China, and an exchange scheme with the USA has fallen through.
The main factor affecting overseas travel seems to be the employment crisis.
A considerable number of students intend to go to Australia in the hope of finding employment, or higher paid employment than in New Zealand. The Australian High Commissioner said in a letter to NZUSA that seasonal employment in fruit-picking. harvesting and similar fields is available, but that many Australian students will be seeking employment and therefore jobs may not be easy to find.
NZUSA have the address of the Commonwealth Employment Office in Australia, and students are advised to contact this agency and, if possible, arrange jobs before leaving New Zealand.
A trip is being arranged to the USA, leaving on November 24 and returning in midFebruary. This is a plain travel tour with no employment arrangements.
NZUSA are looking into the possibility of obtaining work permits for New Zealand students in the USA.
" Where is the insurrection? There is no picture of the insurrection. The events do not form themselves into a picture. A series of small operations, calculated and prepared in advance, remain separated from one another, both in space and time. A unity of thought and aim unites them, but they do not fuse in the struggle itself. There is no action of the great masses. There are no dramatic encounters with the troops. There is nothing which imaginations brought up upon the facts of history associate with the idea of insurrection."
Thus Trotsky, a Bolshevik revolutionary leader, writing in 1932 on the October, 1917. Russian revolution. It was a unique revolution. The Russian Embassy in London first learnt about it from the cables of a British telegraph service. An American journalist first noticed it when the soldiers guarding the State Bank told him there was no more Government, glory to God. Lenin, emerging from hiding to find out what has happened to the Revolution. is told by a tramcar conductress that the Bolsheviks have seized power. The insurrection was announced on walls Land fences pasted up with proclamations condemning insurrectionists. only slowly plastered over with announcements of the fall of the Provisional Government.
At 2.35 in the afternoon on the day of the seizure of power, an emergency session of the Petrograd Soviet was opened with a report by Trotsky: "They told us that an insurrection would drown the revolution in torrents of blood . . We do not know of a single casualty." The casualties were yet to come. The storming of the Winter Palace took its toll—a small toll. Only after the workers have occupied the cities, and the Bolsheviks exercise power, will the battles of the revolution go out into the country and devour lives.
Only after successive waves of British. French, American, Czech and Japanese troops have been routed by the new model armies organised by revolutionary improvisation out of a war-weary country will the revolution gain a breathing space. But Bolsheviks and the workers who they represented, in the brief space of time when they dominated and determined events, chose not to harm their adversaries, and their first word spoken to the world was peace—a Declaration of Peace. This fact history has recorded indelibly.
The first successful Communist revolution has both invented its own mythology and had mythologies thrust upon it. The faded romantic revolutionary rhetoric which portrays Lenin, of course in immaculate bourgeois suit and tie leading implausibly emaciated workers in unhistoric battles, has become the conventional style in which the court painters and poets of contemporary Russia are compelled to depict the revolution.
This is as historically and psychologically deceptive a portrayal of the revolution as the conspiracy theories of the American Kremlinologists, who see behind every event in October a Bolshevik plot, a Leninist coup, or the hidden hand of German high finance.
The conspiracy theories are still being woven: people can be found in New Zealand who honestly believe that the Bolsheviks were tools of the Wall Street
"The characteristic of bourgeois governments is to deceive the people. We, the Soviets of Workers'. Soldiers' and Peasants' Deputies are going to try an experiment unique in history: we are going to found a power which will have no other aim but to satisfy the needs of the soldiers, workers and peasants." To recall this proud declaration of the makers of the 1917 revolution now is to grasp the ambiguity of a great event, the ambiguity between the event as participants saw it, and as posterity sees it.
Today it can seem almost impossible to credit that the Soviet Government could have ever been sincerely extolled as a government incapable of deception. We remember the peasants who died in the anti-kulak campaign. We remember the show trials and the accompanying purges of the 'thirties. We remember the revolutions Stalin's government stabbed in the back—China, Spain, Germany, Bulgaria. Czechoslovakia. Hungary. What was begun in 1917 does not seem, as it seemed then, like a new epoch. The experiment Trotsky spoke of seems, at the moment of speaking, failure or near failure.
Hindsight should not prevent our seeing that for more than five years the experiment seemed to be working, working perhaps in slow deceleration. There was tremendous artistic innovation, exploration, and experimentation. The workers ran the factories. The soldiers ran the army.
This was a new kind of democracy. The head of state, Lenin, lived in a small, modest house with his wife, without servants. Where the ministers of government still kept chauffeurs, they shared meals, tables and quarters with their servants. The homes of the aristocracy, and the mansions of the Tsar, were used by trade unions and workers' political parties.
The West had no answer to 1917 but the gun—one of the best reasons for believing 1917 had the possibility of being a historic success. After the interventionist powers were defeated, the revolution was left with the debris of civil war, the beginnings of Stalinism and the tremendous expanse of Asiatic Russia to reshape.
It is not surprising that what is left of the revolution after coping with all these things has been very little. All that remains now of what was hoped for in 1917, and what existed in 1917 for an all too short period, is a planned economy without the elan of revolution and certainly without the egalitarianism or self-confidence. The men who now rule Russia are the cynical, the crafty, and the close-lipped, the men who weathered the purges, the Second World War, the fall of Stalin and the fall of Khrushchev by keeping their mouths shut, and who had no political ideals which might have been outraged by the invasion of Hungary or quietly warped by the slow growth of a Soviet privileged caste.
The "experiment" of "founding a power which will have no other aim but to satisfy the needs of the soldiers, workers and peasants" is not for these men. It is remembered by the poets—by Yevtushenko, by Voznezhevsky —and maybe a few underground groups condemned to secrecy and ineffectuality.
The Russian revolution was a revolution which made no compromise with any single form of class rule, which did not stop at the democratic stage and which went over to socialist measures and war against reaction from without: that is. it was a revolution whose every successive stage was rooted in the preceding one and which could end only —if undefeated—in the complete liquidation of class society.
It is impossible to imagine a revolution so wide—ranging in its effect, transforming Russian government, Russian culture. Russian industry and Russian democracy being led by, for example, the peasantry rather than the working class. The revolution showed that in cities where labour was concentrated in large factories part-owned by foreign capital, half of it newly recruited from the countryside, a quarter dispatched to help in Russia's feeble war effort, a revolution could be made.
Immediately after 1917, risings in Budapest. Berlin and Vienna ensued. The workers of those cities saw what the Bolsheviks had done as a possibility for themselves also. Today the charisma of the revolution has evaporated: modern "socialist" revolutions are made by peasants in backward countries who install dictators in power, whose propaganda drones out the dreary fictions that somehow workers made a revolution which was fought out outside the cities, that workers have power when factories are run by dispossessed ex-capitalists who have become "socialist" managers, and when workers are not free to strike, still less to elect Soviets or their equivalent.
The experiment Russia made is verging on failure. The only way to find out if the experiment would work in more favourable conditions in the cities of the affluent West is to repeat it.
I Believe it is imperative for the US to rethink and reshape its present policies in Vietnam. Exactly a year ago. I wrote that there could be no progress in the Vietnamese war until the US overcame the indifference and cynicism of the South Vietnamese and got them to pull their weight in the military and political struggle. Let's take stock of developments since then.
At a touch of a button, the US military can spin out heartening statistics of roads opened. enemy killed, Viet Cong defections, weapons captured. Yet all this is misleading. A US Army colonel. who recently returned to a position of command in Vietnam after a lapse of three years. summed up the current situation. I believe, most fairly.
"Everyone must admit that militarily we are better off than we were three years ago," he said. "With 500.000 US troops. more planes and more artillery, we should be. Wherever US troops occupy the ground, security is better. But otherwise. I don't see any change. All the old problems are still with us."
Many military men and some civilian observers. in fact. believe that the main factor contributing to military Progress has not been US strategy. but rather a critical error in judgment on the part of Hanoi. As they see it. North Vietnamese strategists blundered seriously following the US buildup by deciding to meet the US head-on with force instead of concentrating on political and guerrilla warfare.
We see the results of this fundamental miscalculation when North Vietnamese officers lead their forces against strong military targets such as the US air base at Da Nang or a well-fortified outpost, only to be thrown back with dozens of casualties and little to show for their losses.
The North Vietnamese seem to have reasoned that by taking a heavy toll of American lives they would weaken the US resolve to stick out the war—just as Washington reasoned that the bombing of North Vietnam would erode the will of the leaders in Hanoi. Apparently. both sides are in error.
General
But other US officials, not committed to parading the ARVN in its best light and not averse to criticising the ineffective US military advisory system, are far from sanguine. True, these officials say, the South Vietnamese forces are capable of an occasional big victory. But more important is the fact that the South Vietnamese record for engaging the enemy in small unit actions has dropped in the past two years from an average of one contact in every 200 operations to one contact in every 400 operations. In one critical corps area, in fact. the record is even worse: one contact in every 1000 operations.
By contrast. the US average is one contact in every 38 operations. A senior US official gives a rather cynical explanation for the showing of the South Vietnamese. "Their military intelligence is better than it was." he says. "so they can avoid contact more efficiently."
Nor have the South Vietnamese armed forces made a real attempt to weed out the bad officers in their ranks. Repeatedly, the Vietnamese military have given the US assurances that they will begin such a reform, but it should be observed that the Vietnamese have never demonstrated any ability to perform what the US Army calls "Command supervision"—that is, seeing to it that orders are carried out.
Nepotism and trading on the ties of friendship are the chief reasons why South Vietnamese military leadership is so bad. yet nepotism and trading on the ties of friendship are ways of life in Vietnam. It may be expecting too much to ask the Vietnamese to change their ways just because their government leaders make the proper utterances—mostly for US consumption.
There is, however, one set of circumstances under which the ARVN performance has shown marked and gratifying improvement. This has occurred in the isolated instances when South Vietnamese troops have been fully integrated with US troops. And in the view of many Americans, these examples offer an important guide for the future.
This is one area in which nearly everyone agrees that progress is not nearly fast enough. Right now, less than one in every six hamlets is officially considered secure. The goal established for this year is to make it one in four but at the present rate of progress there is little likeifhood of attaining that goal.
Of course, basic security can be best supplied by the South Vietnamese armed forces rather than by occupying foreign troops. But the simple fact is that the Vietnamese are not providing the protection necessary and— worse yet—are not organised to do so.
