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There was an item on TV recently about Otago's Capping Revue. The concert figured male ballerinas performing rather incredible contortions, remotely connected with dancing. But the item was noteworthy, not because of the concert's humour, but because the Capping Revue was the last one to be held in the country. Capping and the varsity revue used to be the social highlight of every university's year, but even the bastion of capping activities—Otago University—has had to scale down its programme. Why?
Let's look at Victoria's capping. In
The powers that be in the University decided that the 2 hour free period scheduled in past years for the procession, should be dropped due to the lack of any procession in recent years. The university could have decided to keep that free period for another capping activity, but it decided not to. Though that does not really affect capping significantly it typifies the attitude of this University.
What did affect capping was the fact that last week of term was one of the busiest for students in terms of cramming for tests and completing assignments. Though most of the capping activities were well attended and highly enjoyed, a whole university taking part, was a long way off—because most students were in the library.
Students don't ask for much, and they receive even less. They asked for a 2 hour free period on Wednesdays from 12-2 so that any student could attend and vote on Association policy. Every year that free period has been encroached upon, until now tutorials, labs and even tests are scheduled at that time. Internal assessment and a total lack of regards for students by this university has made this place a cultural, social, political and sporting desert. Let's make this University look after students, not just degrees and staff members.
Come to SRC on Wednesday where we will be discussing these questions. It's up to us to restore student life—the University bureaucrats won't do it for us.
I am writing my letter of resignation as Drama Editor of Salient as an open letter because I believe my reasons for resigning may be of interest to the readers. Little discussion has been made about the role of a critic and I hope my letter may stimulate some thought about it.
As a reviewer I have taken as my central aim to present my own personal reactions to a particular production, elucidating and justifying as best I could. Being a practitioner I have strong opinions on how theatre should work and what it should explore. Obviously this strongly clouded my reactions to shows. Was I thus doing justice to the performances? Originally I thought I was justified because dialogue is a valuable thing. If people disagreed they could write in and state their disagreement. By partaking of this activity people would hopefully grow in their appreciation of theatre as a social act and I would be able to gain new insights into what people were thinking. To achieve this aim I deliberately took a more extreme view than normal.
But instead of thousands of people writing in with their own opinions nothing has ever come in. Rather people have been disagreeing with my views sometimes quite violently, but never actually getting into a discussion. What I get from that is that people consider theatre a very personal thing and if you disagree with what they are doing or thinking then you are making a personal attack on them. The role of the reviewer is considered to be that of a journalist objectively writing an account of the performance so that people can make up their own minds about whether or not they should go to see the show and how they react to it without any influence from someone else. The cult of the individual.
If no one is prepared to get into a discussion about the show, this is probably the best approach to use, because it does the most justice to the performers. But if the aim is to develop a critically aware audience in New Zealand such an approach would be futile. Obviously a lot more work needs to be done in this area, a lot more battles must be fought before someone actually responds and a debate can be started.
As it is I feel it arrogant of me to continue pushing my own viewpoint without the leavening of an alternate one. As the situation stands I have no desire to become a journalist and am very unwilling to set myself up as judge and jury. Obviously the best place to express my ideas on theatre is to actually do things in theatre. In the original Greek 'drama' means doing acting performing. I no longer feel willing to write about theatre. I must do and then let the audience judge that.
So, Simon, I feel that I must resign as Drama Editor. I hope someone will come forward who is willing to honestly and without malice, criticise people's work, because it is an important task. My reasons for resigning have nothing to do with any dissatisfaction with the way the paper is being run, because I believe it is working well. It is simply a personal decision that, if I am actually to achieve what I believe in, I must make.
Have you ever wondered just what Salient staff do in the holidays? Well I wondered what Salient staff did in the holidays, and not being one to let the grass grow under my feet I determined to find out. It was not easy let me assure you.
Now take Simon Wilson, he's got this fetish about locking things up. He locks up his office, my friends offices, he locks cars, buses, even prams. Unfortunately on Friday he locked up his keys in the petty cash safe. Unconcerned he rushed home for a spare set, but found they were locked inside his flat. A man of action Simon grabbed a brick from a nearby pile to hurl through the window. Unaccountably he selected a brick from the bottom of the pile, which when removed caused the whole heap to slide down the hill into a neighbour's living room. "C'est la vie" he was heard to mutter, and he propelled the missile through the window, through the antique bottles on the window sill, through the television screen and finally into the full length dressing mirror.
Once inside the house (ignoring the devastation he had wrought), he collected the keys and was setting off again when nature called. Nonchalantly tossing the keys in the air he was distressed to miss a catch and watch the keys disappear down the toilet bowl. When last I saw him he was sitting, depressed, beside the said fixture, debating whether or not to take the dirty plunge to reclaim his keys.
Lorraine Robinson told me that she was disappointed in her holidays. "I wanted a good old Kiwi suntan to show off to all my friends back home," she cried. "But for some reason this Wellington sun doesn't give you a tan". When I asked her if this might have been because there had been no sun she pointed to the rain dribbling down the windows and declared, "Where I come from this is sun." What can I say?
Doug Thompson on the other hand had a most profitable holiday trying to learn "New Zealand Driving". Lately from Canada, Doug has had difficulty in coming to grips with some of our local customs. "In Canada, when there's an accident the driver hit doesn't take the hitter to the pub and buy him a drink because "You hit me this time mate, good driving, but next time I see you I'll drive you off the road." He's also boning up on abuse to hurl out of windows. He was learning the "You have the right of way, you stupid old cow, but my car's bigger than yours so you'd better move over" line when I left him. I declined the offer of a lift in his armour plated VW.
Murray? I spied him in a local pub doing his famous impersonation of a Scotsman. He had his audience completely captive until he came to the joke about "what does a Scotsman wear under his kilt?" Alas when he came to the punch line the audience didn't believe him, so he proved it. Unfortunately there was an officer of the law present, and David is at present being charged under the Odious Sights Act.
At a preliminary hearing the judge told him he "was a silly little cock" and David hasn't been quite the same since.
I then tried to track down Peter Beach. I finally found him sifting through the waste paper baskets of Banana's hair salon looking for his lost glory. He had got most of it back and was trying to stick it together with Bull-gum to make a wig.
He told me it wasn't very easy. At least that's what I thought he said, for his voice was rather muffled by the balaclava and turban he had wrapped around his cranium.
Lamorna Rogers spent the holidays on the telephone. She sat on the telephone, walked on the telephone, slept on the telephone. I asked her if she thought this was a natural activity, "Oh I'm expecting a phone call" she explained. "Aren't we all?" I replied. "Yes, but this one's from Lindy Cassidy." "But you flat with Lindy." "That's why it's so important that I don't miss it," and she hopped off on her telephone.
When next I saw Rire Scotney I asked her how long Lamorna had been like this. "Like what?" "All peculiar.""Oh I don't think Lamorna was at all peculiar. She's always seemed such an honest, straight-forward stable sort of person to me. Quiet and restrained, a model citizen." Actually she said a good deal more, but I found that the only way I could get face to face with Rire was to stand on my hands and hop around the room after her, and this made me very dizzy.
Thank goodness they weren't all like that. Margot MacGillivray was a tonic for me. She had spent her holidays counting the grains of sand in Lyall Bay as part of a research project in Mathematics. She told me that she thought it was a little bit silly, but she didn't question the decisions of adults.
Virginia Adams is a relative newcomer to Salient staff, for this year anyway. Her job as a steam calliop salesperson takes her out of town frequently, and as she has to sell 20 steam organs before she can have a holiday she tends to be working most of the time. But not last week. When she came into Salient to say hello and tell us about her job we all went wild. Simon bought three, the rest of us being more restrained bought two each, this filled her quota and she spent the week trying to brush up on her sales pitch.
I didn't actually see Stephen Benbrook although Marie Rodgers told me he had spent the holidays trying to photograph his camera. His method was to focus the camera on a table, click the shutter, rush the camera to the table, so that the light would hit it, and then tear back and put the camera back on the tripod to record the light on the film. To date he has not been successful in capturing the image of the camera on the film but has many interesting shots of hands on lenses. So much for him.
Of course I mustn't forget to mention John Dailey who spent the vacation examining time travel. Reasoning that if it took one hour to stroll to Salient, but½ hour if he walked briskly, it would take no time at all if he were to run there. Logically then sprinting to the office would put him there before he left. In fact John went overboard and took a car to the office. This saved him so much time that it will be about 6 months before time can catch up with him and he will be able to leave.
If he can get his keys back Simon Wilson will edit Salient, now that Lindy is off the phone whe will probably direct VUWSA to Publish it, and the man who never takes holidays at Wanganui Newspapers. Drews Avenue, Wanganui will print it. Thanks men.
When? Wednesday,
Where? Students Union smoking-room and Lounge Victoria.
Speaker: John L'Estrange (NZSCM General Secretary) on Marxism and Christianity
Cost: $1.50 All Welcome
This evening is being organised by VUWSCM branch.
For all SRC Officers and Reps.
Friday 19th May 12-2 Lounge
All others welcome to discuss the University timetable and General Business.
Wine & Stein & Ski Films
May 17th: 8.00 Union Hall
All Welcome
Mr. Zaiton Atashi, Arab Member of the Knesset (Israeli parliament) Member of "Party for Change".
Speaks 12—2 pm Union Hall
Tuesday May 16th
Meeting to organise activities culminating in a mobilisation on July 14 for women's right to abortion.
Women And men welcome.
Thursday 18 May. 12 noon, Lounge
Cast:
Voice: To begin at the beginning. It is Spring, foggy dusk in the small Exec workroom. Hush, the students are all pissed out of their tiny minds, dreaming alcoholic fantasies of examination papers covered in A's, and bursary cheques with so many zeros on the end that they run off the page. But not for all, not for blind Captain Cat, waiting for the long dead to come and nuzzle up to him.
Drowned Sailor: Remember me Captain?
Captain Cat: You're dancing Williams.
Drowned Sailor: I lost my step when you failed to raise that 200 dollars for the ISC as the SRC instructed you to. Remember Captain, the money to subsidise the travel arrangements for students to go to the congress.
Voice: And Rosie Probert too speaks quietly to Captain Cat
Rosie Probert: Tell me Tom Cat, just who is this Victor fellow? Where do I find him? Where does he lurk with his travel deductions?
