Balance of Trade.

The question of efficiency leads us on to consider the position from the viewpoint of the community as well as from the viewpoint of the private individual. A remark of Bernard Shaw's may be recalled "New Zealand exports brains with butterfat." In normal times an energetic and ambitious graduate can either settle in a job at once, or contrive to get overseas experience. Having had overseas experience, he must choose between settling down in his country of adoption and returning to New Zealand. Even if salaries and general conditions of work were improved, the dilemma would not be resolved in all cases, since the older countries have a charm of their own. But if, when the student was trying to weigh the advantages of Europe against the ties of family, friends and old associations, he had a somewhat brightened picture in his mind of the career awaiting him at home, much of New Zealand's "exporting brains with butterfat" could be avoided. The drain that did take place could more easily be made good by the immigration (judiciously scrutinized) of men of similar calibre. As for those who have remained, and carried on good work for many years despite innumerable obstacles, what would they not be able to achieve if circumstances were more favourable?

It is simple enough to assert that something should be done, simple enough to scheme out some, at least, of the details (e.g., that an extra £200 per annum should be handed out all round!) It is less simple to find a method of attaining this desirable result. The mere fact that the Prime Minister is willing to receive suggestions from the teaching profession does not necessarily mean that the system will shortly be remodelled. On the contrary, unless the teachers can get a fairly strong body of opinion behind them, only trivial concessions will be made, and nothing whatever will be done for non-teachers who are in much the same predicament.

Is there anything that we ourselves can do? Some would say that, really, there is nothing we can do—nothing but fold our hands and wait, wait for several generations, until the slow process of time has rubbed away the crudities of a young and growing community. Others, again, would suggest that a few small deeds might be performed.

Would it be possible for the Students' Association of this College (or, preferably, the Students' Association of the University as a whole) to express publicly its dissatisfaction with existing conditions, and to make contact with those graduates outside the Civil Service who would be likely to take an interest in redressing the injustice with which it is corroded?