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Out Side Left

I suppose by the time you read this somebody will have decided whether the Peace, Power and Politics Conference is a conference—something, that is, which passes resolutions and gives advice to governments. All anybody's told us so far is that people will speak at it, making things sound like a lecture series rather than a conference. It's always useful to know whether things are what they appear to be.

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Paul James Wedderspoon has survived too long a period at University under his present rather cumbrous surname. ("What's that bloke's name? Bletherspoon?") To simplify matters and lubricate memories which find surnames difficult, we propose an abbreviation —Wedders. Two syllables is enough for anybody's surname.

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Now that the Sunday Times has revealed to its amazed readers that there Is a secret report on a national shipping line, it's worth pointing out that on this occasion the Sunday Times was Not first with the news. It was first published in the Labour Party Monthly New Zealand Statesman which Times star reporter Robin Bromby doesn't read.

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Talking of the power of the press, did you hear about the English lecturer at Prague University who, no doubt wanting to get out of Czechoslovakia before Novotny was purged, was invited to lecture at Canterbury University English Department. Truth did a story on him, claiming he was implicated in the Petrov spy case in Australia—and, presto, Canterbury withdrew its invitation. Truth, as they say, will out.

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So people have been geting at this column again—Bruce Mason this time. I should be shivering in my jandals, I suppose. But its good to know someone's reading your column.

What Mr. Mason says about the Downstage magazine is true—it does carry advertising. The question is, how much? Excluding advertisements for Downstage itself, and for undertakings under the same management, like Roy Parsons' coffee gallery, advertising occupied 3y pages in Act's first 20-page issue, 7 in the second 20-page issue, 6y in the third 30-page issue and 6 in the fourth 40-page issue. The proportion of advertising, except for the second issue has consistently dwindled, while the increase in size of the magazine bears no relation to its apparent advertising revenue. Compared with its Christchurch competitor Stage, which economic stringency has forced to adopt the format of a 10-page tabloid, slightly less than two pages, or a fifth of the current issue of Stage are occupied by advertising — a percentage never reached by Act.

It would not seem, then, that Act can not remotely he making up its losses through advertising.

This leaves, of course, all the points Mr. Mason did Not answer: why Acts accounts are not shown separately in the Downstage accounts; and whether in fact it is making a loss. I take it that his silence means my suggestions are justified.