South East Asia and World University Service

It is always a wise thing to pay Attention to developments in neighbouring countries. Miss Nan O'Shea this week presents her views on Asia and we as students cannot ignore the facts of the matter. Six Carl Berendsen has called New Zealand "a sea of ostrich tails." Very often one is tempted, on the whole, to agree with him. We must now, at this stage in our historical development, look to the Asia that has so long boon helpless, with a growing fear—perhaps not altogether divorced from guilt—for our own safety.

People without land hove a right to land without people. New Zealand and Australia are underpopulated and we refuse to trade with some of the most desperately situated countries. We refuse to allow them to immigrate. The two main ways of solving Asian problems are closed. Technological assistance is a long-term policy: Asia needs relief now.

Truly, New Zealanders are complacent: public opinion is measured to a large extent by the correspondence columns of newspapers: how many letters on comparatively trivial subjects have appeared compared with those drawing attention to the South-East Asian position? Even we, the students of a University College, theoretically part of the highest qualified tenth of the country's population—even we have mentioned not one word of our opinion through Salient's columns. It is hard to believe that oven we are not ostriches.

Think carefully over the concluding portion of Miss O'Shea's article. Later in the year we will present a supplement on Asia. It is very wise not to forget our neighbours, no longer in the "Far East," but in the "Near North." All peoples, no matter what colour their skin, have a fundamental right to life.

The World University Service Committee at Victoria has this year prepared a full programme of action for this College: its interests are centred on South-East Asia, that quadrant of the world which until recently had known nothing but filth, disease, hunger, poverty and death. Asians dream now of a better life. If they are not helped to attain this, then they will take it. WUS provides relief to those students who need it: WUS asks, deserves and needs Your support. Make sure that you are not one of the selfish ones.

Student Facilities: Less Moaning More Action Needed

The hardest-thrashed subject of letters to Salient has for years been the lack of student facilities in this college, and the shocking state of the facilities which we do actually possess. All students deplore the conditions under which extra-curricular activities have to be conducted, and wo agree it is high time something was done to improve these conditions.

Little satisfaction has boon obtained by writing bitter letters to Salient, Students' Association finances do not—and cannot—allow for substantial improvements to student facilities at present, apart from contributions to the Student Union Building sinking-fund; and frequent approaches to the College Council have had little result.

So we would suggest a now course of action.

Recent renovations to Salient's office were carried out almost entirely by the paper's staff, with financial aid from the Students' Association. This could provide an example. Less moaning and more action is required.

Much of the work needed on common rooms, gymnasium dressing-rooms, club lockers end other facilities can be done by you, the Student Body, and we believe the College Council may respond much more favourably to concrete proposals along those lines. The necessary finance might then be forthcoming.

It might also be pointed out that the amount of sheer vandalism which is evident, in the men's common room for instance, would not predispose the Council to grant money for improvements unless some now, self-help approach was made by the students.

As a contributor says elsewhere in a different context, "loosen your ties, roll up your sleeves, and get stuck into a concerted effort."