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Salient: Victoria University Students' Paper. Vol. 25. No. 12. 1962

What a Stink!

What a Stink!

Sir,—Mr Maconie was right—you are indeed a first-rate Stinker I hadn't realised until now that your arbitrary treatment of copy extended to such exalted sections of this paper as Critics Corner, but it becomes increasingly evident that a fair deal is not being given to those contributing to this column—"Letters to the Editor" We are suffering from two of the worst kind of abuses—discrimination and suppression.

Discrimination—certain people (the editor's friend?) obviously have access to letters written for this column before Publication. This is completely unfair Witness, for instance the treatment Bill Dwyer received In Salient 10—Mr Maxwell, because he had access to Mr Dwyer's I before it was published, was able to nip in with a "pat" reply calculated to make his opponent (and his ideas) look ridiculous. You Sir, decided that Maxwell's was more important than Dwyer, and was therefore entitled to the tactical advantage of having the last word for the current fortnight.

And this kind of thing happens again and again; decidedly poor, don't you think?

Suppression.—Once I refused to believe rumours that letters to Salient had been ignored without acknowledgment of any sort. However, now it's happened to me, I have a case to argue from. Some weeks ago, I wrote a letter on the Cat question (just in time for Salient 10)—that letter has been neither printed nor acknowledger, and is now, because of the time leg irrelevant. If my little was unsuitable for publication, I have a right to know why. And how many other people's letters have been quietly suppressed? Do our opinions have to conform to your "List of Expressible Sentiments" before they may be exposed to your readers? Or is it merely necessary to be a member of the right social clique to ensure publication? Is this a fair go?

Sir, the way you conduct this column shows you to be guilty of a breach of trust I join with Mr Maconie in labelling you Stinker. Yours etc.,

R. J. Spence.