A proposed reorganisation of the Vietnamese Army and militia that would stress the role of regional forces is a step in the right direction. but it neglects a most important element—that of building a police force to provide roundthe-clock protection and to ferret out the guerrilla infrastructure.
And efforts to build up the police establishment run afoul of the fears of politically minded soldiers that the police will become too powerful a source.
Law Students in financial difficulty may be able to take advantage of a new Trust Fund.
The
This is the first time a bursary in the form of a loan has been available at Victoria.
Mr. Hollings was a former legal practitioner and graduate of Victoria. The fund is in the form of a $2000 gift from his widow.
In the last issue Mr.
In past issues of Salient it has been commented that copyright restrictions which prohibit access to books which have been published either in the United States or Great Britain should be overcome by New Zealand leaving the Commonwealth and thus having freedom to choose from both English - publishing worlds.
Recent copies of the Times Literary Supplement have carried a long correspondence from both publishers and readers on the issue, of copyright, and the restrictions which publishers impose because they have the copyright but do not publish, even though the book may be available in another edition for several years. Readers object that this is just a blatant form of censorship.
One writer listed nearly ten books which he wanted to read "now," not when the English publisher decided to get around to publishing his edition (which are generally just lithographed copies).
Included among the authors were Robert Creeley, Ferlinghetti (Coney Island Of The Mind) and Artaud's (The Theatre and Its Double), while a legal expert on film censorship mentioned that Buster Keaton's My Wonderful World of Slapstick was kept off the British market for seven years because of copyright restrictions.
The situation in New Zealand is even mere desperate. Not only are we subject to "Commonwealth" copyright (more restrictive than England), we also receive our bocks several months after publication with exorbitant mark-ups (40 per cent in the case of Penguin paperbacks).
Thus we are deprived of many books which would otherwise go unnoticed if not for various journals which make it their business to inform about the new books. No one seriously relies on the Listener, Landfall, and certainly not the dally newspapers to find out what new books interest us.
All we can do is trust ourselves to certain quality booksellers, hoping that their resources can cover adequately each person's interests (which they possibly can't) or let us cope for ourselves, which means sorting through journal after journal for publications, then ordering it and finally waiting for several months while the order goes through and the books arrive.
For all the hoo-hah about censorship, I think many would be surprised just how little freedom there is if one really wanted to read what one wanted without too much trouble being attached.
A Photo of Vic Women's Hockey player Caroline Auret was published in Salient, page 4, issue 12. The caption incorrectly announced the pensive sportswoman was Allison McNeillAdams.
Caroline and Allison, we apologise, please forgive us.
The following were elected to positions on the Executive for next year:
The Editors wish to thank all members of Salient staff for their work and advice (of which there was plenty) over the year.
Thanks also to our non-student contributors and to Publications Committee.
Oct. 6, 1967
Opinions expressed ore not necessarily those of VUWSA.
Victoria University is condemned to be a reflection of New Zealand society rather than its stimulant;
because it primarily functions as a degree factory rather than an institution of education;
because so many seem to think that mere presence at a university elevates one above the level of society;
because in our position of "elevation" intellectual snobbery is rife; students are just a cross section of society, perhaps a little more ambitious, perhaps a little more gifted, but certainly not more important:
because we are the silent witnesses to the two-culture society and stir little to thwart it — the gap between science and the humanities grows daily and neither students nor the administration seek to bridge it;
because despite the platitudes honouring flexible social movement students breed social snobbery, and this is not just the old-school tie version, the "in" literary or arty groups are just as stringent as the tweed suit variety;
because we isolate ourselves from society in a manner that inhibits communication between campus and community, restricting our ability to inject new ideas into social attitudes;
because we remain largely apathetic, the activists are few and tend to be the same few in differing spheres: though a widespread student interest in mental health did provide some encouragement: because as a group we lack leadership. Executive's refusal to formulate a policy on homosexual law reform is symptomatic;
because we lack culture in the same way as our society lacks culture; the walls of our Student Union Building boast of no art pieces, our music recitals go largely unheeded, extravaganza survives on an over-worked collection of sick jokes, and the administration persists with an enforced and culturally bereft reading knowledge;
because like our society we are over conscious of attainment in the examination room, despite the inability of examinations to quantify personality and leadership qualities, and despite the fact that exam success often depends on extraneous abilities — like rapid, neat, handwriting.
There's one lesson we don't seem to learn — the way to get most out of life is to try and put more back into it than we take out.
G.P.C.
Civil Liberties in New Zealand are rapidly becoming a luxury only the wealthy will be able to afford. The costs incurred by Messrs. Wainwright and Butler following the "Wreath laying" incident earlier this year, when they successfully appealed to the Supreme Court on the charge of obstructing a policeman in the course of his duty, illustrate most clearly the advantages of being found guilty.
However, the more "offenders" who are prepared to be found guilty, the more rapid will be the erosion of individual rights in this country. Each decision tends to restrict civil liberties one step further. The precedent being built up is becoming so solid not even a liberal magistrate or judge will be able to reverse the trend.
It is interesting that this erosion should be most rapid under a National Government when the National Party has professed individual liberty to be an integral part of its philosophy. Object seven of the National Party Constitution is: "To encourage the development of individual effort and initiative and to take such steps as will grant the greatest possible measure of personal freedom." (Emphasis ours, Ed,)
It is clear New Zealand must decide just how much personal freedom is to be allowed. Disorderly behaviour is a term which seems applicable to any sort of behaviour which other people strongly object to. Consequently Messrs. Wainwright and Butler behaved in a disorderly manner on Anzac Day because they laid a wreath which bore an inscription which was offensive to many people at the time.
The only justifiable limitations on individual liberty are those which prevent a person or persons from doing something which would be clearly to the detriment of someone else. In other words, New Zealanders should have the right to say, print or do anything as long as it will not adversely affect anyone.
In this field New Zealand could do well to follow the lead given by the United States. Over 40 years ago Negro civil rights demonstrators were arrested for disturbing the peace should their demonstrations manage to stir angry racist whites into retaliation.
Since then the Supreme Court has held that the civil rights demonstrators, as long as they remain within the law, shall be protected by police from the lunatic fringe. The right to protest and distribute literature is clearly established and guaranteed by the law.
While New Zealanders have the right to demonstrate at the moment, this right can be swept aside by the Government as was done during the 1951 Water Front Strike, or eroded away by precedent set in the law courts. It is possible if a section of the public decided it was offended by Vietnam demonstrators and attacked them, the demonstrator might not find himself in the right.
Although the distinction between actions which do and do not affect others can be difficult it is clear the erosion of civil liberties must be stopped. As a first step the disorderly behaviour offence could be clarified. At the moment it is that which right thinking people don't do.
This vague "right thinking" concept should be replaced with something a little meaningful. It is time the Council for Civil liberties in conjunction with all pressure groups interested in civil liberties began pressing for laws which clearly define that behaviour which will lead to prosecution.
B.G.S.
It Will by now be fairly evident to most people that New Zealand has run into some pretty serious problems in her overseas transactions. Most of us will also be conscious that the action which is necessary to deal with these problems is having an adverse effect on our ability to maintain the standards which we have come to accept— not only our standards of living in terms of the consumers' goods and services which we can afford to buy, but also our rate of capital development and our ability to provide gainful employment for a rapidly rising number of workers.
My main objective will be to examine the nature and causes of these problems, and to provide some background for discussing what are the most appropriate methods open to us to deal with the problems in a manner which will enable us to sustain as far as we can progress towards such objectives as high living standards, rapid growth, full employment, stability of prices, and reasonable freedom of choice for the consumer and producer.
In growth of output, and in improvement of productivity, the country considerably improved its performance between 1963 and 1966 in comparison with that of the previous decade or so. The volume of production grew by about 20 per cent between
The growth of GNP in constant prices in the first half of the 1960s was comparable with that of Australia, and the growth of productivity more rapid than Australia's, in contrast to the position in the late '50s. Official figures are not yet available for 1966- 67, but it is evident that the growth of output slowed down, probably to about 3 per cent, compared with 5.7 per cent and 6.6 per cent in the two preceding years. It is slowing down further this year.
The rise in output was associated with an improvement in living standards, the volume of consumers' goods and services having risen by about 16 per cent between
The rate of growth of spending on consumers' goods and services is also slowing down not only the growth of personal spending but also and, more appreciably, of Government's own current expenditures. And most of the extra personal expenditure which takes place this year will be to cover the requirements of a larger population and higher prices. The Government will in turn take a good deal of this through its higher taxes, higher charges for public services and savings on subsidies. Our consumption per head —which constitutes the material standard of living of the average Kiwiis falling slightly.
The expansion of the economy created jobs for many more New Zealanders. The total labour force grew by nearly 115,000 between October, 1962, and October, 1966—more rapidly than population as a whole, the ratio of labour force to population rising from 36.4 per cent to 38 per cent during the period mentioned. Rapid increases in the labour force were, until 1967, accompanied by very low unemployment and employers were confronted with a pronounced shortage of labour. Vacancies for males, for example, rose from 20 per 1000 employees in October, 1962, to 37 per 1000 in October, 1965 (the peak) and 33 per 1000 in October, 1966. The turnover of labour was substantial in many industries.
The employment situation changed appreciably in the second quarter of this year, when the numbers of notified vacancies fell away from the figures of between 7000 and 8000 which had been typical of the previous two years to about 2750 in June and July. At the same time, the numbers registered as unemployed began to climb from figures near 600 at the beginning of the year to over 5000 in June and between 6000 and 7000 in July and August, with the Government providing special work for others. This was the first time in the postwar period that registered unemployment had exceeded notified vacancies. Although, at 0.6 per cent of the labour force, the percentage registered as unemployed is low by comparison with that prevailing in any other country, it represents a marked change from the 0.1 per cent or less to which we had become accustomed for so long.
As would be expected in a situation of very buoyant demand and labour shortage, costs and prices rose between 1962 and 1966. On average, the increase in prices of consumers' goods and services was about 27 per cent per annum. Given the extent of the labour shortage, indeed, it surprised many overseas economists that the rise of prices was not more pronounced. However, the increase in New Zealanders' costs of living, while not among the slowest in the world, could be classed as moderate by present international standards: our increases in the '60s being somewhat more pronounced than those experienced in the United States and Canada but less pronounced than those of most countries of Western Europe, for example. As I indicated earlier, we have seen a more pronounced increase in living costs than usual in the first half of this year, Government action designed to reduce our consumption being a major contributor to the change.
