International Vic. Vac.

Largely through the good, offices of Peter Morris (Senior Lecturer in charge of Post-Primary Teachers' Bursaries, and sometime executive member), a handful of V.U.C. students obtained jobs at the beginning of the long vacation, assisting in the running of the Colombo Conference, in Parliament Buildings.

One of the lucky students remarked: "Pay was good, by Public Service standards, and possibilities of overtime made it at least fair in comparison with more lucrative vacation jobs. But it was a grand opportunity to see New Zealand tackle its biggestever assignment as host to an international conference, apparently with great success, and to get a glimpse of the inside workings of the Plan."

Strangely enough, the major task of the Conference was only to prepare an annual report on past progress [unclear: briefly] outline [unclear: ture] tasks. The rear work is arranged bilaterally between the member countries.

In the main, V.U.C. students acted as general rouseabouts.

A few dashing females were graced with the title and dignity of "hotel receptionists". For several hours daily they were on tap lest any delegate urgently required to know how much rice New Zealand imports, or how many apples it grows, or the average family income (converted into appropriate currency), and, I suppose, of W.C.'s. Rather fortunately perhaps, our academic products were not often pressed to exhibit their wide learning, but instead foud out quite a lot about delegates and their countries.

Other Victorians answered telephones, ran round relaying revisions of the revised version of an original document (revised), or busily collated material. At least one senior student got some useful. '57 reading done in off-periods—but not all employed their spare time so profitably.

After working sometimes until 1.00 or 2.00 a.m. (and on one occasion 4.00 a.m.), and working with plenty of goodwill if not experience in international gatherings, the student participants could justly be proud of the compliments paid them by the Minister of External Affairs and the Conference Secretary-General at the conclusion of a most valuable and interesting experience.