Correspondence

—a Socialist Club

Dear sir.—A large number of students propose to form a Socialist Club in the College this year. The matter has been widely discussed but for the benefit of those who have not heard we ask you to publish this letter for the purposes of information. The purpose of a club of this kind is to bring together in purposeful discussion and activity the many people of the University who are interested in the study propagation of socialist opinion, who desire to encourage students to organise for the fulfilments of their responsibilities and the maintenance of their rights and who wish to discourage the "Ivory Tower" idea that students are isolated from the rest of the people and are unaffected by the great social problems and upheavals. This attitude of isolation is only too prevalent in New Zealand but one against which we must act, in view of the magnificent record of the student movements of the world in the last few years. Students as a body were in the forefront of resistance in all occupied countries no matter what the difficulties or the dangers. Even in Germany itself an underground movement of the students of Munich University was uncovered by the Nazis in 1944. These students learnt the hard way that ivory tower and chaste polemic were no protection against the problems of their countrymen.

In all the great British Universities such clubs exist. They first appeared during the great depression of 1931 and through years of activity around the special problems of the universities and the great social questions, from Spain in 36 up to and including the war, they have become united, and are welded into the powerful U.L.F. (University Labour Federation) who ally themselves with the working people in their aspirations to and struggles for a fuller life and freedom from oppression. Their aims [unclear: the] our aims.