Cosec offered NZUSA two return air fares Wellington-London for our representatives to attend the fifth International Student Conference being held at Birmingham from July 4-14th.

NZUSA last week granted each delegate £65, being £50 travelling expenses and £15 registration fee and incidental fees at Birmingham, the matter to be reviewed when they return.

Second Delegation

Mr. Brewster and Mr Smith are the second delegation from NZUSA to have fares paid to Cosec conferences. Last year Messrs M. J. O'Brien and B. Dalgety flew to Istanbul. (See report on discussion at Easter Council, page four).

Larger Than Ever

A Cosec press release states that the forthcoming conference is "expected to be the most representative student gathering ever assembled." More than 50 Nationial Unions of Students will be represented, as against 40 at Istanbul.

"Student leaders will discuss means of practical co-operation in such areas as study and travel exchanges, mutual assistance, exchange of Information, cultural activities, and common social and economic problems. The results of various seminars and specialised conferences held since last year's International Student Conference at Istanbul will also be subjects for consideration. The conferences will bear reports on the progress made on specific projects to implement International student co-operation undertaken at the Istanbul and previous conferences, and decide on means to expand and consolidate achievements thus far," continues the release.

IUS and Cominform

The release recalls that the first International Student Conference was held at Stockholm in December 1950. It was felt that a non-partisan machinery for promoting genuine International co-operation among students was necessary; the existing organisation, the IUS, was felt by many student Unions to have become too committed to the political line of the Cominform to serve as an effective vehicle. Since then, annual meetings have been held in Edinburgh (Jan. 1952). Copenhagen (Jan. 1953) and Istanbul (Jan. 1954).

New Delegations

New delegations at this Conference include the National Unions from Guatemala, Panama, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Sudan and others.

"Salient" presumes that Messrs. Smith and Brewster will report back to the August Council meeting of NZUSA, to be held at Dunedin in conjunction with the Winter Tournament Although no mention has been made as to the source of the funds available to Cosec for the NZUSA delegation, "Salient" assumes that the American Foundation for Youth and Cultural Affairs will again pay the fares.