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Salient. An Organ of Student Opinion at Victoria College Wellington, N.Z. Vol. 8, No. 3 March 28, 1945

[Introduction]

The opening meeting of the Debating Club was well attended, particularly by the freshers and femininity of the College. "That this house approves of General Scobie's intervention in Greece" provided a subject which both left and right orators could debate with fervour. To hear that the general standard; was not as high as possible was not unusual, and although previously such criticisms have had little if any effect, the enthusiasm of the speakers, particularly from the floor, remains a characteristic of Victoria.

An innovation was introduced with the presentation of the American short "Prelude to War," which was the first of a series to be shown by the Progressive Club, What the film lacked in accuracy it certainly made up in sound effects.

The President, Mr. Campbell, opened the meeting proper with a hearty, if toothless, welcome to the audience which, he noted with approval, contained more than the usual proportion of ladies.

Mr. O'Brien, quietly and cynically, spoke for the affirmative with an appeal to forget. Fascism and Byron in this consideration of the "happy family of Hellenes." He gave a short sketch of the events leading up to General Scobie's intervention and insisted that it was militarily necessary in order to preserve the peace of the district under his control. His second argument was the instability and immaturity of the Greek people in politics (Mr. Winchester: Socrates, for instance) which he demonstrated by a complicated history of riots, murders, foreigners and revolutions. This proved the Greeks did not, know what they wanted.