Captain Cat: Oh my dear dead dears, just hold on a tick while I answer this phone call and I'll fix it all up. (exit)
Vocie: Come along now and drift around the room, watch awareness flicker across the face of Mr. Pugh.
Mr. Pugh: Here's your cheque SRC
As rubber as a dunlop tyre
Damn your silly little motions
They don't bind me
Ah Victor, now just where did we put that cheque for you.
Voice: Or Mr. Waldo, drinking "a pint of stout with an egg in it".
Mr. Waldo: How about a party, lots of stout. Pay them to come in and charge them to go out. Good way of finding the money.
Captain Cat(phone call over): Puts me in mind of the last one of those we had, on the Good Ship Poverty Hop, why we must have lost about 300 doubloons on that one.
Mrs. Ogmore-Pritchard: Well this one would be properly run. I'd get Mr. Ogmore and Mr. Pritchard to take care of it. They'd do a very good job wouldn't you dears?
Offstage: Yes Mrs. Ogmore-Pritchard, it would be almost as much fun as those cold baths that you make us take for our health, and having to wear those pretty little flannel aprons to ward off sciatica.
Voice: Well, with that settled it looks like business is over the day; but we still wait for the Rev. Eli Jenkins to make his closing prayer.
Jenkins:
Voice: And the Reverend Jenkins closes his door on the Exec, though he will stay on as the accountant for Pubs board. Indeed as he says goodnight the dusk has finally settled, and all homeward tread. But no! Not all have retired. Mrs. Ogmore-Pritchard is still awake, and talking to her two dead husbands.
Mrs. Ogmore-Pritchard: Now dears I want the two of you to go up and talk to that no-good piece of baggage that editor of Salient, and you tell him what I think of his scurrilous article of last week...
Voice: But the two husbands have scampered off, after all there is no news as bad as old news, and once printed even false news becomes through of a true news. But see, even through Mrs. Ogmore-Pritchard tosses and turns in her bed, chasing after her rebellious husbands, the rest of the village is asleep, not even the long dead on the S.S. Pisswilly come to trouble Captain Cat as he zzzzzzzzzzz.
You might have gathered from the exec report that I resigned as Pubs. Board Officer just before the holidays. The only reason I resigned is that there aren't enough hours each week to carry out both the duties of the Pubs. Board Officer and Pubs Board Treasurer effectively as well as hold donw a full time job. (Tom has been bravely doing all this—Ed). During this year the financial activities of Pubs Board have interested me much more than the general administrative duties of the Pubs Board Officer so the choice was easy.
The Publications Board is continuing to follow the responsible attitude that it must break even financially every year—maybe a goal certain student "commercial" activities should be achieving. The Pubs Board levy has not been increased for over three years, but with continual increases in the cost of our publications, we have been forced to push up our advertising revenue. With a significant increase in the number of our debtors there has also been a disturbing rise in overdue debts to us. Writing, reminding and eventually threatening the reluctant payers is not very pleasant but essential and can be time consuming.
Much of the Student Executive's time this year has been taken up with the financial situation of two student commercial activities, namely the Victoria Book Centre and STB. I believe that for any student commercial activity there must be two underlying principles.
Unless both these criteria are met there can be no justification for a commercial activity's existence.
Running a successful business takes a lot of time and experience with many risks involved. Unless there is likely to be a definite advantage to students from such services we should steer well clear of them. Our scarce financial resources can be better utilised in other areas that will give direct benefit to students.
It should also be remembered that once these activities are established they are very hard to disestablish. Often the people who push to get the activities underway have no wish to see them come to an end because of a bad financial situation. And there also seem to be sufficient people around who believe that an injection of more cash will see that activity "right".
The "user pays" principle must always be applied to a commercial activity. If this does not happen then effectively All students are susidising those students who travel overseas or who buy text-books. This is especially so where these services are offered to students by outside organisations at comparable prices with no extra charge to students generally.
In coming issues of Salient there will be several articles on the above mentioned commercial activities and whether they should continue to exist in the light of their financial performances.
I do not believe that All student activity should be self-supporting. Important political, social and cultural activities carried out by the association often can't be and indeed this is where much of the Studass fee goes. However, that must not be the case with commercial activities carried out by our Association.
Hopefully some of you who are reading this will stand for the position I am vacating. The election will be at an SGM in the second Wednesday of term. The position entails not only coordinating the activities of the Publications Board but also a significant involvement in the running of your Association.
First of all dear reader, if we happen to mention that word 'exercise' rather too often for your liking, then we're not sorry at all. But in reality it needn't have all the connotations that harsh PE sports programmes may have inflicted on you in the past. In our view exercise for the average student is Moderate Activity designed to stimulate the heart into action. By regularly working the heart at what we have frequently referred to as the 'working Heart rate' you can effectively improve your body's circulatory efficiency in as little time as three months (see graph)
Regular activity of your own design (we have designs on you!) should be part of your weekly timetable.
You Haven't Got Time..... You only think you haven't. We have observed students in the library sitting and gazing into space for half an hour having slaved over books for the previous 2-3-4 hours.
Concentration spans of over an hour or so are unusual. . . and if those star/ceiling gazers had used their half hour to do 20 minutes of moderate activity they might have found that the work would have come more easily So take a break . . . get the habit . . . you will feel better . . . . what better justification is there?
A hot environment and water balance.
Some people feel they should drink as little as possible when working or when it is very hot because, "if you drink just a little, you perspire less". However, studies have shown that sweat production is rather independent of the body's fluid balance. Moreover, sweating is the mechanism which prevents overheating of the body when it is warm or when heavy work is performed. Therefore, under such conditions sweating is very desirable.
If fluid is not replaced at the same rate it is lost, performance capacity and fitness decline and the feeling of exertion increases. Heart rate and body temperature rise abnormally. Thus you should drink deliberately, possibly even more than thirst "orders" when you sweat. But you should not drink too much at a time nor drink very cold drinks.
The Maori Studies section of the Department of Anthropology and Maori is offering during the winter term (May to August) two evening schools: a waiata school and koauau music. Both courses will be practical, with public performances to follow.
1. Tirotiro kau au
Tuesday 23rd May, 7.30—10.00 p.m.
Ngati Raukawa and Ngati Kahungunu
Guest Teacher: Professor Whata Winiata
2. Te Roa o te Po
Tuesday 30th May, 7.30—10.00
Ngati Raukawa and Te Arawa
Composed by Kihoki
Nga Moteatea Vol. 1 Waiata No. 58
3. He Tangi Mo Te Wano (E pa to hau . . .)
Tuesday 6th June, 7.30—10.00
Waikato area, Ngati Apakura.
Composed by Rangianmoa
Nga Moteatea Vol. 1. Waiata No. 71
4. Kaore te mokemoke
Tuesday 13th June
Ngati Manawa, Matatua and Te Arawa areas.
Composed by Harehare
Nga Moteatea Vol. 1 Waitata No. 87.
5. Whakarongo e te rau
Tuesday 4th July, 7.30—10.00
Ngati Ruanui, Taranaki areas.
Composed by Timotu
Nga Moteatea Vol. 1 Waiata No. 82.
6. Poia atu taku poi.
Tuesday 11th July, 7.30—10.00
Ngati Raukawa
Composed by Erenora Taratoa
Nga Moteatea Vol. 2, Waiata No. 142
Revisions Tuesday 18th, 25th July and 1st and 8th August.
In addition, some short ditties will be learnt as part of the school.
The koauau is the Maori flute. Several people have indicated an interest in joining our koauau band, whose members will explore the possibilities of the koauau as a musical instrument. The band will work closely with the waiata school and will attempt to work accompaniments for at least some of the waiata.
The band will meet at the same time as the waiata school: Tuesday evenings (7.30—100 pm) beginning Tuesday, 23rd May and ending August 8th.
Badly needed for the band are keen woodworkers who can make some koauau. A traditional model has been loaned to us by the National Museum and can be viewed at 50 Kelburn Parade.
Note: It would be an advantage for band members to be already good at handling a wind instrument and have some talent for music.
Leonie Morris, the Women's Vice President of the students association has resigned. Her main reason is pressure of work: Leonie is the Coordinator of the NZUSA Women's Rights Action Committe and has found that this job has not left her the time available to perform adequately on the VUWSA executive. No announcement on an election has yet been made, but Salient presumes that the position will be up for grabs at the same SGM in which a new Publications Officer will be elected.
Note: Under the constitution, a proper by-election cannot be called unless there are three vacancies on the exec. So if you want to vote turn up to the Union Hall at noon on Wednesday, 24th May.
If you, gentle reader, were asked to change one letter in the word "lowing" and then rearrange the letters to spell the name of a well-known editor of a student newspaper, you would have no difficulty in getting "Wilson". Well here, to make it a little more of a challenge you have ten different clues and ten words you must drop one letter from and re-arrange to satisfy the clues. You will have to pair them up yourself.
Clues:
The peninsula of Malaysia has 73,000 fulltime fishermen. They supply 70% to 80% of the protein intake to West Coast Malaysians. In return, 54% of the fishermen earned less than $124 a month, 40% earned between $125 & $229 a month while only 6% earned between $300 & $600.
In the past two months several coastal areas in Penang (Sungei Udang, Acheh, Bakau and Amen) suffered from illegal trawler activity operated by the Japanese. 'Apollo nets' with drag weights are used, causing extensive damage to fish breeding grounds by dredging the seabed, destroying fishing equipment and the nets of inshore fishermen.
The fishermen had protested to the government as early as August '73. In July '77 the Consumer Association of Penang asked the government to order the immediate withdrawal of Apollo trawlers. On 7th January this year 1,500 fishermen of the affected areas refused to go out to sea in protest. More recently over 1,000 fishermen if Kuala Sungei Muda voiced their concern.
The State Authority and the Fisheries Dept. have made no concrete moves, at most offering lip service. Worse still, they continue to issue more licences indiscriminately. (53 in
With these problems confronting them one wonders how they are going to have enough to eat and clothe themselves and their families properly.