You can see that the years 1963 to 1966 were years of achievement in respect of the goals of improved living standards, additions to our stocks of productive capital and full employment of a rapidly rising labour force, marred by some inflation of prices, labour shortages and rapid labour turnover. However, in 1967, while the labour problems have taken on a different complexion, we are obviously struggling to sustain the achievement which we have recorded in respect of the other goals.
Our problems stem partly from an inevitable need to pay for past excesses in which we had indulged and partly from misfortunes which have descended upon us from overseas, mainly in the form of a sharply reduced demand for our wool. They centre around our inability to continue to finance the expansion of imported supplies which has made such an important contribution to our expansion of output and employment.
Unfortunately, the achievements of 1963 to 1966 were not entirely due to our own efforts. Between 1962 and 1964, we enjoyed a bonus in the form of a rise of over 20 per cent in export prices. Although export prices fell by about 4 per cent between 1964 and 1966, on average they remained buoyant last year by comparison with those prevailing in the late '50s and early 60s, Moreover we greatly increased the volume of exports. Despite the rise in export receipts thus achieved, the pace of our rapid expansion of incomes and spending, including spending on imports, made it necessary to supplement our high overseas earnings very substantially indeed by drawing on our accumulated reserves of overseas exchange, and by borrowing overseas.
The official estimates of the balance of payments published by the Government Statistician, for the year ending March, 1966. put the deficit between current receipts and current payments at $186 million. This represents the extent to which the country had to increase its overseas liabilities or reduce its overseas assets during the year. No official estimates for the year ending March. 1967, are yet available, but the available statistics suggest that a similar or slightly higher deficit was incurred during that period.
Slightly
Deficits of
The Govert
The Govern
The
duction in exchange receipts for wool. For the year ended August. 1907, they were down by nearly a third, to $167 million, compared with $253 million in the previous year.
Continuing low prices for wool of course greatly complicate the already serious problem of restoring a better balance in the country's overseas transactions. For the first eight months of this calendar year our export receipts for wool were $80 million less than in the same period last year; our total current receipts from overseas were about $70 million less. Imports are now falling appreciably, but for the first eight months of 1967 they had fallen by only $40 million compared with last year, while other current payments had risen by $16 million. Accordingly, the balance to be financed by borrowing increased in this period. Given the trend in imports and orders for imports, and my present informed guess for exports receipts, I estimate that the total net borrowing required for the year ended March, 1968, might be kept to slightly below the levels which it was necessary to undertake, on average, in the two previous years. We should see a further reduction in the deficit as 1968 proceeds. But unless we see a significant improvement in export prices, which regrettably does not seem a likely prospect in the near future, our external position will remain difficult for some time yet.
The foregoing analysis indicates that the effects of falling wool prices, not evident in the statistics till recently, were superimposed upon an already difficult external position, the causes of which were clearly to be found in the speed with which spending by New Zealanders grew in response to the welcome, very substantial rise in export receipts which began in
It is obvious that such a high rate of increase of expenditure is well in excess of our longer-run capacity to increase the supply of goods and services, which seems to be a rate of increase of between 4 and 5 per cent per annum. As indicated earlier, with high imports, we did better in production than our long-run average in the period we are discussing, but even so our spending out-distanced our productive achievement.
Until the late 1930s the New Zealand economy was very much a slave to the influence of the fluctuations of export prices. Changes in institutions and policies have diminished that influence in the past-war world, In particular, when export prices fall, the internal impact is dampened by stabilisation schemes which have been devised to set a floor to farm incomes and, more impatiently, by the determination of governments through fiscal, credit and overseas borrowing policies, to avoid unemployment.
But the influence of external fluctuations on the economy is still substantial-in my view more substantial than it need be-because when export prices rise substantially we as a nation like to treat the rise as permanent and rapidly increase our internal expenditures and incomes to a degree which cannot be sustained when export prices level off or fall away.
Improved export receipts not only increase the incomes and expenditures of formers and those satisfying their requirements. They engender feelings of optimism throughout the community. This is reflected quite quickly in an expanding desire to spend both on capital and consumers' goods and services in the private sector. Financial institutions, their cash reserves swollen by the improved balance of payments, are able and willing to help their customers to satisfy this desire by expanding credit. Demands for labour and resources grow, and wages and prices rise.
The Government, with revenues rising as incomes and expenditure grow in the private sector, is frequently prepared to accede to increasing pressures for it to spend more or to grant tax concessions. The rise in spending outpaces the capacity of the economy to meet it with goods and services; imports are brought in in increasing quantities in an endeavour to fill the shortages. If export receipts stabilise or fall away, the desired imports can be paid for only by extensive borrowing or drawing on reserves of overseas exchange. Deficits in the balance of payments drain liquid funds away from the community and make credit more difficult and expensive to obtain. They also oblige the Government eventually to restrict imports and, usually, to reinforce the developing tightness of credit by more restrictive credit and fiscal measures of its own.
It is clear that if New Zealanders want greater stability of economic expansion than they have experienced in recent years, they must recognise that this will not occur automatically. It will require Governments to intervene continually in the economic process with a view to trying to keep our total spending and money incomes rising more or less in step with our long-run capacity to increase production. This means not only that Government must stand ready to stimulate spending and incomes if indicators such as a rise in unemployment, excess capacity in factories, slow retail sales, etc, demonstrate that our demands are inadequate.
It also means that they must be prepared to exercise some restraint on spending and incomes when they are obviously rising more rapidly than longrun output, as indicated by labour shortages, rising prices and substantial increases in overseas payments. However, the policies required in these circumstances are not popular policies, and consequently politicians are naturally most reluctant to introduce them. This reluctance accentuated when the parliamentary term is relatively short, is one of the major obstacles to the achievement of stability and efficiency in a democracy.
I do not intend to look back this evening to try to answer the question "What sorts of policies could have been adopted to prevent our getting into our present position?" Suffice it to say that I hope that our experience will have indicated that there was some sense in the co-ordinated stabilisation policy advocated by the Monetary and Economic Council from 1962 onwards, and by others, and that, before the next upswing occurs. Government will gear itself to avoid a repetition of excessive increases of national spending. To this end, it would, I believe, have to be prepared
Let us review the significant changes of Government policy which have occurred during 1967.
The effect of the unexpectedly severe deterioration in the woof market on the balance of payments outlook, and the continuation of high levels of spending and imports, rising prices and labour shortages, finally provoked the Government into taking firm fiscal action to curb demand in February. 1967. Following the general line of action recommended by the Monetary and Economic Council, it removed consumer subsidies on wheat, flour and butter (compensating most social security beneficiaries by 2/6 per week); terminated the milk-in-schools scheme; raised State house rentals and Post Office charges; announced its intention to make lending by the State Advances Corporation more restrictive and expensive; extended capital issues control to cover finance companies; tightened hire purchase regulations; reduced overseas travel allowances; and announced plans for the gradual elimination of the noremittance imports scheme.
In addition to these measures announced in February, rail charges were raised in January and February and the levy for loan repayments and capital requirements charged to authorities distributing electricity was increased from 25 per cent to 50 per cent (though the effect on consumers was to be felt later in the year).
A further series of measures was announced early in May. again primarily designed to reduce internal demand, the Government arguing, with justification, that the tightening of import licensing alone would be inadequate to deal with the country's balance of payments problem if demand remained excessive. Sales taxes on motor vehicles and some other means of personal transport were increased, duty on petrol was lifted by 4d a gallon and vehicle licence fees were raised, the proceeds to go to the Consolidated Fund rather than to the National Roads Board. Excise and import duties on spirits, cigarettes, tobacco and cigars were also increased.
It was decided that the banks should be asked to reduce advances to about the level of the previous year and, to this end, they were directed to reduce each customer's overdraft limit by 10 per cent by July, 1967. After allowing for exceptions to be made for farming and other "essential" industries, it was estimated that this should reduce limits by £25 million. A slight offset to these restrictive measures was provided by a widening of the existing range of incentives for the tourist and fishing industries and an increase in the rate of deduction for tax purposes for increased export sales of manufactured goods from 15 per cent to 20 per cent.
After these so-called "mini-budgets," the real Budget of June 22 appeared to many to be an anticlimax, in that no new tax restraints were announced and some relaxations were announced in building programming and in credit for housing in the face of indications of slackness in the building industry. However, the Government indicated that its previously announced intention to restrain severely the growth of its awn spending had been no mere gesture, and that an increase in total expenditure of only £9 million or 1.4 per sent was provided for in the Estimates. Even though the reduced subsidies previously mentioned made an important contribution (£10 million) to effecting this restraint, nevertheless, specially when account is taken of the increases which have occurred in public service salaries and other costs, the estimated rise of only £19 million or just over 3 per cent in other expenditure in total represented a significant slowing up in the Government's demands on the real resources of the country. The appearance of three sets of budgetary measures In the first half of the year also represented a complete change of outlook on the flexible use of fiscal policy.
These firm budgetary measures were ' introduced in a situation where private expenditures on building, plant and equipment were already beginning to subside from the high levels reached in the previous boom years, and where farmers were also starting to lose some of their capacity and enthusiasm for expenditure on development.
As we have already seen, the effects of the combination of dampening demand and restricted supplies of some imports are being felt in the nation's output, employment, investment and consumption.
The essence of the problem for the nation is to restrain spending, especially overseas spending, with the minimum adverse effect on production, especially production for export.
Some disinflation was an essential part of the prescription for the country's ills. The luxury of serious labour shortages as well as of inflated import spending could no longer be afforded. it was vital that stocks of imported supplies (fortunately high) should be made to last longer than they would have done if spending had not been checked. Import control on its own would not have corrected the problem if inflation had continued. (Nor, for that matter, would other correctives operating more directly on the balance of payments, such as a devaluation, work satisfactorily in inflationary circumstances.) On the other hand, to rely on dampening down spending alone, even when accompanied by tighter import licensing, could be a mistake.
It can be argued that such a mixture worked without too serious effects on production and employment in 1958 and 1962, when imports fell sharply in response to it, but the deficits then to be corrected were much smaller. Moreover, the fact that export receipts turned up sharply, due mainly to rising prices, in 1959 and 1963. played an important part in the recoveries; there was a smaller problem of short-term debt repayment to be dealt with; and reserves had not fallen quite so far relative to overseas payments.
