Joanna, Owen Elected

Miss Joanna Porritt, photographed by the Dominion, was made conjoint patron of the VUW Debating Society at its Annual General Meeting on Friday night.

By 28 votes to 26 she, together with Owen Gager, beat the next candidate, His Excellency the Governor-General, Sir Arthur Porritt.

A salvage motion was later passed to make the patronage revert to the Governor-General if both the conjoint patrons did not accept within 24 hours.

Owen Gager accepted. Miss Porritt has sent a telegram to Salient: "Invitation appreciated willing to act as deputy for my father, Joanna Porritt."

A supporter of the conjoint patrons, Denis Phelps, says the salvage motion was unconstitutional.

"I am firmly of the opinion that the chairman was out of order in accepting a motion, which, because of the impossibility of its requirements was substantially opposed to a previous motion," he said.

He said that the Debating Society had no known constitution, and that matters of doubt in the constitutions of affiliates were resolved by referring to the Students' Association constitution.

Clause 14 of Schedule one of the Students' Association constitution says, "A motion or amendment may not be proposed which is the same in substance as any question which during the same meeting has been resolved in the affirmative of negative."