A total of 42 polluted rivers exist in West Malaysia. These rivers are not capable of sustaining fish or any other form of life. The most serious case is Kuala Juru which received industrial waste from Prai industrial estate set up in
In theory the government offered to help by passing the Environmental Quality Act in
Places which suffer seriously from the wastes of the oil palm & rubber factories are Sungei Kinta (Ipoh). There 100 families are affected. Around Batu Pahat river and Sungei Supang Kiri (Batu Pahat and Sungei Merbok (Sungei Patani) 300 fishermen are affected. Three other places that suffer from indiscriminate sewage disposal plus industrial waste are Batu Ferringli (Penang), Klang River (Kuala Lumpur), and Port Dickson.
Oil pollution is another grave problem. On
Last week's column featured a position where Argentinian Grandmaster Miguel Quinteros made a losing blunder while one rook up. This week, on the same theme, Wellington's International Master Murray Chandler overlooks a fairly simple win in his game against Mershand Sharif, an International Master from Iran, played in the International Chess Tournament which finished in Wellington recently.
In the diagrammed position Chandler played 1. Re6 allowing Black some counterplay after 1. . . Nd4; However with 1.g4! he could have immediately secured a decisive advantage e.g. 1... Rg5; 2. Rf1 ch. Kg8 (If 2 . . . Kg6; 3. Re6 mate); 3. Rf4! and if 3. . . Ne7 ch. (4. Rf8 ch, wins with more of a flourish) followed by 5. Rf8 mating. If Black plays 1 . . . Rf3(trying to retain control of the vital f-file) then not immediately 2. Kg2 because the Black rook could then return to aid in the defence of the first rank via b3. White should first play 2. b4! and only after Black captures on b4 play 3. Kg2 forcing the rook off the f-file. If Black doesn't capture the b-pawn then 3. b5 wins easily.
Curious Continuations (Sponsored by Paramount and Penthouse Cinemas)
In this week's problem White is to play and secure a decisive material advantage. Solutions should be handed in at the Salient office by mid-day Wednesday. The first correct solution drawn out of a hat wins the prize of a double pass to either the Penthouse or Paramount cinemas.
The solution to last week's problem was: 1 . . . Ne2 ch.; 2. Khl, Qg4!; 3. hg4. Rh5 ch!; 4. gh5, Rh4 mate.
Last week's winner was S. McCombie. Tickets can be picked up at the Salient office.
Been into the cafe this term? Notice a bit of a difference? Oh Christ, you might have thought, they've taken out the pot plants. And they have too. The one thing in that place which made it even semi-habitable. You'd really think they'd do more in that direction, wouldn't you?
But there's one thing we'd better get dear when we talk about "they". They, the Union Management, Want to do more. They would like to put a lot more plants into the building. They would like to do a number of things to brighten up the place.
But there's another "they". They, some of the students, won't let them. This lot have stolen over 100 plants since the beginning of the year. They took just about the lot over capping.
There are only two things to be said. One: all these plants adorning students' flats, I hope their cats eat them. Two: we are never going to get a decent environment to live in if people can't get over their petty little feelings of kleptomania. It's bloody disgusting, that's what it is.
You can't accuse the government of not caring really. Times may be tough, although not so tough if you think hard enough about it being election year . . . perhaps. For even though we aren't being promised anything in the line of bursaries the university has been given more money. Lots of it. $70,000 apiece for the Library, the Equipment Fund and the Major Building Reserve Fund, to be precise.
There's nothing intrinsically wrong with this, of course. The university does need money. Maybe it even bodes well for the budget announcement on bursaries. . .
The grants are to be used "to provide more adequately for current activities rather than. . . for new academic development." (Quote from the University Grants Committee recommendation). The Vice-Chancellor has stated that "the greater part of the sum available should be used to provide essential non-recurring financial boosts to those areas of the University which have suffered most in rises in the cost of non-salary items."
So, is the library going to stay open longer and pick up on the buying of books and periodicals? Is the university magnanimously going to build Salient a larger office? We somehow doubt the second, but hope that the first will not be classed in the same pie in the sky category. We shall have to wait and see.
Vic now has a sno-freeze machine. For 15 cents you can buy a lovely soft creamy cone, for 25 cents you get a milkshake, and for 50 cents the thickest milkshake you could ever imagine will now be yours. It's cost 3,000 dollars, this machine, but the Catering sub-committee is satisfied its cash-flow is healthy enough to cope. Auckland and Canterbury have sno-freeze machines, and we must never let it be said that Victoria lags behind.
That's the good news. Now for the middling stuff. Accounts for the period January—March show that students meals are $1,200 better off than for the same time last year, which means that the loss in that department is slightly smaller. Our functions, which is where we make the money, are down by $7,500. If it weren't for NAC using the Union building a short while ago to cry themselves into oblivion to the tune of several thousand dollars we would really be in trouble.
This, of course, leads to the bad news. There are no prizes for guessing what happens when things aren't making enough money. And we also know what happens when the price of potatoes rises from $1.80 to $4.75 a sack. The cheap chips get their chips, price-wise. Quotes for functions and the price structure of all goods sold will be investigated.
One interesting piece of information did you know students are so addicted to chips they chew through 15-20 bags of potatoes a day?
The Young Writers' Incentive Award, organised by Pen (NZ Centre) appears to have proved its value in encouraging talented young writers. An anthology of the winning entries from the first five years of the Award will be published later in the year.
Nominations are now invited for the
Applications may be made by school principals, English teachers, employers, clergy or other persons in authority on behalf of young writers of exceptional ability.
Nominees must be under twenty years of age and samples of their creative writing should be enclosed, either in verse (not exceeding 200 lines) or in prose (not exceeding 2,000 words, which may be part of a longer work.)
All enquiries must be accompanied by stamped addressed envelopes and nominees are asked to keep copies of their MSS which will not be returned unless postage is included.
Closing date for nominations: October 1978
Results will be announced in
Letters of recommendation together with MSS should be forwarded to:
This article has been contributed to Salient by the Soviet Information Office in Wellington. Just in case you were worried about what those Russian fishing boats are going to bring with them, it seems there is nothing to fear: tattered—sorry, "near-tattered" jeans will still be in
"I wouldn't try to define a student by the clothes he wears", says Vyacheslav Zaitsev, the Soviet Union's leading couturier. "The student style is really the absence of a single style. It is too diversified, including everything qualified as youth vogue."
In the corridors of Soviet higher educational institutions—the Leningrad University or the Tomsk Polytechnical Institute in Siberia alike—there is such a variety of dress that one cannot but agree with Zaitsev. Bright-coloured jumpers, suede jackets, classical dark suits, painted T-shirts and jeans, ponchos, Gypsy shawls, stylised Russian calico sarafans and cowboy shirts—everything is worn both within and outside the lecture halls.
Hardly any of the Soviet higher schools have official rules or regulations on the matter of clothes. True, some have their traditions which can be formulated as follows: dress for lectures as for a visit to a not very close acquaintance or for an office. But the observation of these traditions is a matter of goodwill, and many shun them. Opponents of ties and advocates of loud tones or near-tattered jeans follow their own traditions.
But there are higher educational institutions which have their specific uniforms and where free-style lovers are not countenanced. Among these are the higher nautical schools training specialists for the merchant marine or the passenger fleet. Their students sport sailor's striped jersey undershirts, black pea-jackets and navy caps - all the attributes of the naval uniform. The same is true of the institutes for civil aviation engineers, where the uniform is blue with gold stripes on the sleeves denoting the year of study. The uniform worn in the medical institutions is, of course, the white robe and cap. In the Baltic republics students wear their school's colours in caps—but not obligatorily so.
Every year students spend a few weeks doing production practice, i.e. working in their speciality at various enterprises Some of them don special uniforms corresponding to their future professions. For instance, students of railway institutes wear the railway uniform; future oilmen, the oilmen's coveralls, etc.
Only in one case does his garb give a student away. This is the uniform (Khaki pants and jacket) worn by members of the student building teams working for six to eight weeks on construction sites all over the country. The jackets carry the names of the teams ("Ariel", "Romanticists", "Icarus", etc.). On the sleeves of some there are a great many emblems and stripes showing where and how many times the student has done his stint in construction sites, and also the name of his school.
To the question of whether the styles favoured by Soviet students differ from those of their American colleagues, most of the students in the Soviet Union reply in the negative. True, they aren't sure. Mikhail Sibiryakov, graduate of the Moscow Foreign Languages Institute, who underwent practical training in the USA a couple of years ago, is better qualified to judge. "I believe", he says, "that if you get a group of Americans and our students together, you would be hard put to tell who is who by the garments they wear. The difference is slight. I would say, though, that Soviet students go to less extremes. The gap between 'super-stylists' and 'conservative' is not so big as in the American colleges.
Once again our human rights have taken another bashing; this time it's Radio New Zealand's banning of "Glad to be Gay" by the Tom Robinson Band. This song is currently in the English top 20 and the band is being hailed around the world as "a political voice in the music world". Already New Zealand is trying to shut him up.
Radio N.Z. head record purchaser Jim MacMillan says the song's "homosexual content might be offensive to listeners and it may only be played in cases for documentary purposes". There is no justification for criticism of this nature. Surely no offense can be found in the wording as Radio Windy give this song considerable air time and support our stand.
Who's next to go under the axe because they are Gay? EMI records inform us that the new Patti Smith album has already come under criticism by Radio NZ as has "Street Hassle" by Lou Reed.
Speak out for democratic rights; let the public judge this song. Lift the ban!
Not so very long ago the preposterous idea of carving a road through the Otari Plant Museum in Wilton was mooted. But never fear, brave Mayor Michael has leapt to the rescue. The following is a letter sent to VUWSA's Enviornmental Officer who had queried the City Council's stand.
Thank you for your letter dated
I share your concern about the statements made in the local newspapers regarding the Otari Native Plant Museum and some suggestion that Council intended to cut a major roadway through the area.
I know that both the Chairman of the Works Committee and the Town Clerk have both made statements on this issue in the hope of allaying fears and I am able to give you an unqualified assurance that there is no intention on the part of the Council to cut such a roadway through this area.
The Council, of course, is looking at landfills for the future in the area on the western side of the Wilton hills and there is a problem of access. I am satisfied beyond any doubt, however, that access to this area can be obtained without intruding upon out Otari Native Plant Museum.
Student Loans? Are they the coming form of funding for tertiary students? The loan is a means whereby the government can appear to provide for students without spending a cent, a means which has been adopted by many foreign countries.