It is possible that a sharp rise of export prices will help us again, but at present there are no signs of any marked upsurge. Thus we cannot, in the short run, avoid making a substantial reduction of imports. Disinflationary measures, designed to check spending generally, could be carried far enough to achieve this result, but they affect not only imports and other overseas payments, but domestic production, trade and employment as well.
These latter must, of course, suffer some adverse effects if imported supplies must be cut, but it is desirable that these be kept to a minimum. Thus it can be argued that the measures should include some designed to give positive incentives to economise on overseas spending and to get out and earn overseas exchange.
The Government's policies do. of course, already include some measures of this kind—on the one hand, a variety of export incentives, mentioned earlier; on the other, special taxes bearing on selected goods, like cars, petrol and spirits with a high import content. It can be argued that, given reasonable luck with wool prices, these, the stricter import licensing, and the other disinflationary measures taken and developments occurring, will supply the necessary correctives.
Several economists, however, especially those who are least optimistic about the longer-run prospects for wool, see the problem as more fundamental than this and argue that New Zealand must plan for a significant
Some see devaluation of New Zealand's currency as an essential element in inducing such a structural change. Devaluation would (1) put up the domestic cost of goods and services with a high exchange content, make overseas spending generally more expensive, and thus give an incentive to look for domestic substitutes for imports and to be economical in the use of goods and services with a high exchange content; (2) increase the relative profitability of industries which earn overseas exchange; thus improving the capacity to invest of existing exchange-earning industries, and putting some industries in a position to commence earning exchange for the first time; and (3) possibly encourage some repatriation of funds held overseas.
One cannot, however, ignore the inflationary impact of devaluation—the rise of domestic costs and change in the distribution of income which it involved would lead to pressure from various groups for higher incomes and to attempts to pass on the extra costs in prices. This pressure is the more likely to succeed the more buoyant is the domestic market for goods and for labour. As inflation has eased this year, and the conditions for the successful use of devaluation thus improved, the opposition to it by many economists has diminished.
An alternative to devaluation suggested by some economists, and by the Monetary Council, is a "switch" in the tax structure. Extra taxation could be imposed on purchases of overseas exchange, or on imported goods, and this could be offset (in greater or lesser degree depending on the net expansive or disinflationary effect desired by Government) by a reduction in company tax and/or in the rate of progression of personal income tax and or an increase in some of Government's expenditures, especially those vital to development.
Both the suggestion of devaluation and the "tax switch" proposals, of course, raise problems of judgment about the future of our staple exports which is inevitably shrouded in uncertainty. They raise problems of timing, e.g. even if you believed in the tax switch, you would probably allow the "Ross" committee on taxation, now nearing the end of its deliberations, to deliver its report before you acted; and even if you thought devaluation was likely to be desirable, you would be concerned at the possibility that the United Kingdom might also be contemplating devaluation.
Both suggestions raise non-economic as well as economic issues. The resultant change of the distribution of income, for example, which must be reasonably well sustained if the measures are to be effective, would by no means be politically acceptable to all. The suggestion of an exchange tax might encounter some opposition in the International Monetary Fund and that of an import surcharge would raise some problems in Gatt. However, if they were seen as part of an overall programme designed to restore the conditions for stable growth as rapidly as possible, and to remove the necessity for such stringent controls on imports as now apply, there would be less opposition to them.
Unfortunately, so far, the Government has made only limited progress towards the goal of developing a more comprehensive, longer-term strategy for the country's development. Further progress with" "consultative planning," and an improvement in the present farm stabilisation programmes together with an adherence to the more flexible use of fiscal and credit policies, which the Government has accepted as desirable this year would provide greater confidence in the country's ability to maintain stable growth in the future.
The planning should be concerned not only with the conditions necessary for stability, but more importantly, with the conditions necessary to achieve rapid growth, more diversified exports and markets, and greater flexibility in the economy. Adequate investment in physical capital and adequate expenditure on education and research are obvious necessities in such a programme. But, in addition, I believe, we should work towards the gradual abolition of import licensing and reliance upon a system of moderate tariff protection accorded fairly generally to all industry.
This should be accompanied by Government policies designed positively to improve the efficiency and competitive ability of New Zealand industries. To this end, we would require changes in the tax structure, and policies to ensure that adequate credit is available to industry on reasonable terms, and to prevent the emergence of serious labour shortages. We would need to ensure that the exchange rate was appropriate and that adequate supplies of skilled manpower became available through local training and selective immigration.
More emphasis would have to be placed on research into means of improving productivity, and so on. Moreover, since capital must be more fully and efficiently utilised than in the past, workers, employers and Government should explore management and labour practices which impede effective utilisation and try to agree on means of ensuring that the fruits of changes designed to increase output per unit of capital are fairly shared among shareholders, workers and the public.
We must accept that we are in a position which is bound to cause difficulties in maintaining employment due to shortages of imported supplies, and that we cannot afford to maintain the labour shortages which have characterised our recent past. Furthermore, if we want a more dynamic and flexible economy, this will require more changes of employment and re-education of employees of most grades and categories than in the past.
For these reasons we should be exploring the adequacy of the provisions which have so far been made for the payment, retraining and resettlement of displaced workers, and the adequacy of education facilities available to workers and management. In my view, a great improvement of such facilities is desirable, not only to help managers and workers better to foster and protect their own interests, and that of their enterprises, but also to equip them to participate in the formulation of a national strategy for stable growth.
This is the last issue of Salient to be printed by News Media Ownership Ltd, otherwise known as Truth.
Next year Salient will be printed by the Wanganui Chronicle in Wanganui by the web offset process.
The Editors wish to thank the staff of Truth for their excellent service.
Their meticulous attention to detail and interest in the paper has made it a less amateurish effort than it would otherwise have been.
The shift to the Chronicle is not a reflection on Truth. The economies of web offset over the rotary letterpress process currently used are such that the Association could not ignore. It is regretted that Truth is unable to offer Salient this alternative.
With one production to come the VUW Drama Club has nearly ended a year which can only be described as disastrous.
It has been a year with two resounding failures—Camus's Cross Purpose and Ibsen's Lady From The Sea, one vague success—Twelfth Night and, among the minor activities, an interesting reading of Oedipus Rex.
Cross Purpose can be excused on the grounds it was under-rehearsed for an amateur cast (three weeks isn't long), and miscast—due to the lack of interested students around in February.
Lady From The Sea can claim some similar exemption —it is apparent that Vic students aren't feeling creative in the second term (remember 1966's The Sport Of My Mad Mother). And, by way of rationalisation, it's a difficult play (whatever that means).
The major production, Twelfth Night, one presumed was to restore the faith of the audience that students can still present theatre of the same standard as the past productions of The Devils and Oedipus Rex.
But the production appeared directionless and de spite some commendable pa formances (particularly from Michael McGhie as Sir Andrew and Terry Baker as Sir Toby) the play wavered and faltered.
One of the most depressing features of the drama club's year was that they sent Lady From The Sea to Arts Festival. Its Wellington season was an abysmal failure, the one performance in Christchurch was worse. Apart from Linda Sacklin's performance the play had nothing to commend it and was an embarrassment for the audience.
All this seems to indicate something of a collapse in the standard of student drama at the university. The one highlight of the year was reading of Oedipus Rex. The forthcoming Christmas Revue will no doubt be its usual, vaguely polished, mini-Extrav, self.
Again seeking some rationalisation it may be that the appearance of Downstage on the Wellington scene has altered the standard of criticism for amateur productions and has also taken away a large part of the audience.
The varsity club, unlike Wellington Rep., Ngaio Revue, and khandallah Arts, has not a large, non-active financial membership which will support lengthy seasons of mediocre productions. It has to compete on merit, which is an expensive premium, with Downstage and the other amateur groups for an audience which I would suggest is the wrong audience.
The point is, is it worth the drama club's while to continue in its present mediocre fashion providing half-produced plays for nouses very much less than half full?
In reviewing Lady From The Sea for Salient, P. Stevens suggested the Drama Club should concern itself more with drama workshops, the intention being to raise the standards of future productions and to discipline students in the fields of acting and production.
Such a unit in the more practical side of theatre would not only complement the literary courses at the university but would hopefully revive some interest in drama at the university and employ the excellent facilities of the Memorial Theatre to a greater extent than at present.
Another point which the Drama Club could concentrate on is working more closely with university departments. Obviously, students cannot present contemporary theatre with the same finesse as Downstage. Equally as obvious is the fact that a large number of plays studied here have never been seen on stage in the city.
Readings and productions of such plays would supplement university courses and have a ready-made audience of students—for whom the Drama Club should be performing.
Instead of aiming at the big success, I would suggest the Drama Club, if it is to have a worthwhile future, should aim at bringing to the students a theatre they are dealing with in academic life and should endeavour to train its members through workshops and discussion groups, and to press for a drama unit under the control of ft person experienced in theatre.
Sirs,—In your issue dated September 22. your reporter quotes the Rev. Allan Brash as saying that dictatorial government is "inevitable and necessary' in the underdeveloped countries of Asia and envisaging with some amount of optimism "that it will be a centralised and authoritative government which will rule India."
While I can sympathise with the sense of agony and frustration which led Rev. Brash to this conclusion, I am inclined to doubt whether he weighed very carefully the consequences of the alternative he suggests for the admittedly sloppy methods of democratic reform.
Such methods have for long been under heavy fire from interested quarters, but one does not expect the voice of the Church to add to the confusion that already to some extent clouds our future citizens' appreciation of the important moral issues relating to means and ends.
Taking India as an example, we all deplore the perennial privations her people suffer, enhanced in recent years by unusual natural calamities. But the democratic character of the government in India has at the very least forced it to beg or borrow from abroad to keep people alive.
Under an authoritarian government in 1943 two million people were allowed to! die of starvation in less than four months, the government arguing all the time that no real distess existed. (Reminiscences of this event will be found in Ian Stephens' Monsoon Morning published last year.) No authoritarian government can be expected to own up to its deficiencies With all the News Media under its sole control it is inevitably led to the suppression of unsavoury truth.
Despite their privations. Indians today do not have insult added to injury in the form of cooked-up figures to establish that the privation is a myth. A reasonably free Press and public demonstrations keep governments on the alert. No Indian need drivel himself to neurosis for fear of a visit from the Secret Police at dead of night or of a denunciation in public from his erstwhile colleagues.
What Asian countries need, therefore, is not less of democracy, but more of it of a better kind. Like all democracies in the midst of crisis, they need political parties with sound programmes, imaginative leadership and dedicated fellowship. The mere suppression of democratic freedom and the advent of an autocrat will hardly improve matters.
