Here and Now "New Zealand's Independent Monthly Review" having performed the hat trck with three issues in a row at last begins to merit serious attention. A policy of free discussion in a New Zealand publication is an unusual one.

The first three or four issues did not amount to very much. There was criticism to be sure, and an air of iconoclasm but not much meat, and the long gap caused by reorganisation probably cooled some enthusiasms. Nevertheless a glance at Issue No. 5 shows more thought and more reasoning.

Not So Good

First of all format. The Pelorus Press which does try to make Here and Now interesting as a piece of printing appears to be trying a little too hard. Illuminated letters are excellent but not too many—after all the more space there is to fill, the more to read, the more for 2/-, the better buy—fifteen oversize capitals is a little like too much seasoning with duck.

There is also an irritating habit of using double lead-ins to articles, leaders which end up two wide columns away from the following word. Britain Revisited, an article in Issue 5, is an example of bad makeup. It appears to me that this problem was made worse by an over-decorative capital "B."

One expects waffling and airy nothing filling up spaces. Expectations are fulfilled. A magazine with a policy of free discussion but without a policy about anything else must go somewhere and in this case the Statesman and Nation seems to haunt most of the contributors. As an example of space filling "Deterioration in Managerial Standards" shows a waste of good opportunity—after all what do managers really do?

This apparent aimlessness of the editorial mind will be overcome if the material is provocative enough—if Here and Now can start some real controversies as well as providing some good and interesting articles.

Compliments

The advertisements so far remain in good taste . . one is tempted to read them which is more than can be said of the usual rubbish.

M. K. Joseph earns his space as a regular contributor but A. R. D. Fairburn la inclined to write the kind of deplorable article which was supposed to criticise our hospitals. Mere criticism will not do.

On the whole there is a refreshing air of determination not to observe the publishing niceties if they clutter expression. Attention is paid to food, to firms and to art but books come a bad second—a book reviewing section would be welcome. Perhaps this could be in small type.

Subscriptions are best!

Here and Now is only just worth 2/- at present but a larger circulation would enable it to solicit really good writing which does not mean a New Zealand New Writing for the arty only. It suffers from lack of policy but it is a change to see our pontifical organisations receiving a jab or two.

If it can stir up enough dust, enough advertisers an denough subscribers there's hope for a good 2/worth. University students who should be keen to see that free expression is given some outlet can only be recommended to buy it and write for it. There is no pay but if you have nothing to say worth writing about then that provocative question—Is Modern Education Bunkum? asked in Issue 3 is answered very well.

N.B.—The issue for March with an increase of eight pages and some more rational writing is on sale. But why those bllious yellow pages?