In this article a Canadian who spent several years in University in that country describes how this system can work.
The situation of post-secondary student funding in Canada is horribly complex, and varies dramatically from province to province, and from university to community colleges to government retraining programmes. We will deal here with the university student loan scheme in Canada's most populous and wealthiest province, Ontario. The situation is worse in poorer provinces.
The system is called OSAP (Ontario Student Assistance Programme). It is built upon CSL (Canada Student Loan) which is a Federal programme of guaranteed loans. It is administered by the provincial Ministry of Education through offices at each of Ontario's 17 universities.
Education costs are estimated in a reasonable fashion, including tuition, board, transport, books, lab fees and a seemingly generous $8/wk pocket money allowance. But from that assessment is deducted the student's financial resources. Many of these are fair deductions, But two are especially heinious. For a third year male student, $1,000 is automatically deducted as a resource from summer earnings, regardless of whether or not the student was able to find a job. For lower year students the deduction is less, but not much less. Canada has an unemployment rate close to 10% and student unemployment in the summer is over 30%. These are the Gov't's own statistics. The other deduction which makes university financially impossible for many is the parental contribution. Until a student is 24 years of age or has completed four years of successful post-secondary education, he is considered 'dependent' and a contribution is expected from the parents. Exceptional financial circumstances in the family, or a breach of family will usually be ignored by the bureaucracy.
The Ontario system combines loans and outright grants.
But the first $1,000 is all loan. An independent student (a rare beast) who takes no summer breaks but continues his/her studies through every term (possible only at a minority of universities), can be eligible for a reasonable award of around $3,000. By not taking the summer break, the student avoids the summer savings deduction. From that $3,000 (for 2 terms or eight months) the student must pay $735 in tuition, leaving close to $2,300 to live on. Not luxury with Canadian costs, but hovering at the poverty line. But for a three year BA programme the student must incur a debt of at least $3,000. With the unemployment situation, the possibilities of paying this off are dicey at best.
However that is the ideal situation. In practice very few students receive substantial grants at all. The average award is actually less than the loan ceiling of $1,000—scarcely enough to pay tuition!
There is an appeal mechanism—which takes six to eight weeks—and which at best will allow the student to borrow more money.
In practice many students find that the degree of government assistance available is quite insufficient to see them through school. It is particularly difficult for students from lower income families who find the burden of debt much more of a psychological obstacle than those from higher income groups. Although when OSAP was first initiated over ten years ago, a sudden increase in the proportion of lower income students was noted, this ratio (already showing a much less than representative number of lower income students) has been steadily decling in the past three years as the loan ceiling was bumped from $500 to $1,000 in a 24 month period.
Student loans are no impediment to those from families of sufficient means to look upon a three or four thousand dollar debt as a pittance. But for the less fortunate groups a university education becomes an impossible luxury, like the back-yard swimming pool and the new Buick.
In the poorer provinces where there is less provincial money available for student assistance, there is an even greater dependence on the Federal loan scheme and often grant money is virtually unavailable—and this in regions where the proportion of the population able to afford university by the themselves is lower!
Student Loan is a euphemism for student debt.
A much fairer scheme that has been discussed in Canada is an education tax. In this system every student pays a certain percentage of his income back to the granting agency for a period of, say, 10 years. If any debt remains at that time it is forgiven. But if the graduate should find him/herself earning a great deal, he/she will pay back considerably more than was borrowed, but will be in a position to afford to do so.
Much of the rationale for loans is that education is an economic benefit and enhances a person's earning power, therefore it is reasonable to expect that student to pay for the privilege. But while this may be true for some students at some times, it is certainly not true for all—and there is absolutely no certainty for any student that his/her earning power will be augmented by years at school. There is also the real fact of 'lost earnings' during the school years. Whereas a person who enters the work force immediately after secondary school can expect to earn perhaps eight to 10 thousand a year in Ontario, one who goes to school earns nothing, but rather ends up in debt to the tune of $1,000 per year. Further the proportion of unemployment among university graduates is higher than among those who have no university education.
Many students are forced to drop out mid-way in their degree programmes for financial reasons. Very few ever return. The prospect of abandoning the weekly pay packet and going into debt and living at the poverty line in order to reduce one's chances for employment at the end is a sobering prospect.
Believe it or not the Ontario Government officially supports 'universal accessibility' to universities for all those who can meet the academic requirements. OSAP is supposed to assure this, but as I have explained it does not.
In New Zealand today the principle of the bursary assures that financial circumstance will not stop a person getting an education. But with rampant inflation, that worthy principle is turning into a bad joke. If the New Zealand government were to follow the example of Canada this bad joke would become a tragic farce.
Have you Tried the Restaurant?
Only University Clubs and Societies can use the Boyd-Wilson Field, and then only after seeking permission from the Registrar, Mr. W.E. Harvey.
Two Japanese girls wish to correspond with a New Zealand male (each!). If interested, the addresses are:
Miss Guriko Nishio(aged 19)
Her hobbies include music, reading and languages and she wishes to correspond with a male—19-22 years.
The other is:
Miss Airoko Kunihaza
This young lady is 16.
Tom Duggan, Publications Board Officer, has resigned from the Exec so that he can devote more time to being Treasurer of Publications Board.
Now there is a vacancy on the Exec. The replacement for this position will be elected at the second SRC of the second term on Wednesday 24th May—the second Wednesday of term.
But Fear Not...........
The first SRC will be the replacement SRC for Capping. If you have a limerick, then be there!
Wednesday, 24th May, to continue to discuss:
Be There
Although certain students appear to believe that all their executive does is organise protest marches against the bursary system and the SIS Act, certain of this band have managed to organise a Poverty Fund. The fund at present stands at $120, the money having come from the Poverty Auction held last term augmented by some generous donations from the general public.
This fund is intended to provide some amount of financial assistance to students who find themselves in severe money shortages. It is to be hoped that students who face difficulties will indeed avail themselves of this facility. It is there for your use.
The executive also has some information regarding part-time jobs (rumour has it that there is a notice board somewhere around the studass office containing details of part-time work), so if you're looking for work they might be good people to try.
The exec all swear that they are very nice people (although some of them are a bit silly), and you pay them their money so get them to help.
Speaking of marches, there was a bursaries march on the last Wednesday of term. The chemistry department scheduled a test to coincide with it (in a lime which is meant to be kept free of all important academic events anyway), and a lot of students couldn't drag themselves away from something or other, but for those who did go it was quite a success. The public didn't turn up their noses for one thing.
At the end of the Maori Land March Mrs. Whita Cooper and
The petitioner's second prayer was:
"That all pernicious clauses in every statute of the present day or in new statutes in the future which have the power to take Maori land, alienate Maori land, desicrate Maori land, or confiscate Maori land be repealed and never be administered on the Maori land remaining at the present day, and that the management, retention and control remain with our Maori people and their descendants in perpetuity".
In the course of submissions to the Parliamentary Committee on Maori Affairs, Te Matakite o Aotearoa proposed that there should be encouragement by law for the return of some land to its former Maori status and an exchange for Maori land taken for public works. Proposals were also made for the protection of multiple owned land against a sale for rates and for the protection of historic and sacred places as reserves.
All in all, about 15 acts and more than 60 clauses are considered to undermine the principle of multiple-owned Maori land. Right now two land struggles, at Bastion Point and Raglan, are in the public eye. Many more are in the offing. This article looks at some of the legislative methods by which governments have paid lip service to the notions of bi-culturalism and justice to the Maori people.
A marked dichotomy of attitudes has always been evident in Maori/pakeha land dealings. The pakeha settler brought with him the utilitist concept of land as "an individually owned, freely marketable entreprenurial resource" (I).
The Maori on the other hand regarded land in a spiritual context: "The mortal remains of countless generations of ancestors of the Maori were laid to rest in the bosom of the earth mother, received in her sacred caves, sandhills and the other secret places on tribal lands. There they remained to bind the glories of the past to the present. At the same time they presented their challenge to the tribe to maintain its integrity in the interests of generations to come."(2))
But spiritaul importance was no match for the coercive mechanism of the state. Ever true to the laws of colonialism the pakeha settler made the mistaken and arrogant assumption that his way of life was the best and only workable one. He introduced a programme for Maori assimilation into the western culture and economy, never considering that the Maori might not want assimilation.
The first device the pakeha used was to individualise land titles. By a complex procedure claims to land totles were decided and the individual Maori found himself with a freely marketable commodity. Sadly many succumbed to the temptation of the glittering pakeha world spurred on by the numerous unscrupulous speculators and entrepreneurs.
Moreover the process of individualisation could find no room for the Maori 'ariki's power of veto as frequently the chief did not hold the Europeanised "Title". Maybe the exclusion of the power of veto was deliberate. Henry Sewell, Minister of Justice, said in
". . . the object of the great Native Raids Act was two-fold: to bring the great bulk of the land in the northern island which belonged to the Maori .... within reach of colonisation.
"The other great object was the detribalisation of the Maori—to destroy, if it were possible, the prinicple of communism which ran through the whole of their insituations, upon which their social system was based and which stood as a barrier in the way of all attempts to amalgamate the Maori race into our own social and political system."
Governor Gore Brown stated that he would buy no land without the owner's consent but would not allow anyone to interfere in the sale of land unless that person "owned" part of it, and the stage for the land wars was set.
The Maori Land Court has been the principle legislative tool of the pakeha since
There can be no doubting the genuine concern of the judges on the Maori Land Court bench—many developed a deep and abiding affection and respect for the Maori. To a large extent this respect was reciprocated. However the question that seemed inherent in much of the Court's reasoning was "how will this help assimilate the Maori people?" Once again the pakeha's arrogant assumption of cultural superiority became evident.
This inherent tendancy for assimilation received considerable legal sanction in
Mat Rata did not return the Court's parental jurisdiction during his ministry, but he did tighten up the quorum requirements for meetings of owners. 75% support of the owners had to be given to any sale of land under multiple ownership. The corollary of Rata's Amendment Act was the greatly increased usage of section 438.
Section 438 provides that the Court can vest Maori land in trustees. This means the Court can hand over to trustees appointed by itself the power to "use, manage or alienate" land at their own discretion as long as the ensuing "benefit" accrues to the owners. Section 438 is full of loose statutory language and is the subject of much contention.