Senior Lecturer in Economics, Victoria
University of Wellington.
Sirs,—I realise that students must now be tired of Executive elections: this is the third set this year. But this does not explain some of the events that have occurred in the last few weeks.
Firstly, it is interesting to notice that the ballot forms still indicated that students were to vote in order of preference for candidates. I was under the impression that preferential voting was abolished in the new Constitution. Why has this practice continued?
Surely it is not the job oft candidates, however zealous and righteous they may be, to go around taking election notices down the night before elections begin. The returning officer is being paid 30 dollars to run the elections. Let him do his Job.
The whole tempo and spirit of electioneering has noticeably increased. This is commendable to an extent, but when campaigning extends to sending anonymous letters to candidates, the boundaries have been overstepped.
A letter was received by a candidate telling him "to go home to Aussie, that he was not wanted here, and that if he got on to Executive 'we would isolate him." I deplore such tactics, whether In a joking way or seriously. The letter suggests that there is a group on the Executive who will make things uncomfortable for those they do not like, if they are elected. I wonder about the calibre of some of its members or their friends. An anonymous letter, however funny, indicates a gutless individual.
Defacing of candidates photos and posters seems to have become a tradition. But again I think the limit has been reached this time. When burning a candidate's poster causes damage to a Student Association notlceboard, students have really gone too far. Perhaps they should have stopped to think what they were doing to other people's, and the Association's, property, before they began.
Certain students, especially some of the so-called student leaders, should be somewhat ashamed of their shabby, dishonest behaviour.
Rose Booth.
Sirs,—I would like to use your columns to thank those students who helped with and contributed to the United Nations Appeal for Arab refugees held during the second week of this term. Enclosed is a receipt from the United Nations Association of New Zealand for the amount raised, S15.36c. This will be sufficient to provide the food, shelter, clothing and education for one refugee for almost a year. About half of this will be spent on education.
People who are interested in making further contributions to alleviate what is both an urgent human need and a 'contributing factor to instability in the Middle East should get in touch with the United Nations Association. C.O.R.S.O., or the National Council of Churches.
David Holm.
Sirs,—Congratuations to Salient on the most excellent tournament and arts festival coverage I have ever seen.
Sirs,—Being the mother of sons and daughters, some of whom are probably older and others certainly younger than the writer of your editorial. "Censorship Should Go," I expect to be relegated to the— "dying forces of Victorian Puritanism."
Did you not know that that sort of thinking died with your grandparents? Obviously the writer has not read "Goodness Had Nothing To Do With It." by Mae West. No outcry because it is well written without a hint of crudity, yet very little left to the imagination in parts.
On one point I am in wholehearted agreement. Violence and corruption—of which the crude presentation of sex is a part—should be ruthlessly exterminated from our literature and films.
Anything shoddy, sordid, debasing, should be banished from our Tv screens, with odd accents and poor grammar allowed only on rare occasions to give cogency in the Shavian tradition.
Let's face it. You are what you think.
If your only knowledge of England was what you have seen in Coronation Street. Meet The Wife, and Steptoe And Son, would you eare to admit that you are English?
Continual presentation of poor quality situations, attitudes and values on screen has far greater impact than floods of written matter which would pass unnoticed but for outcry in the press.
Could it be an organised publicity gimmick to get certain books moving? It certainly appears so; the pity of it being that in the process honest citizens are swamped in the backwash of insult to their integrity.
Preoccupation with wordy. dissonance and the unconsidered suggested remedy of "organised opposition" is ineffective because it is destructive. Ask any medical student what flight and fight does to the metabolism.
Norine Standish.
Mrs Standish appears to believe some literature is "bad" for people and therefore should be banned.
The writer also assumes it is possible to distinguish between what is "good" literature and what is "bad."
As with other advocates of censorship Mrs Standish fails to offer any evidence which suggests children are in any way corrupted by "filthy books." What evidence there is suggests the juvenile delinquent and his friends don't read books.
My argument is that censorship has been a restriction on the liberty of the individual and is fundamentally evil. Before it can be justified, it must be proved that censorship will prevent a greater evil. Such circumstances I believe could occur during a national crisis.
I would submit that the proponents of censorship have no rational basis for their case.
It appears to be based solely on an intense personal dislike of some literature. And because these people find these books personally repugnant, others should be prevented from writing, publishing and reading them.
B.G.S.
Actually we're not sure that teaching ever was quite the way GBS described it. Today it's certainly not. Now a whole new world of teaching is opening up—a world that challenges the talents of the university graduate.
Tomorrow's opportunities will range over the whole world of education—going far beyond primary and secondary school teaching. Graduates will also be needed in universities, training colleges and in teaching administration. Teaching is a fast expanding world.
It's also a rewarding one. Teachers are competitively paid. They receive liberal vacation periods each year. What is more, they are paid while training and may be given time off for further study.
If you decide to become a secondary school teacher while you're at university you can apply for a studentship to complete your degree.
In your second year you would receive $670 (plus fees) or $530 plus any University Bursary or Scholarships to which you are entitled.
These allowances then increase to $930 and $640 respectively in the following year.
There is also a boarding allowance.
As a graduate you will attend a one year professional training course. Even during this training you will be paid $1810 if you have a bachelor's degree, $2030 with a master's or $2130 with 1st or 2nd class honours. These salaries increase when you are appointed to a permanent position. They will then rise regularly and can reach nearly $6000 p.a. for a principalship.
The development of tomorrow's advanced leaching techniques will be both rapid, exciting and rewarding. But progress needs the stimulation of trained minds. And this is why education needs you.
If you're interested in the new opportunities in education, write to: The Recruitment Officer, Dept. of Education, Wellington.
Teaching
Is A Great Career
67.ED.1.
Over the past few weeks I seem to have spent an inordinate amount of time telling people to go and see Grand Prix. Reactions to this suggestion have ranged from downright incredulity to the comparatively mild raised eyebrow and "Oh really?"
Reasons for this scepticism are varied. There is the disapproval shown by many academic types to big budget, wide-screen productions ("But that's in Cinerama" etc), and then there is the explicit view that a film about something as plebeian as motor racing could not possibly be interesting.
The belief that Grand Prix is basically a documentary about the sport (if it can be called that) is a misconception. Much of the film does have a documentary flavour, but there is more to it than the expensive gloss of surface realism. It is, above all, John Frankenheimer's vision of Formula One motor racing, a vision that is a logical extension of his continuing interest in the mechanics and inner workings of things, whether these be family relations (All Fall Down), the machinations or politics (Seven Days In May), or the lumbering activities of metallic monsters (The Train).
The conventional critical line on Grand Prix, and one whose refrain has been faithfully sung in most reviews, is that although the racing sequences are fine, the story in general is lousy, the characters little more than cardboard figures, and the dialogue poorly written. This kind of sweeping condemnation rarely stands up to close scrutiny, and the case of Grand Prix is no exception.
In my opinion the narrative and the people who play it out are never less than interesting. Obviously most of the drama is to be found behind the wheel, but the scenes off the track have their attractions, the most notable of which is the SartiFrederickson relationship, a doomed affair that reminded me of Signoret and Werner in Ship Of Fools. Those grand professionals Yves Montand and Eva Marie Saint are excellent as the lovers, and the promising newcomer Brian Bedford provides the only real acting competition. I wish something good could be said about the great Japanese star Toshiro Mifune, appearing in his first English language film. Unfortunately his performance is characterised only by a masterly object-lesson in how to keep a sleek, well-oiled mop of hair in place, and an impression that he is trying to speak through a mouthful of fish-hooks.
It is, of course, on the big circuits that Frankenheimer the director and racing enthusiast comes into his own. The very nature of the engines involved allows him greater scope than was possible in The Train, although the earlier film is in many ways a definitive exercise in the staging and photographing of railway activity. In Grand Prix there are passages of startling brilliance, as Frankenheimer splits the screen into two, three or twenty-four different fragments, observes the racing cars from helicopters and following camera-cars, gives the audience dizzy subjective views of high speed, and — well, has himself a cinematic ball. He exploits the wide screen to its utmost limits, and in so doing provides the first artistic use of Cinerama.
Details as to the technical problems involved in the making of Grand Prix have appeared in a Shell guff sheet handed out at the screenings, so I will merely point out what I consider are the two best scenes in the film. The first big crash is a masterpiece of construction and editing. Here is a case where a big budget is something to be thankful for, The scene must have been costly (and extremely difficult) to set up and shoot but the effect is stunning, even though the episode lasts not more than about eight seconds on the screen.
The bit that really gets me, however, occurs in the second race. Here Frankenheimer's camera wings off on a flight of soulful lyricism, with every effect designed to produce a dream-like vision: multiple superimpositions of racing cars and faces, and speeding cars glimpsed through leaves and flowers. Maurice Jarre's strident music softens appropriately, while Lionel Lindon's colour photography, some of the best seen in recent years, enhances the beauty of Frankenheimer's conception. In a film full of outstanding moments this was the best. Needless to say I recommend Grand Prix to those who haven't seen it. As a footnote I might add that an incidental pleasure if watching Graham Hill trying to get in front of the camera at every possible opportunity.
In my first review this year I mentioned Frankenheimer's Seconds. This film came to New Zealand last year, and advertising for it first appeared at Wellington's Lido many months ago. Since then nothing has been seen of it, although Auckland has had a first run screening. Peter Baker described it as "by far the best film" at last year's Cannes festival and Tom Nairn writing in the New Statesman thought it "one of the most extraordinary films seen in London this year . . . fortunate coincidences in form and content like this make the real history of the cinema when they occur."
Sounds interesting? Try this: "Seconds is by far Frankenheimer's greatest achievement and certainly the most imaginative and important film for a long time where, in this age of too many spy sagas and displays of technical agility, one realises that the cinema is an art, not only one to be appreciated but one of vital importance" — Robin Bean in Films and Filming. Wouldn't you like to see it? Last heard of, Seconds was doing the rounds in Auckland suburbs. I suggest a march on the film distributors in order to knock some sense into their silly heads.
After the freshness and humour of The Russians Are Coming we are back to dreary run-of-the-mill comedies. I did have some hopes for A Guide For The Married Man, with a cast of experienced comedians under the guiding hand of Gene Kelly, the dancerdirector who had a hand in the making of On The Town and Singing In The Rain, the best musical comedy ever made.