Several judges, practitioners and even ministers of the Crown have stressed that s438 is intended for use in cases where it is virtually impossible to locate, summon or even trace all the owners of a block which may be in "need of development" of which might be desired to be sold. We are supposed to believe that it is an expedient for the benefit of the owners.
Why then has it sometimes been used as an appressive measure? Why is there no proviso guaranteeing its use only for the stated purpose? Such a proviso is one of the many urgent needs of the Maori land legislation.
A recent case illustrates the point well.
The Ngatihine block covers some 13,626 undeveloped acres in Northland. In
a) the section "suggests" that the owners of the land be given a choice "as far as practicable" to express their opinion as the person/s appointed as trustee/s. But the Court is not under any compulsion to seek the opinion of the land-owners. Of course in situations where many of the land-owners are not known the opinion of the majority might not be easily ascertainable. But surely the Court should be required to find out the opinions of the owners who live on the land or who are readily available? This did not happen in the Ngatihine situation.
b) Although the Court on its own voliton can find out the wishes of the owners it is not obliged to heed those wishes.
The trustees decided the Ngatihine land would be developed for logging by Carter Holt but when the lease was formally presented one trustee, Graham Alexander, refused to sign because he believed it disadvantageous. Eventually Alexander was removed from the trust (again the owners had no say) but he was reinstated in
The Appellate Court changed the definition of the trust's objective to "the leasing of the land to Carter Holt Farm and Forestry Ltd." Faced with a apparent Hobson's choice Alexander still refused to sign. He considered the lease extremely disadvantageous and thought his people had the right to "shop around" for a better deal. Whether the lease is unfair is beside the point. At issue here is the Court's power of manipulation afforded by s438.
For a comparable situation one might imagine the Wellington Rugby Football Union Management Committee being declared a trust under 2438 and selling Athletic Park to the New Zealand Rugby Football Union for a nominal sum (perhaps even a pepper corn). The Maori Land Court could not even protest that the consideration is inadequate.
The Maori Land March has had hitherto unrealised effects upon its own people. Many absentee landowners have rediscovered their roots and become aware of the land struggle and its broader significance. There has been a sudden burgeoning resistance against alienations or transfers of interests from these people. Even if their share of the land is worth barely $100 many Maoris are now determined to keep their "standing place for the feet".
Similarly it appears that to a limited extent the Maori Land Court (as far as a predominantly pakeha institution can be) is no longer so obviously "assimilationist".
Recent decisions of Russel in the Tairawhiti Registry mark an overt attempt to re-establish the quasi-parental jurisdiction and protect the Maori minority land-owners from pakeha's who seek lenient leases of alienation (6).
The Public Works Act
"The provision of this section requiring the names of the owners and occupiers of the land to be shown on the plan therof, and requiring copies of the notice to be served on the said owners and occupiers .... shall have no application to any Maori who is an owner or occupier of the land or has an interest therein unless his title to the land is registered under the Land Transfer Act
A great deal of Maori land is under multiple ownership and on the Maori Land Court's "files record": it is registered but not on the books of the Land Transfer Office. Hence it does not satisfy section 22, ss3. The only statutory notice many Maori owners get is a samll announcement in the Public Notices column of the local paper.
How many "ordinary blokes" (blame Muldoon for that tag) read the public notices column expecting to find an announcement that their land is being compulsorily acquired for public works? Often Maori owners only find out their land has been sold when the bulldozer is on the front paddock. Too late to object they often give up without a fight.
Only Maori land is excluded from the ratification process. Why has no proviso similar to that in s12. ss3 of the Reserves Act
This piece of legislation was a slap in the face for the Maori people who bent over backwards to help the government. The inherent susceptibility of Maori land to the act is spelled out in the following:
"A great deal of the land which has remained in Maori ownership is rather more rugged, less fertile and more sparsely populated. These factors have combined to make much of the remaining Maori estates undeveloped and unspoilt and thereby attractive as parks and domains, and as scenic and foreshore reserves"(7)
The Maori people expressed their strong opposition to the alienation of the freehold title to Maori land. Instead they offered a system whereby the enjoyment of these areas can be made available to the public while the land is retained in Maori ownership. Opposed to the notion of leases in perpetuity they offered two alternative:
These submissions were rejected. It is now open slather for Maori land for all local bodies. Perhaps dilapitations like the Te Porere Redoubt (historic Maori fort near Tokaanu worn down and virtually ruined by endless sightseers—adminstered by the Historic Places Trust) will be more common.
But the disregard of the Maori doesn't stop there. What if land is taken for a certain "public" purpose and not used for that purpose? Can the original owners get the land revested? This is what has arisen in the Raglan Golf Course controversy(8).
A recent Supreme Court decision(9) appears to be a victory for the Maori who have always held strongly to the view that land acquired for reserve or other public purpose should be revested in or offered back to the owners if no longer required for the reserve or public purpose for which it was originally acquired.
The Cook County Council acquired some Maori land for a road but eventually earmarked it for a rubbish dump and thereafter for recreational purposes. The owners of the blocks had already given the Council substantial land fronting onto the Poverty Bay foreshore. Not unnaturally they felt they'd done their bit for recreation and they didn't want their land used for a rubbish dump.
They asked Mat Rata (then Minister of Lands) to re-vest the land in them. He said yes but the Council said that only the Land Settlement Board can revest. The Land Settlement Board, taking its role from the Minister's wishes, re-vested the land. The Council lost its Supreme Court appeal on substantially the same grounds.
The Court's rationale turned on what the Minister wanted, but what if Venn Young and not Mat Ratahad been the Minister? On the facts the Court's decision is meritorious but surely its reasoning is open to abuse? Is it right for the Minister of have such influence on what is ostensibly a judicial proceeding? In this sense the decision is a very dangerous one.
Every controversy has shown the National Party's lack of care for the Maori people. Why do the Tainui Awhiro people have to pay to get the Raglan Golf Course back? Why has Muldoon been so underhand (secret negotiations with elders) and conniving over Bastion Point? He promised Whina Cooper on the steps of Parliament that he'd ammend the Town and County Planning Act where it hurts the Maori. Why has he not done so?
Why does the Government which makes so much of our "multi-racial harmony" not do anything positive but legislates against the concept? Why did the National Party stack the Maori Council in its early days with National Party members who told the government exactly what it wanted to hear? Why aren't the Maori MP's considered representative of the Maori people by the National Government?
Why? Because the National Party epitomises the pakeha/settler ethic of open market warfare and hence is a party of assimilation not multi-culturalism. Perhaps an enlightened Maori Land Court and the new "Europeanised" mode of leadership emerging in the Maori can combat the trend. Determination to occupy at Bastion Point and Raglan regardless of Court decisions marks a new era in the land struggle.
There is a saying: "Assimilation is what the shark said to the Kahawai before he opened his mouth and swallowed him for breakfast."
References:
". . . she'd let me take her hand and I'd run my finger round the seams of her glove." Frank Sargeson wrote that in
Sargeson was recognised from the start (admittedly it was a late start, for he was in his thirties when the story came out) as a writer who knew how to use his craft in the service of an exquisite image. And it has been his genius since then to forge that image in the most casual of surroundings.
The value of this present collection is twofold: we are introduced to the man who has had perhaps the single biggest influence on New Zealand literature, and even more than this we are given a rare insight to New Zealand writers and their work, individually and as a whole.
Sargeson himself comes through as a charming and erudite host, a "terrific" conversationalist (the word was a favourite of his at one time) whose eternal subject is books, an excellent vegetable gardener and cook, and a source of great strength to an enormous number of aspiring and established writers.
He lived for a long time in an army hut at the back of a section which fronted the road with a large concealing hedge, with books piled from floor to ceiling and scattered everywhere else, then shifted into a house he had built at the front of the same property. On his door was tacked a sign saying, "Frank Sargeson works in the mornings. Do you?" A kind of ascetic hedonist I suppose, dedicated to his work. How different to the lonesome protagonists who people his stories!
The contributors are a varied bunch: old friends from way back like Roderick Findlayson and Denis Glover, proteges like Phillip Wilson and David Ballantyne, admirers from afar, publishers, critics, assistants and even the younger generation in the almost requisite form of Ian Wedde. All are affectionate without ever being naive, all full of praise without a trace of pompous platitudes. There are some notable absences, like Janet Frame, but that is unavoidable.
The book is not a critical study, but it does contain some pieces of straight criticism (including reviews of recent work) and many hints which lead one down a variety of speculative paths.
John Graham (play, film and short story writer) says of the story "Tooth-ache": "Sargeson has told you the fact of her (the Granma who is surprisingly revealed as the subject of the story in the last few lines) existence and you have met her her". This ability to tell the "fact", directly or by circumspection stands at the heart of Sargeson's genius.
The bleakness of the stories doesn't mean that the "fact" is anything like a Beckettian paradoxical emptiness. Sargeson is never given to despair, he remains able to analyse it while not getting lost in it. He does use the device of a revelatory ending, but even while we are surprised we recognise how much of a logical extension of the whole story it is. The sudden twist, used so widely by other short story writers is rarely so effective.
Bruce Mason takes a different tack, in reaction to the nature of the country.
Yet Sargeson's writing is directly a part of New Zealand, it is drawn from New Zealand life to an extent that reaction could never encompass. His contribution is not to expose the brutality of our society, but to examine its particular makeup, and that includes brutality and beauty, progress and reaction, promise and despair, just like anywhere else. The difference of approach is immensely significant. Who wouldn't deride New Zealand on occasion for arrogance, hostility or philistinism? But no writer worth his/her salt is going to call that its major feature, or in Graham's term the "fact".
For those who have been troubled by the open sexism in much of Sargeson's work there is a marvellous piece by Jean Bartlett, a poet who has helped Sargeson proof read his books. She reproduces a parody written in
Ian Wedde attempts something approaching a description of literature as art: ". . . the way in which the contradictions are, at certain vital moments, held in a lucid suspension of calm and simplicity . . . the: final such moment . . . has a clear focus, a reconciling and accepting focus of the real. . . . ". Dialectics to the rescue, one might almost say.
Bernard Gadd (teacher and writer) quotes Sargeson once writing of a "real risk that, in the process of according recognition of minority variants of English and their cultural freight, Shakespeare was being rapidly turned into another Chaucer so that his words would become inaccessible to the ordinary person." This seems remarkable from a man who has devoted his life to helping people gain access to their own "minority variants".
Possibly it is only by understanding the living nature of one's own language that one can appreciate fully an archaic one as it used to live, but this does not seem to be how Sargeson is arguing. Like so much else in this book, the remark leads the reader back to the question of New Zealand literature. What does it mean when the person who is so widely credited with forming the New Zealand idiom in print attaches so much importance to the outdated froms of the mother language?
Dan Davin's contribution is largely devoted to a discussion he once had with Sargeson on the relative merits of their styles of working and their respective choices to leave and stay in New Zealand. Davin writes in voluminous spells, preferring to revise whole drafts at a time, while Sargeson will not usually do more than one or two handwritten pages every day. Davin belives a writer should have many styles, Sargeson argues for a life long disciplined development of just one.
Davin suggests that there may be a "certain timidity, an obliqueness, an excessive reliance on the subtly inexplicit . . . due to his (Sargeson) being hemmed in by too small, too provincial, a neighbourhood". Again, is this a trait in our writing generally, and if so is it caused by the environment?
One of the more tantalising things about this book is its splattering of political references. To my knowledge no one has written an informed account of the political beliefs of New Zealand writers (collectively or as individual subjects) who were working through the
A minor point perhaps, but considering the welter of political sentiment present in the actual literature of that time, and the ease with which we can now obtain books on British, European and American writers' politics, the need for such works is growing. The relationship between politics and art has a long history of critical underdevelopment in this country. Dudding's collection offers a few leads, starts a few balls rolling. It intends to do no more, but the mere fact that this has happened quite coincidentally is, I can't help thinking, significant.
Interspersed through the book is a selection of Sargeson's work. They serve as a fine reminder whenever you begin to develop the idea that the life of our literati is the most important thing, or that academic questions are at the heart of the matter, that there is more. The collection is an excellent introduction to Sargeson and a justified plea to read his work.
The final piece (apart from reviews of recent books on and by Sargeson) is an excerpt from a work in progress, entitled "En Route." It is possibly the most valuable thing in the whole book. Wedde's dialectic is there, but the subjects are age and raunchiness, gentility and courseness, sketched out with a combination of psychological tracings and deceptively simple observations of nature. Sargeson has the last word as the book has presistently had us believe he could and would, without itself telling us how or even knowing.
If you are at all interested in New Zealand literature, spend an hour or two with this book.
Concerts on campus last term provided for all tastes. New Zealand composers were well represented in Lunchtime Concerts, this year being held mainly in the Memorial Theatre. Early in the term we heard works by Douglas Lilburn and Ross Harris and two composition students, and later came the World Premiere of a work by New Zealand composer, Gillian Whitehead. Performed by visiting English soprano, Jane Manning, Whitehead's "Riddles" to words by Bill Manhire, was one of the highlights of the year so far.
At a concert given in the last week of term, the choir condicted by Ross Harris and Elizabeth Kerr, performed two major works, "Missa Brevis" by Dietrich Buxtehuc Buxtehude and "Cantiones Sacrae" no. 8, by Heinrich Schutz, and a short piece by student Stefan Tyler-Wright—all new to choir members this year. Obviously a lot of hard work has already been done. This term choir members are involved in VUW Music Society's major production for
Another high point was the 50th Birthday Tribute to Professor David Farquhar. Four of Farquhar's works were performed and the composer himself accompanied soprano Emily Mair in his "Six songs of Women". Margaret Nielsen and Ruth Pearl played the most 'avant garde' work, "Three Pieces for violin and piano" (
Another visiting artist was Japanese composer, Joji Yuasa, and from closer to home the Baroque Ensemble, mezzo soprano Patricia Lawrey, Gillian Bibby and baritone Roger Wilson gave fine performances. The term ended with music and dance of the Cook Islands, performed by students of Brandon Intermediate School in Porirua;
Don't miss Thursday Lunchtime Concerts this term.
The forty people who braved wind and rain on April 19th were rewarded by a splendid evening of music sponsored by VUW Music Society. Most works presented were from the standard classical repertoire—Vivaldi, Bach, Mozart—but two twentieth-century works were "Sonata for solo viola" by NZ composer Anthony Watson, played by Graeme Hennings, an Alban Berg's "Four pieces for clarinet and piano". Robyn Stapleton (clarinet) and Rose Quinn (piano) showed commendable assurance in the Berg, and this concert demonstrated clearly that the enthusiasm of students can compensate to a large extent for the technical expertise of professionals. Guest artist Deidre Irons (piano) brought the concert to a dazzling finish with her performance of Chopin's highly romantic "Barcarolle" in F sharp. Earlier in the term a MusSoc concert featured a performance of Stockhausen's "Ausden Sieben Tagen".
Noticed the change in the University Choir? It's obvious even without listening. Now double the original size, the choir is perhaps not twice as good, but give it time. The reason for the change is simple. It is now compulsory for all music students to belong, with the advantage that more ambitious works can be attempted. Size must have added to the choir's esteem also, as this year they sang at the Capping Ceremony. No prizes for guessing what they sang.
"Don't think there aren't hundreds of people in every country who'd love to spend an evening throwing beggars in the river or ramming a broken-off bottleneck up any pretty middle class girl with a few ideals about improving the lot of the workers. And don't think there aren't thousands of people in every country who'd sleep more comfortably in their beds if they knew that kind of thing was going on on."
Savages is the second play about politics Downstage has presented this year. Heroes and Butterflies showed us reasonably good acting struggling with a childishly simple script, but this time we have the reverse. Christopher Hampton's play has just the degree of atmospheric tension and apparent profundity one might expect from a leading modern British playwright. It also has a cast which in the main does not come to grips with theme, character or dramatic requirements.
The play is centred on a British diplomat in Brazil who is kidnapped by urban guerrillas. He has developed a concerted interst in the fate of the Brazilian Indians, who are being systematically exterminated by the Brazilian government and private land speculators.
There are three main dramatic components: scenes from the diplomat's life in Brazil before the kidnap, in which we see his developing sense of guilt for what the civilized world' is doing to people more defenceless than it; a broken monologue in which an anthropologist with the same guilt complex describes an annual ceremony of death and regereration (the Quarup); and scenes between the diplomat, Alan West, and one of the guerrillas, Carlos Esquerdo, which act as the link for the other others. The play as written requires the Quarup to be performed live onstage, but director John Banas has instead set the lone with over 400 slides projected onto three enormous backdrops.
All these things form a relatively co-
However, although by this and other means (including a strong focus on West)
All the scenes are played within small
Ray Henwood's performance in the
Michael McGrath as Carlos, for
I am not blaming Henwood for the shortcomings of the other actors, but it is apparent in nearly all the scenes he participates in that a basic lack of actor interaction exists, and he sits in the middle of it. It is worth adding that although Holgate is not entirely to blame for her lack of depth she gives considerably less impression than McGrath of even trying.
Nevertheless, if lack of pace doesn't make good drama it does nurture in Savages a very credible thematic integrity. Feelings of liberal bourgeois guilt ooze out of nearly every corner of the play and combine easily with certain shocking facts about how the Indians are treated to rub the message well and truly home.
But what is the message? Near the end of the play West tells the myth of "the origin of the masks". In this the devil, wearing a bark mask, is said to have killed all the members of a village who had unwittingly eaten his son. Only three were unharmed, because they had not partaken of the feast and the devil had warned them to hide their faces behind bark masks. The myth ends thus:
Now it is known that the wearing of bark masksIs certain protection against the devils.For who seeing his own image his own skinCould destroy his own kind?
Banas has the last two lines repeated at the end of the play, straight after West has been shot by Carlos and we have
"Savages" does not refer to the Indians, but to any group of people who can be so callous as to kill. This includes, with no qualitative difference, those who commit genocide on the Indians, the fascist death squad and the guerrillas who fight them. By a large stretch of the imagination it could also include the people and businesses who exploit the Brazilian people as a whole.
An admirable sentiment? Certainly it is true that he who dons the mask of his oppressor stands a better chance of survival, but by not repeating this part of the myth Banas has chosen to interpret the play in a broader sense.
What does this sentiment actually mean?
Every political system recog
In this respect the theme of Savages is fundamentally flawed. Carlos is supposed to be a Marxist, yet he is unable to supply West or the audience with even a general idea of what Marxism is. Heroes and Butterflies had the same fault: representing fascism as the sexual perversions of one individual is just as misleading as clothing "Marxism" in the garb of any energy young romantic.
Both fascism and Marxism claim to offer realistic analyses and solutions to the crisis in the political and economic system of a given country. I do not expect Hampton to support a Marxist analysis or any revolutionary programme, but I do expect that if a playwright wants us to understand his subject he should present it with as much fidelity as he is able. Marxism is, after all, supposed to be important to this play.
Carlos does have some fine speeches. In one of his best he tells West that just because he and his class believe in the things they have—money, power, etc—they mustn't expect "the oppressed to believe in misery and the starving to believe in hunger". As an expression of why he rejects West's ideology it is excellent, but it comes in answer to West saying, "I know you see the problems. The thing is, I just don't believe you have the solutions". Carlos' speech could well have prompted this question but it is not an answer to it.
In many other ways Carlos' position is undercut. A serious point will be set in a flippant context which denies it any importance. Right near the beginning McGrath reads his manifesto as if he didn't really subscribe to it and treats the slogans at the end, not as a proper culmination, but hut as throwaway lines.
It seems that both director and playwright have meant to suggest that there is no essential difference between Carlos and West: both are caught in the corruption of a system they have no power to affect (is it a coincidence that both wear black and white against the prevailing softer colours of the play?) Equating their predicament is valid within the play; the only trouble is that West is believable in the terms of what he represents, and Carlos is a man of straw.
Savages is a play for anyone who wants a good dose of guilt. It might be thought on occasions that Hampton is critical of West's ideas for their ineffectiveness, yet he ends up sharing them. He is also critical of everybody else's ideas with the result that the play comes dangerously close to being a futile gesture about what the playwright sees as a futile situation.
It does contain a powerful representation of what is happening to the Brazilian Indians and has many telling things to say about the crisis of urban Brazil. But their impact value doesn't actually lead anywhere. The play is more complex than Heroes and Butterflies but for my part the extra effort which goes into sorting out that complexity is not worth the result.