His latest effort as director is surprisingly bad for one with such a long acquaintance with film-making. His technique is inept to say the least, the characteristic feature of it being an over-reliance of the zoom as a substitute for imagination. Most of the players are ill at ease in these surroundings, although the brief appearances by Jack Benny, Carl Reiner and Terry-Thomas arc quite amusing. The film is a disappointment and does little to enhance Gene Kelly's reputation.
Cheers! New Zealand TV drama has celebrated its first birthday. From those embarassing moments when we sat through Bruce Mason's expose of New Zealand life. The Evening Paper, which marked the birth of our tele drama things have progressed a little.
In fairness to Mr. Mason it was argued at the time that with actors trained more specifically for tele then his play would not have been the dismal flop it was.
Well this year saw the Actors' TV Workshops conducted in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch and the first public showing of the products of the Workshops indicates that there is some hope but as yet little life.
The first play, Warren Dibble's Double Exposure was surprising because of its evenness and fairly low-key acting. A slight and slightly amusing play it lacked the bite of Operation Pigstick a cartoon by Mr. Dibble produced at Downstage last year. It also lacked pace but managed to create some degree of tension.
Ian Cross's contribution Momma's A Good Girl appeared as a delightful comedy of middle class kiwi manners but unfortunately was ruined by over-acting in nearly all the minor parts and again lacked pace.
In a few years time when tele drama is a little more mature Momma's A Good Girl could, perhaps, be produced again. Many of the moments that I felt were lost in this production could well be retrieved by a more experienced cast.
The third play was Peter Bland's The Tired Man. It contained many hilarious moments but was too theatrical to work successfully. Laughs at the expense of the Welfare State, garden gnomes and butterfly's all gave the play something of the atmosphere of a revue sketch.
It is not difficult to compare the play to, Mr. Bland's Downstage success George the Mad Ad Man and from the comparison it is easily realised what has to be clone to bring a basically theatrical idea to the television screen.
The most successful play to come out of the Workshops was undoubtedly Ngaio Marsh's Slipknot. Working to the murderexpose formula she knows so well Dame Ngaio with producer Brian Bell created an absorbing mystery and also gave a few interesting comments on local attitudes to art.
The acting was even and apart from the person playing the art gallery director it was all sufficiently low-key to convince, in addition to this the play had action which led to a pace lacking in the other three productions.
The plays do hold a considerable degree of hope for the future and credit is due to TV's Brian Bell who conducted the Workshops and who produced two of the plays— for him the standard reached in Slipknot must be gratifying.
Acting honours are due to Athol Coates as the boorish philanthropist in Slipknot and to Anne Flannery as the intellectual suburban housewife in Momma.
For me one of the highlights of the four plays was the old lady with the butterfly in The Tired Man who, with the sculptress with bad eyes in Slipknot, could well find a place in New Zealand's answer to Coronation Street whenever that gets under way.
We are informed that the Tribunal is to consider two books submitted by the Comptroller or Customs. The first is William Surroughs's The Naked Lunch (Calder and Boyars) which first appeared in New Zealand about the beginning of last year. Of all Burroughs's novels, if they can be accurately described as such, it is his best, and demonstrates his perceptive description of sexual and psychic experience better than his others — The Ticket That Exploded (Calder and Boyars), Dead Fingers Talk (Tandem paperback), and Nova Express (Jonathan Cape).
Burroughs is one of the most important writers today and little more can be said than that he is essential reading for all Interested in the literature of writers who have undergone severe physical and intellectual suffering. Because of Burroughs's reputetion it is unlikely that the Tribunal Would reject at this time The Naked Lunch and its significant interest.
What is likely, however. is that the Tribunal will reject Pauline Reage's Story of O (Grove Press paperback NZ Price $1.01) Which was first published in 1954. Just who ""O" and a preface to Jean de Berg's The Image (described by Grove Press os "a frankly erotic love story").
O is an exclusively female study of masochism which cannot be read without a profound sense of realisation that this must be one of the most powerful fantasies ever written. It is not "erotic" because it transcends sexual stimulation: the fantasy of a woman's total submission to her lover, a wilful and slavish debasement to sexual exploitation, is carried through with merciless logic.
The name of the woman symbolises male sex, the "O" of pleasure, the "O" of tin, and. above all. the cipher she gratefully becomes. Only by erasing her own will and fulfilling that of her lover, Rene, only by abnegating her humanity and suffering eagerly whatever physical and mental pain he chooses to inflict, or causes or permits to be inflicted, can O achieve happiness — "happiness through slavery" as
O undergoes all forms of sexual and physical assault, torture and enslavement from her lover, his English friend Sir Stephen, and various other women who act out their masters' demands. O is finally branded and her head covered in an owl mask, becoming a mere object, a living statue which has lost nearly all feeling. Yet all this, Just because it is so painful and humiliating, and most of all because her body is giving pleasure to her master and his friend without limit or restraint, makes O happier than she had ever imagined possible.
On the final page of the book there is a statement which describes the two suppressed endings: one is that O "seeing that Sir Stephen was about to leave her, said she would prefer to die. Sir Stephen gave her his consent." The Story Of O is a remarkable piece of literature, which as a study of the limits of sexual experience, must be unparalleled in any language. If you can't buy this book openly, borrow it or get someone in the US to smuggle it in for you.
If O is the most remarkable book I've read this year, then last year's was Hubert Selby's Last Exit To Brooklyn (Calder and Boyars) which the Tribunal will soon pass Judgment on, having been considering it for several months. Subject to a censorship law case earlier last year in London, it has been difficult to obtain after the initial import. However. Grove Press will soon be issuing a paperback edition, and extracts are to be found in The Moderns (Mayflower paperback 65c) and New Writing in the United States (Penguin paperback $1).
Finally a word about Peter Fryer's latest book, an anthology of eighteenth century writings compiled in collaboration with Leonard de Vries, Venus Unmasked or "An Enquiry into the Nature and Origin of Passion of Love" (Arthur Barker Ltd., $4.45). The introduction explains the background of this popular literature: of the rise of the puritan-minded middle classes and their desire for self-improvement as well as the improvement of all others.
The female members of this increasingly literate class, we are informed, demanded reading matter free from disturbing sexual realism: the circulating libraries practised censorship for their provincial readers; and the reformers' views about morality became predominant. Literary prudery began to gain ground in the middle of the eighteenth century and had become firmly established by about 1771, the year of Smollett's death.
This expulsion of explicit sex from serious literature reached its apogee in the 1830's and the resulting effect was not to eliminate sex but to drive eroticism completely underground, as is clearly shown m Marcus's The Other Victorians. The writings in the anthology are a representative collection of the tradition of publication of bawdy verses and detached accounts of unorthodox sexual behaviour, not unlike our present-day King's Cross Whisper and Truth (the court cases).
There is no defensible case for "literary merit," but then "merit" is everything when one can claim historical interest. In addition to the laughs, there are also illustrations which clearly demonstrate that "toplessness" is not exclusive to our own sex-crazed society.
—
Report on Experience, by
Report on Experience is a brief autobiographical account of the period from 1930 to 1945, including the depression in New Zealand, Oxford in the late thirties, the desert campaign of World War II, and partisan activities in Greece. Mulgan sent the manuscript to his wife shortly before his death in Greece in 1945.
It is a very subjective account, more a record of his thoughts about events than about the actual events. This makes the book more interesting to read because a narrative of the depression and the war would be boring anyway, and because we get a more direct impression of Mulgan's personality than in his novel. Man Alone.
His tone, a British sensibility and sense of humour tinged with irony, is a forerunner of that of the "new English gentleman," the compromise between British tradition and modern society to be found in Kingsley Amis or Simon Raven, Mulgan, however, possibly because of his closeness to the war. is more idealistic, and his symathy for his subject shuts out the harsh satire of the fifties.
Instead, he has a softer irony, applied to New Zealanders ("They never tried to glory in their lack of culture, but I don't think they really minded not having any"), and Oxford radicals ("Communism in England was a parlour game as we played it"); but when he turns to the war his English attitudes become plainer.
With some comments on their amateurism, he turns to their morality ("it is difficult to take the English into a war except on some good, moral, and inescapable pretext"), their morale, and their ability to "win the last battle." Still he didn't stop thinking when he started fighting, and this sort of statement is usually qualified. The last part, about Greece, is the best in the book; his sympathy seems to lie easier on the Greek partisan than on the British soldier.
His style is pleasing to read. It is relaxed and natural, never strained, and often neatly used:
"At all events the pendulum moved up again, and carried with it Hitler, Mr. Roosevelt,
He says in the letter to his wife that this is only "the form of a book" and that "it isn't as well said or as clearly written as it might be." But there are only two or three slips of style, and its brevity is a point for, not against it. It is enjoyable to read a book by a New Zealander who could be sane and clear-headed in his writing, and who is more convincing than most others.
Foreign films old and not so old have provided some interesting viewing over the last few weeks. A pseudo-wit once said to me that a film society was an organisation which had just shown, was showing, or was about to show either Battleship Potemkin or The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. The truth of his assertion can be judged from the fact that Potemkin was last screened at Vic in 1963 and Caligari only recently.
Robert Weine's The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari (Germany: 19191 has always been regarded as a film "classic"—I wonder why. It is undoubtedly true that at the time the film must have shocked the public out of its acceptance of the cinema as an instrument of realism, but apart from the mildly stimulating expressionist sets there is little to recommend it. even in an historical context. Indeed, considering advances being made elsewhere in 1919 (and even before that), so far as film technique is concerned Caligari is staid, even reactionary. Eisenstein once described it as "this barbaric carnival of the destruction of the healthy human infancy of our art, this common grave for normal cinema origins, this combination of silent hysteria, particoloured canvasses, daubed flats, painted faces and the unnatural broken gestures and actions of monstrous chimaeras."
Eisenstein's description has its point. The contrast between Caligari and the Soviet cinema of a few years later was brought home in the short festival of films presented by the society to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Russian revolution. Mikhail Romm's Lenin In October (as tedious as his more recent Nine Days Of One Year) and Prologue (1956) are strictly for the ideologues, but Pudovkin's Storm Over Asia is another matter entirely. Vsevolod Pudovkin (Montage, i.e. the editing of shots in such a way as to create a cumulative effect where "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts."