Capping has come and gone. It's not what it used to be, many people moan. But did you know what it was? Capping controller Spiro Anastasiou assures Salient that an excellent time was had by all who participated, and his word is good enough for us.
A new record was set in the raft race (by the blokes at the bottom, not the funny looking creature at the left), and the drinking horn actually ran out of beer. So many thanks to Trevor Snowden, who invited everyone down for a drink at his place: Barretts. Trevor was actually the saviour of capping in many ways, getting more people into his pub on Friday night than a sexy agrophobiac could entice into a telephone booth.
But what about the stunts? Well, maybe you'll have a chuckle over some of the following.
Cat owners were required to register their pets; the Karori Post Office was inundated with phone calls and had over 100 people dutifully turn up.
Traffic was diverted off Mulgrave St. and onto the motorway, first exit Petone.
The doors of Parliament were chained and padlocked.
The Cuba Mall fountain was filled with soap suds, while passers-by commented that it was a good thing the fountain was finally getting clean.
A VD scare was perpetrated on the inmates of Willowbank House.
A penguin (or something/someone looking suspiciously like a penguin) was pursued through various lecture theatres by Batman and Robin. (or someone, etc.).
Many people were summoned to Court for jury duty. This may not have been a stunt, but if it was it won first prize, if it wasn't it still won, but because it wasn't and at the same time was, is, it does.
Photos, clockwise starting at top right:
1. You need a six year degree to understand this.
2. Women's delegate to May Council Caroline Mass of getting a bit of practice.
3. Women's delegate to May Council Caroline Mass of getting a bit of practice.
4. Women's delegate to May Council Caroline Mass of getting a bit of practice.
5. The raft racers looking for a bursary cheque someone threw at them by mistake.
6. The cocky little bastards who won.
7. One of these men freaks the other out. (Marijuana forum).
8. One of these men freaks the other out. (Marijuana forum).
9. VUWSA President Lindy Cassidy running a pike through Allan Littlejohn (we've censured the other half of the picture in the public interest).
Stop press: we've had the other half censured for us, so offer you instead a picture of some erudite fellow applying his shaving lotion.
Letters must be typed, double spaced on one side of the paper, and should not run on and on boring everybody to death. They can be dropped into the letters box just inside the Salient door (middle floor of the Union Building, graveyard end), left at the Studass office, or sent c/o VUWSA, Private Bag, Wellington
I would like to point out some severe misrepresentations which occured in the interview which Crum sent you and which you most irresponsibly printed in your issue Crum completely altered some of my statements, and edited out some extremely significant others.
When asked about the money I make from my movies Crum claimed that I mentioned the figure 10 million dollars. This is a downright lie. Do they want people to think that I am a pauper? The true figure is about three times as great, and as I have studied John Smith's excellent book "Tax and how to avoid paying it", I can honestly say that the American Government gets very little of your money, I get just about all of it. I hope this will reassure some of your readers.
Also in the interview you printed were statements which implied that I held a high opinion of that little squirt Richard Dreyfuss. He is a pill and his only asset is that he is very cheap to hire. He is also related to my wife's brother's daughter in a manner that I am reluctant to go into in too much detail. But it is nice to keep all the money in the family.
I was particularly upset that your article seemed to give the impression that I believed in UFOS. Nothing could be further from the truth. It is most important that the director keeps a distance between himself and the material about which he is writing. I would not have found it possible to make either of my two materpieces had I been emotionally involved. Who could be so stupid as to believe in little green men from outer space?
In case you are tempted to run more interviews in your little newspaper I wonder if I might offer some advice. Few men have been interviewed more than me, and my experience has shown that it is essential that the interviewer establish a rapport with the interviewee. In the case of the Crum interview this was simply not done.
By persistant reference to what they found were the boring aspects of the film, they presented the reader with a very biased view of this masterpiece. If I could redress this influence by including a summary of what I thought were the high points of the film, your readers might be in a better position to reach the right decision about it.
Fundamentally the film was an action film. This was quite deliberate on my part. There has been a tendancy for theatre to move towards consideration of political and personal matters. This morbid interest has manifested itself in the production of some of the most boring films ever made.
I feel that the Western represents the pinnacle of the movie business. Good buys fighting bad guys, shoot outs, everything simple and straightforward. "Close Encounter" and "Jaws" both followed this formula. And the public just loved it, I loved it and my wife loved it. What more could you ask?
Face it people, I am an expert with regard to the movie business (and just about everything else) so you could be well advised to take my opinion as gospel.
Just to get back to the interview however, I felt that the cutting which was performed by Crum (or perhaps even by yourselves) showed grave editorial irresponsibility. I made some very penetrating remarks about the moral justification for the existance of the Jewish state. As is typical with PLO supporters, these persuasive comments were cut, as these communists attempt to sway the public.
I told these people that the way to solve the Middle-East problem is very simple. We could send them ail to Tonga, and throw the Tongans into their capital—Auckland. As this might involve you a little, perhaps you might like to make representations to the Capital of New Zealand—Canberra.
I am sure your readers will be fascinated by my incisive comments, although I recognise that it is the perogative of those of us with ability to use of for the benefit of mankind. I am proud to be part of God's great plan. Your fawning comments would be greatly appreciated.
(Spielberg forgets to mention the one other cut which was made in the interview. At one point he launched into a long diatribe about his personally held belief that the meaning of life would be found on some faraway planet where great white sharks lived inside pink flourescent lights. He was trying to approach this concept circuitously, he claimed. However we felt it was not our job to encourage lunatics—Ed.)
(Je ne comprende pas cette merde!—typstr)
Why do you persist in printing dirty letters about sex with animals? e.g. aardvarks? Surely there is such a thing as journalistic etiquette (which maybe you have never heard of?) which means that letters and articles printed should always be in good taste and not offend. Articles therefore talking of sexual perversions or containing libellous language to persons and things like that should not be printed. Things like Colin's Column will only get our newspaper a bad name and students in general a bad reputation of having base and filthy minds.
P.S. I am sure I speak for the majority of students. (Doesn't everyone—typstr)
(We print dirty letters about sex with animals because people send them to us. They do not actually represent a bigoted kind of offensiveness or else they would find their way to the rubbish bin. Quite personally I think that is where they should go anyway, but that is beside the point.
Colin's column is for the use of anybody who has a problem they would like to share or know something about. We cannot help it if this service is used only by adolescent preverts—Ed.)
We are two average students, who commute to varsity from home, like most other students. We came to Varsity to study hard, broaden our limited horizons and gain a degree. We hope to be able to make positive contributions to New Zealand society (and if we can't we shall go overseas).
We did not come here to indulge in petty revolutionary politicking. As we are here at the tax payer's expense we should be very careful about biting the hand that feeds us.
We also feel that students are not part of some privileged elite. We have no right to force our minority opinions on the government that a large majority of New Zealanders elected.
Although we agree that education is a right not a privilege, we feel that the bursaries issue is a different kettle of fish. Students should, as we do carry some of the burden themselves.
We are sick and tired of the same beady-eyed slogan-screaming, left wing agitators, (whose views are shared by less than l% of students) getting up in SRC's and trying to extort money from the government.
The government is well aware that most students are satisfied with the status quo because they can see how many votes radical left wing parties received in the last general election.
We urge all students to boycott all Bursaries Activities and concentrate on getting down to some damn hard work—after all that is what we are here for.
(There can't be many people around who would describe a bursaries campaign as "petty revolutionary politicking", whatever their views on the matter. If education is a right, as you admit, then how do you justify the present situation where only those students who were Lucky enough to get well-paying jobs in the holidays, or who have parents who are prepared and able to support them (and who wish to make that support), can go to university? Rights are not abstact ideas, they must be realisable in concrete terms.
Where do you get your "1%" from? What radical left-wing parties? Do you seriously believe that parliamentary elections are the only measure of public or student opinion? 2,500 students at Victoria signed the bursaries petition, which calls for those very things we marched for last term.
You call on students to boycott bursary activities. I presume you do not mean they should boycott their cheques as well.
One last thing: do you have to use a slogan like "beady-eyed"? We don't all have a piggy outlook on life—Ed.)
We, the Druids of Victoria, have had enough. This letter is to annouce the formation of the Druid Liberation Front, or Front d'Liberation des Druids—FLD. For centuries and centuries we have been persecuted and driven out of here there and everywhere. The time has come to an end when Druids will be persecuted with impunity!
Our terrorism will strike back, here, there and everywhere—we will take our vengence out from continent to continent and sea to sea until every druid can hold his head high and announce his true essence without fear of giggling behind his back or sometimes even raucious laughter to his face!
You out there—all you Druid persecutors—you know who I mean and what I am talking about—those shameful songs—"Druid Mouse" and that joke about "How many Druids does it take to paint a house?"
No more, you hear! Or else we will unleash our secret weapon on unsuspecting Wellington. Our weapon? The rain Dance! Yes that's right, we will make rain and fog whenever something nasty happens to a Druid.
(Last week's rain was our doing you know. Vengence against a particularly nasty nasty committed against a Druid when someone drove into his car!)
Another thing you should be aware of is that Druids control all of the umbrella factories in New Zealand, and if you're not nice to us we'll not only make rain—we'll go on strike.
Jim Murphy's "reply" ignored my letter and instead repeated the traditional Christian assertion that "Intellectualised, rational and purely secular arguments" are useless against Christianity since Jesus "doesn't claim to be understood on this lever". Then followed an appeal to me to succumb to the Muggendge syndrome—"Open up your heart to Him, Gary"—and finally he signed his letter not with a simple "Yours" or "Yours sincerely" but with "All our love". You should lay off the piss, Jim, it's starting to addle your brain.
The Christians have been quite successful in persuading people to accept the view that their assertions shouldn't be judged by the standards of ordinary common sense but I have never understood why they are so special. Jim's reason that Jesus "doesn't claim to be understood on this level" is nonsense. I suppose it's worth a try though, so I hereby give notice to my lecturers that my answers in exams are not to be challened on the grounds that they may bear no relation to reality or are illogical because I don't claim to be understood on that level. Somehow I doubt my claim will be accepted as readily as some people have accepted the Christian's.
The report on the University Inaugural Church Service attempted to clear Christianity of the charge of being a reactionary superstition by claiming it is a distortion of "true" Christianity. The argument usually goes on that Christianity is in fact a revolutionary ideology but this is a little difficult to reconcile with the views of its founder who was capable of such rebellious outbursts as "And if one of the occupation troops forces you to carry his pack one mile, carry it another mile." (Matt. 5.41). If to get around this they say they mean an "internal" revolution they are simply confirming the reactionary nature of their religion.
Christian PR emphasises the charitable work the Churches do and it suggests Christianity is a form of humanism albeit with a large component of mysticism but this is a distorted view because in fact it is a set of beliefs and principles stated in the Bible and elsewhere which the Christians believe derive their authority from God and therefore are to be followed whether or not this involves hardship for themselves or for others. An example of this attitude is the Catholic belief that all abortions including therapeutic ones are a violation of God's Law and therefore should be illegal. Of course not all religionists hold views which are as extreme as those of the Catholics but generally speaking any society which through misguided liberalism allows religious organisations to operate legally is asking for trouble. The University could set an example by scrapping the Chaplaincy and the Christian Clubs.
Late one night I went to the top floor of the Union Building. The TV room was open and a well-known quiz show was on. Next door the joanna was under lock and key.
Now, this may seem a trivial incident in itself, but to me it seems to demonstrate in a glaringly blatent fashion the cultural favouritism than manifests itself unexpectedly in remote corners of our society. My own interpretation of cultural history is this: cultural objects were created by the first men, primarily as a source of trade. So I respect the right of culture to sell itself on an open market for whatever the market will bear. My objection is rather on political grounds.
Most television shows—especially those imported—show class predominance and discrimination against the sexes. It is especially notable that since
The Student Union, more than most places has a vested interest in such cultural favouritism, given the future probable employment of most of of its students. Beethoven sonatas, like debate of legislation are shunted aside to inconspicuous times. As unemployment rises these become an embarrassing reminder to the National Party of a more affluent age.
But everyone has colour TV so that must be alright. The prime aim of Muldoon is to see that everyone swims with the current—that means his way. It's not his fault the water keeps going the wrong way. So we are placated with left-wing cliches about the delicate introspective nature of the piano, compared with the cultural favouritism of television programs.
My argument is Not that TV programs have never practices any form of cultural favouritism, but rather, if they have dictated social consequences in terms of restraints imposed by cultural barriers, then we must view the alternatives with concern; but if, on the other hand (and this I believe) cultural favouritism is practised only in regard to combatting measures against the establishment of political expansionism, we must view alternatives to the present values-orientated system as a measure of dissatisfaction with economic materialism. There is more than one way of political repression!
I stress that if such programs predominate because they are in good supply and cheap to run, and are popular I have no concern with them. However note that most of these programs end happily which is superlative artistically but very bad in political terms, seeing that unless continued awareness is maintained concerning the repression of cultural favouritism, left wing elements in society will gradually subvert the sacred rules of this art. Let us not forget that culture was created to satisfy man's deepest instincts.
I want to reply to the letter written by Guru Nathan K. and signed by some other overseas students.
First of all, I would like to point out a few inaccuracies. The letter states "we pay the same amount of tuition fees but get nothing substantial in return" The Students' Association does not receive the money paid for tuition fees—I only wish we did. Rather, the Students Association receives $37.00—$2.00 of which goes as a levy to NZUSA. Does the letter imply that those overseas students who are dissatisfied with NZUSA's performance will not pay the whole $37 to VUWSA or just the $2.00 to NZUSA?
Personally I deplore the tactics of an individual or group, who instead of using open debate at SRC's forums etc. would rather write a threatening, childish, unsubstantiated and incorrect letter, which is a direct insult not only to James Movick himself, but also to the overseas and local students who fought so hard for him to stay in the country.
Why do I say this? Though the opening paragraph of the letter is is directed at an attack against the immigration authorities who with Gill and the National Government are the real enemies of overseas students, the rest of the letter is directed at NZUSA's failure to keep James in the country.
Yes, NZUSA, which includes VUWSA, failed to keep James in the country, but that does not mean to say that they did not fight extremely hard to keep him here. The letter does not make any mention of the NZUSA campaign waged by overseas and local students to keep James in the country. This could, of course, be explained by the fact that Guru Nathan K, was not part of that campaign. NZUSA fought to keep James in the country in 3 ways:
A great deal of time and money was put into trying to appeal against the Minister of Immigration's decision through the Courts; now that James has left that battle still continues.
At present an appeal is being made to gain funds to continue the legal struggle. NZUSA also prepared numerous leaflets, arranged a speaking tour of James around the country and generally tried to win support for James' case. Though the VUW Council did not at first support James, after an SRC motion and a deputation to see the Vice-Chancellor a special emergency meeting was held which overturned this decision and supported James.
The overseas students at Victoria also called a meeting to try and gain the support of both local and overseas students by distributing leaflets. The author of the letter. Guru Nathan K.'s sole contribution to the meeting was that if the battle was not won he would withdraw his $37. At no stage did he help in any other aspect of the the campaign by either joining the pickets or by helping to organise activities.
Though we have lost the first stage of this campaign NZUSA is obliged to continue the Struggle to win equal rights for overseas students. It is an important principle, and one which I personally am prepared to continue to fight for. To say that NZUSA has not got off its "bureaucratic arse" and done nothing is completely erroneous.
Besides the James Movick campaign, what else does NZUSA do for overseas students?
In
A representative from NZUSA sits on that Committee spends a great deal of time researching and preparing a case for those who are appealing. It is estimated that NZUSA spends twice as much time on overseas students' cases than on individual bursary cases.
Last year NZUSA gave $1550 directly to the National Overseas Students Action Committee (NOSAC), which is a body directly reponsible for overseas students. This does not count donations and hidden subsidies given by the individual Students' Associations.
Guru's letter stinks of inverted racism, e.g. "liberal pakehas" and does the work of the national government by dividing overseas students from local students. It is a letter which deliberately directs the attack away from the main enemy to organisations which are genuinely trying to work in the interests of all students, both local and overseas.
Finally, that letter was not written in support of James Movick or overseas students but rather in support of a particular person's own sectional, selfish and racist attitudes.
I would like through your newspaper to ask the people who threw "a tennis ball" from their VW on the comer of The Terrace and Salamanca Road last term, to contact me (Ph. 661—625) so that I can return it to them.
So who's got a typewriter? It wasn't like the this in the days of Roger Steele.
Nevertheless, I've a suggestion on bursaries. To avoid one anomaly of abatement the government could pay the abated bursary direct to the parents of students still living at home who could deal it out for fares etc.
Those not living at home could sign a declaration to that effect and receive the full bursary.
Bursaries should be subject to automatic cost of living increases. On the basis of the price of a Wellington Upper Hutt 10 trip at $6.30 it is only slightly more expensive to flat in town. Fares have risen dramatically and it's about time the government gave all students a more realistic bursary. Abatement needs to be examined close so that we don't just give the money to the off-spring of rich farmers.
(Roger who?—Ed.)
Reading the April 17th edition of Salient we are appalled by the moronic letters sent to your illustrious paper by seemingly equally moronic students.
Note please:
Now a notice to all people who intend to write letters to Salient—improve or else. We cannot allow the literary standard of NZ's best student newspaper to go down the drain. If an improvement is not evident then we, the heads of the Victoria Mongoose Society (AGM coming up) will begin a written expose of your underworld activities.
Be warned Vic Urwin—any more trash from you and you're a marked mongoose.
From your embassy in Jacarta Indonesia I received a very kind letter with your address.
The reason that I wrote to them was that I am very interested in your country and that I tried already for many many years to find friends in your country to write to: to exchange ideas with and to hear a lot about your lovely country.
I wrote to many correspondence clubs, paid a lot of money to become a member but......... no success at all.
Your embassy then gave me your address and I really hope that you are able to help me.
I am an Indonesian (male).
My profession is a banker. My interests are: music; postcards; stamps; travelling; corresponding; reading; collection of antique articles; cinema and animals.
Maybe you can give my name and address to your students and then I hope to receive many letters to answer. I shall give the other letters to friends, so that everybody gets and answer from.
I really hope that you will do me this favour I will be so, so grateful to you.
In your article entitled "Squid Pro Quo" in the April 10th issue of Salient, I believe many facts were omitted and the truth was pushed well aside.
The basic: principle of the Exclusive Economic Zones as being developed at the Law of the Sea conferences is that nations which establish such zones must calculate the maximum sustainable yield of their zone and must make the surplus available to other nations.
Foreign fishermen have, in the past, competed with local industry, and now because of the Exclusive Economic Zones the New Zealand fishing industry has just experienced a year of record export earnings; some $50.4 m.
The South Koreans have not been "kicked out", as your article suggested, but were the first to sign an agreement, and now remain in New Zealand waters in some strength.
Also, Russia is far from being the "worst fishing nation". It has a record of efficiency, cooperation and concern for observing the local regulations. They cannot take up the "slack" left by departing Japanese except by agreement with the New Zealand government. Their rational allocation is based on the size of their historical catch in New Zealand waters.
Only Japanese and Taiwanese vessels have been arrested becasue they have been the only offenders so far. If the Russians offend they too will be arrested. But in New Zealand waters and in others Russia has repeatedly shown its respect for regulations and has exterted her own disciplinary and control measures on her own fishermen.
In addition to that, Russia is aiding the New Zealand economy by making use of New Zealand repair and replenishment facilities and 'Air New Zealand' for the turnover of crews.
These facts should clearly show that Russia is in no way an "offender", and that the writer of the article in question let political bias distort the truth.
The letter written in last week's Salient by Mike Treen is a series of outrageous exaggerations.
When I said at the last SRC that I believed Mike Treen was at that time in Auckland lobbying for the position of NZUSA EVP I honestly believed this to be true. Mike claims that I was wrong and so I apologise to him for this. However from this one action Mike claims that this is "only the latest in a series of attacks on me since my election" and that "Leonie Morris is in the forefront of these attacks."
What am I supposed to have done Mike? In what ways have I attempted to obstruct your work? These allegations are nonsense. I have done nothing to obstruct Mike Treen's work. Quit the "Maoist" bashing Mike so that we can both get on with our work.