Most of the shots in these films are static compositions—camera movement is rarely seen—but the editing produces its own rhythmic and kinetic effect, complementing and enhancing the subject action within the frame. It has been said that whereas Eisenstein in his use of montage aims at creating a series of implications at the ideological and intellectual level, Pudovkin tries for an overall emotional impact. This is probably why I prefer Pudovkin's films. I find Battleship Potemkin something of a drag, always excepting the Odessa steps sequence which has a rivetting power all its own.
I think Storm Over Asia (1928) is not as successful as Pudovkin's earlier films, Mother and The End Of St. Petersburg, although it is in many ways a technical tour-de-force. An action as simple as the main character fainting and knocking over a bowl of fish becomes, in the hands of Pudovkin, a series of rapidly edited shots over overwhelming impact. These displays of virtuosity are made doubly effective by the contrast with the quieter, more poetic sections of the film. Both the dazzling and the lyrical in Storm Over Asia bear testimony to the genius of Pudovkin and his cameraman,
It is a great pity that we may have to wait yet another 20 years before part I of Eisenstein's Ivan The Terrible makes an appearance, but in the meantime, another look at part 2 is quite sufficient, thank you. The first 35mm print of this film to be screened in New Zealand for many years had a brief run at the Paramount recently. The second part of the proposed trilogy was made in 1945 and released for public viewing in 1958. Stalin had several consultations with Eisenstein and master photographer Tisse about changing the film's conception of Ivan, so presumably official disapproval was the reason for the lengthy delay.
Ivan has always prompted mixed feelings.
The final impact, however, is one of barbaric power and splendour. Prokofiev's music and Cherkassov's imposing portrayal of Ivan supplement Eisenstein's supreme visual sense, and any qualms one may have about the film's theatricality are swept away by the dramatic qualities of the narrative. Of all Eisenstein's films, this is the one where involvement in the characters and their actions is essential to any appreciation and understanding. One disappointing feature of this version of Ivan is the continued absence of the colour photography in the middle section of the film,
Storm Over Asia. Ivan The Terrible, and then Pather Pancnali—three great films in the space of two weeks! Sometimes ye gods smile on us. Satyajit Ray's film, made
In Considering fine arts activities around the university it is interesting and disappointing to note that in the last four years there have been three exhibitions of University painters held on the campus 'excluding Arts Festival)—two of them this year.
The first exhibition this year was held in the Library Exhibition Area just after study week and was of paintings and drawings by
The second "exhibition" this year was held shortly after in the Activities Room and put on by the combined Literary and Pooh Clubs, The purpose of this exhibition appears to have been to arouse humour but backed by several serious contributions. The overall result was successful in attracting attention to itself but artistically a flop.
Certain forms of "art" require a peculiar sense of humour and the contributions of Denis List attempted this. Unfortunately there are still two further requisites for the success of this media—first, originality and, secondly, some artistic ability. Mr. List failed on account of these; his ideas were on tile whole unoriginal, copying the French "gimmickest" Madonna with Julius Caesar.
The more serious works came from the Polytech School of Design and were commercial designs—designed to please but lack any serious content. They were screen prints, fabric prints, lithographs, monographs and other types of graphs. One serious painting entry was a watercolour, Wellington Harbour By Night by
Preceding this exhibition in the Activities Room were two exhibitions of prints (reproductions). The first was of French Impressionists and the second of Contemporary Czech painters. Although, owing to our artistic isolation, prints can often be interesting and useful, their merit in exhibition is doubtful. Art books almost always contain several and. moreover, the artist and his work are not represented fairly.
One exhibition which attracts very little attention is that comprising the University's permanent collection, most of which hangs in the library, There is no point in reviewing them for it is permanently on display but it is perhaps interesting to note a few points regarding the selection and the works themselves.
The works are purchased by a committee which consists of a representative of the teaching staff, a council member, and the Director of the National Gallery. Although the staff member of the committee is interested in promoting such cultural activity around the University, the rest of the committee are extremely uninterested and this has been transferred into the works purchased. "Safe names" have been bought with little regard to the works. Another limiting factor is probably the finance available but why have they paid $200 each for a Binney, Bird and a McCahon, Tennis Ladder. On the other hand a few very pleasing and interesting works have been purchased,
On the whole, however, it appears to have been names that have influenced purchase. Not that these artists are not worth having but if finance is a limiting factor then choice is reduced to the artists' lesser works as appears to be the case. Names that appear are Bare,
Other activity in the fine arts around the campus is non-existent. On inquiry it was found that there are several painters and students interested in painting but unsure of how to go about it. Why then has there been no club established to cater for these students? No encouragement has been received from the "top officials"—the cultural affairs officer forgot to ask if any painters were interested in Arts Festival!
One attempt was made earlier this year by a group of enthusiasts. Future plans were discussed but lapsed due to no strong incentives or objectives. They were undecided as to whether it (a club) should incorporate all fine arts activities or Just the practical side. It is the tendency of people, and students in particular, to say they "don't understand modern art" which stems from apprehension at being proved wrong over the "meaning" of an abstract painting. If a club were formed students could be helped to forget such ridiculous notions.
Personally I think that a club should be formed and take as its objectives the furthering of the fine arts in the University, and specially an understanding of painting (this helps avoid potters' unions). A committee (unfortunately) would need to be arranged which could encourage discussions and lectures on points, periods and artists of interest. They should also encourage practical activities by finding a studio where studentartists could work together and hire models and tutors. However it should remain primarily a student organ and keep in touch with student needs and not be autonomous and aloof.
Gaffikin
khandallah Arts Theatre will be presenting George Bernard Shaw's "Heartbreak House" in the Khandallah Public Hall, October 11 to 14. Producer
Seen above in rehearsal are
Shaw, who considered this play to be his finest work, said that he withheld the play from the footlights during the first world war because "The Germans might on any night have turned the last act from play into earnest and even then might not have waited for their cues!"
These days It takes nothing short of a phenomen n to fill the Wellington Town Hall for a Nzbc concert—last year the Israel philharmonic played to almost capacity houses, although much of the audience consisted of people who would not normally go to orchestral concerts.
An outstanding new recording by her, "Richard Strauss: Four Last Songs And Five Other Songs With Orchestra" (Columbia Saxm 5258 Stereo). It is very hard to write a critical analysis of this disc, beautiful music sung superbly. I must admit that until listening to this record I had no idea that
The highlights are, of course, the four last songs. Superb orchestral accompaniment is provided by the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by
I am always rather wary of operatic recitals by sopranos when the artist attempts to cover a vast range of styles, when confronted with "Leontyne Price, Prima Donna: Great Soprano Arias From Purcell To Barber" (
The delicate control of her voice in "When I Am Laid In Earth, from "Dido And Aeneas," and "
The orchestral accompaniment is very good—the Rca Italiana Opera Orchestra, conducted by Francesco Mollinari-Pradelli. The stereo recording (done in the Rca studios in Rome) is well defined, with an extremely good balance between soloist and orchestra. Pre-echo mars occasional passages. However, this is not excessive.
"Evolution," by the Hollies (Parlophone Pcsm 7022 Stereo) is a further stage in the development of one of England's most original groups. Their last lp, "For Certain Because . . ." (Pcsm 7011 Stereo), showed their considerable songwriting abilities and perfection of their impeccable harmonies and although this new lp is not much different it confirms their established reputation. It is interesting to note that these last two lps, both extremely well recorded, have been produced by
"Puppet On A String." by
Sirs,—The article by your Sports Editor Russell Fairbrother on the non-selecton of Williment for the All Black tour is just absolute rubbish. To maintain that Williment is the victim of circumstances is correct, but the plain fact is that he is an established match-winner, and the New Zealand public wants their team to win!
The All Blacks have reached the top by hard work and playing their own brand of rugby. The backs have always been efficient and capable of fine play when the opportunity has arisen, so to expect our boys to run the ball from anywhere on the field is asking for trouble for that's what will have to be done. there is no other method for getting points!
I'm not quibbling about McCormack's selection, he deserves to go for he is a very good player in his own right. However, at best he is only a fair goalkicker and to maintain that the All Blacks go away with five established goalkickers (as does R. Fairbrother) is just idiotic.
Who are they... I'd like to know? Kember and Herewini are capable 'club kickers' from 30 yards range... who could the other two be. maybe Meads and Gray? Good heavens, all the 'kickers' in the team couldn't kick the skin off a rice pudding compared with Williment! The plain fact remains that after always condemning other countries for their paucitv of goalkickers N.Z. for the first time in history goes away incapable of match-winning goalkicking.
Williment is a proven player in all departments of the game. Everybody knows his capabilities, so to omit him from the side on the basis of a couple of not-so-good trial games is not only grossly unfair, but sheer rugby suicide. As the English Press stated 'N.Z. has cut off its right arm', and that's it in a nutshell.
Make no mistake about it— the N.Z. public wants our boys to win—and there are going to be a lot of dismayed and angry people around when the 'truth' becomes known. I have no doubt that the games we will lose (and there will be enough of them) will be due entirely to the lack of a goalkicker of the Williment class.
Sirs,—Once again the petty tyrant has struck! This time it was him personally who, casually joking in his customary manner, tore down from the romanesque pillars of our most revered eatinghouse, the sage election axiom of his present charlady Miss
Oh Woe! what has become of our friendly Student Union, where caretakers are obliged to consult with their overlord before answering the simple bidding of the humble employers.
Oh Woe! When the shrill twittering of fluted pipes to the tune of "crescus bananus" must be stilled for the mandane shatter of dentures in half-eaten plates. After the rising of how few more moons shall we even be unable venture a-tip-toe into the sacred precincts of the Mighty, for fear to waken his mid-morn nap. We have risen before. We shall rise again! For shame! How will the Mighty fall!
Sirs, —Although I am not a candidate for International Affairs Officer in the forthcoming elections I desire very much to write a short answer to the question whether macaroni should have a standardised bore. I have been very bored by this question for a number of years. I find macaroni one of the most boring things in life. The one thing that has bothered me, however, is that I am not uniformly bored by it. Being somewhat a connoisseur of boredom. I realise that nirvana in the boredom cult cannot be reached until that perfect bordom is attained like the consistency of Singhalese Yoghurts.
Macaroni is nothing like the consistency of Singhalese Yoghurt. Short, fat and soft or long, thin and hard, it is simply not consistent at all. Oh, there was a time when I could take it or leave it. when one plate of macaroni meant pretty much the same as any other. But now, do you know that I sometimes get down on my knees in the middle of the bathtub full of beautiful macaroni and, well, caress
(cont'd P.95)
R. Suffield De Laurent VII.
Sirs, —Last night (25/9/67) there was a fire alarm in the R.B. Building. The alarm bell rang for two minutes before anyone in our section of the library even moved and most people waited until they were told to move out. Why, then. did we install a fire alarm?
In the event of any alarm one would expect a rapid, orderly evacuation managed by a trained staff, as you can see in any primary school today. Have we an evacualion plan and have the staff been trained to execute it?
It is plain that we all need education and practice in so far as fire evacuation of buildings is concerned. Even 50 or so notices stating the length of a test alarm and evacuation instructions, placed in prominent positions throughout the building would be better than nothing.
The other point was that after two or three minutes outside in the cold, people moved back into the foyer. A fireman had to shoulder his way through the crowd to reach the stairs.
This will not do!
I know that student apathy has a lot to do with this problem but I think something should be done to help avert another farce like last night.
W.D.R.
Sirs,—An editor of your paper, one Curry, editorialised in your last issue upon the subject of abortion, His main concern appeared to be the emancipation of the foetus— "At the nub of the issue is our assessment of the rights of the unborn . . . Our culture has always found it a duty to protect the sick, the weak, and the defenceless. None is more defenceless than the foetus."
I need hardly point out to the keen able young minds of your readers the fallacy involved in the proposition that "we protect some of the defenceless, the foetus is defenceless therefore we must protect it." Besides which. even had we protected a defenceless foetus in the past this is no argument that we should continue to do so in the future.
From a stand on tradition Mr. Curry moves to a moralistic position, where he is concerned about the "little regard for human life" apparently displayed by abortion, and constricting, and better suited can "justify the denial of life to another human being." If "denial" means "denial" then every time I sleep alone I am being immoral, and I become a good lad only when I attempt to increase the population.
If, on the other hand, "denial" means "removal" then might I ask Mr. Curry on what criterion does he decide that the foetus has "human life?" Has it a consciousness of "I"? Is it a rational being? One could of course avow that it has a soul, but this merely defines the argument out of existence without answering any questions—an activity which academe should leave to religion.
Mr. Curry is further concerned with the effects of abortion on the "social fibre!" The social fibre, sir, is one of the strongest materials known to man, and in spite of warnings dire and frequent over the past million years or so is still unrent. The fabric which it weaves may of course change, to become more subtle, more elegant, lighter and less constricting, and better suited to its purpose, as a sheepskin loincloth evolves to terylene trousers.
And yet even were the social fibre a gossamer thread, easily snapped, Mr. Curry fails to show how it would be broken. Apparently if we had 20,000 legal abortions instead of 20,000 illegal ones, disastrous effects would ensue. What are these effects?
Mr. Curry suggests that abortion would be seen as merely another means of birth control, implying, presumably, that people will choose this as a preferable alternative to contraception. Neither Mr. Curry nor myself know whether people would indeed do this, yet most surely are aware that abortion, apart from the legality aspect, is not a particularly desirable operation for a woman, if reasonable alternatives are both available and known about.
It is true of course that an illegal abortion has a useful punitive effect which would be lost if it was legalised. I trust that Mr. Curry does not have this in mind, yet this argument is even these days a common one against disseminating information about contraception—"if they indulge in sex they will have illegitimate babies and serve them right."
I can see no other effects than this which legalised Abortion As Opposed To Literal Abortion would have on the national psyche. I think Mr. Curry is implicitly considering the effects of legal abortion as opposed to none at all, which is not the issue.
However, Mr. Curry does, it is true, consider a more relevant criterion than the rather nebulous "rights of the unborn" and the somewhat speculative "effects on the social fibre." He dwells for some three-quarters of an inch upon the "serious psychological implications of the birth?"
But surely these implications are not as delightfully clearcut as Mr. Curry's analysis attempts to show? "A shame in betraying the woman's dominant human duty pervades a lifetime." A fine ringing phrase, sir. but were I a woman I would feel a little slighted to be told that my predominant duty was to act as a sort of queen bee, popping out kiddies at regular intervals to consume all that surplus butter, and wool, and what-have-you.
True, if the total births are not sufficient to counteract I the total deaths in the population our numbers will, over a period of time, decline, but I think Mr. Curry takes a cloudy view of human nature if he considers that in the absence of sanctions to the contrary a significant number of married couples would prefer not to have children.
Furthermore, the "shame" he talks of is but a part of the picture, and not a necessary part. The "shame" of having an abortion comes less from the act per se, but rather from the attitude of those such as Mr. Curry who declare it to be something shameful. Had Mr. Curry been instilled in youth with the belief that editing student newspapers is shameful, he may well have felt shame at editing Salient. But this would be no justification for others to attempt to stop him doing so.
As I said, "shame" is only part of the psychological implications of abortion. I have no doubt that in many cases there would be other feelings, especially if the child was wanted but could not be properly provided for. Mr. Curry, however, fails to consider the possibility that if the child is born, particularly out of wedlock, the implications for the mother may be considerable and unfortunate, not to mention the implications for the child. The mother may prefer to have the baby, of course, and many do. But this is no reason for decreeing that all must.
This leads me to the first of two general points which arise from the question. Our Christian tradition has given us the belief that any action is Wrong until it can be shown that it is Eight, a belief analogous to the inhuman one from the same source which declares that a newborn infant is sinful until excused. Even an unborn one. in fact. Perhaps this is just our usual conservatism, some of which is necessary in any society; however it makes more sense to me to judge an issue from the point of view of those who feel its effects than on the basis of immutable Laws, the chief problem of which is that each individual has his own set, Immutable, Eternal, and Universal in each case.
My second general point is to wonder why it is that there seems to be in the land a concern over denial of life to what is marginally a human being for (usual) humanitarian reasons; yet an acceptance of killing adults for political reasons. I agree with Lecky who states ("History of European Morals") that "The death of an adult man who is struck down in the midst of his enterprise and his hopes, who is united by ties of love or friendship to multitudes around him, and whose departure causes a perturbation and a pang to the society In which he has moved, excites feelings very different from any produced by the painless extinction of a newborn infant, which, having scarcely touched the earth, has known none of its cares and very little of its love." Although I would replace "new-born" with "unborn").
And yet there are those (I do not imply that Mr. Curry is included amongst them) who at the same time regard the scraping away of a foetus as morally abhorrent, yet the dropping of burning petrol and phosphorous on communities of people as justifiable. Perhaps we are developing a society in which individuals have Immutable Laws, created ad hoc and to suit as each situation arises.
You read some thirteen conclusions into a 400 word editorial. Of these, eleven are incorrectly deduced.
Two statements are interpreted reasonably correctly. (1) That abortion denies life to a human being, and (2) that a mother usually experiences some shame as a psychological effect of abortion.
Any view of the first statement will depend on a personal assessment of the rights of the unborn — a point made in the editorial. You may be one of those who believe the foetus has no rights.
On the issue of psychological shame. it is not merely a result of social attitudes as you suggest, though of course this is an important factor. As psychologists will tell you there is often a nagging. thought of whether it would have been son or daughter, blond or redhead, with blue eyes or perhaps brown. It is a human response.
If the editorial did offer any definite conclusion it was that "the moral issues must not be swept aside by pure convenience." Perhaps you feel convenience should predominate, or even that there are no moral issues.
The most valid ground for criticising the editorial was that it avoided making definite judgments, or if you prefer it, that it lacked the strength of conviction.
G.P.C.
Sirs,—I would like to take issue with your Sports Editor on the subject of Willimcnt's omission from the All Blacks.
Now I am quite prepared to admit that Williment hasn't been playing as well as he has done in previous seasons nor as well as McCormack thin season, but as Williment is the much better kicker he should have got the trip.
Forty years later we remember Cliff Porter's 1924 All Blacks as the "Invincibles." In a few years Whineray's '63-4 team will be remembered as a team which lost only one game—to the Welsh club side of Newport—3-nil.
How will history view Lochore's 1967 All Blacks? It won't be along these lines. "Well, they only won X matches . . . but they played bright and open rugby." All that goes down in the records book is the score and the NZ Selectors should have taken a long-range kicker to ensure that every score is in our favour.
To hell with "The game's the thing, chaps, and let's have a jolly old pint afterwards." To hell with the spectators—we want to win.
Sirs, —I think the man who wrote "I think the man who writes the letters should write the rest of your paper" should write the rest of your paper.
For Flowers . . .
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Wholesale wine and spirit people. Vintners to the Students' Association. Carry stocks of all brands of ale. spirits, table wine (from 5/6), sherry in flagons (16/-) or quart bottles.
Free delivery - Cellars located at
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Hotel St. George
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where all the students meet
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Oppressive heat, first-class facilities, organisational perfection and an intense dedication to sport were the general impressions of Victoria's representative at the World Student Games, Miss
Miss Schwartz recently returned from these games where she was placed eighth in the women's foil event. This was the first time New Zealand Universities have been officially represented in the games, which have been held every two years since 1953.
The other members of the New Zealand contingent performed well considering the oppressive, humid heat. The temperature throughout the games was constantly in the nineties.
He came eighth in the final of the 200 metres breaststroke with a time of 2min 41.3sec. His best time for this is 2min. 38.9sec.
Canterbury athlete
Approximately 1500 competitors participated The overall standard was extremely high and there were several world record holders in the student teams. In the swimming events, five new world records were set.
Held in Tokyo, the scene of the 1964 Olympics, full use was made of the outstanding facilities there. The games from August 26 to September 3 were organised along similar lines to the Olympics.
Competitors were housed in the women's quarters of the Olympic village. The free services made available to all competitors ranged from the allocation to the threemember New Zealand team of two interpreters and one car to an overall unlimited supply of "Pepsi-Cola."
The New Zealanders were introduced to a dedication in sport rarely seen in this country. Although looked after by the British team manager, they found their team size a handicap. This was particularly so with regards to training, when they were forced to practise alone.
Gerald Kember
Kember was the final choice by the Blues Panel of eight names selected from the 1967 Blues nominations. These others were Miss
This is the third year that the award has been made. Last year it was won by Olympic Rower,
Presenting the cup. Mr Austad spoke of Kember's versatility. He told the gathering of sportsmen of Kember's selection from the Varsity side for the NZU
Kember is the twelfth 4 Black from Victoria. One his more illustrious predecer sors. Mr
Speaking to the recipien of Blues for 1967, Mr