Our money

Sir,-The treasurer's report published recently in Salient distresses me (removes tongue from check). Seriously though, several questions suggest themselves.

Why was the Labour Party Club granted $225, and the Pol. Science Club only $25. Were these grants made to further and encourage political thought, or to encourage Labour Party thought? Can it be that Exec. is a secret branch of the Labour Party? This political bias should disturb us more than, for example, student power.

Sports clubs collected about 4.1 times as much as the cultural clubs, spread, moreover, in larger lumps (average of $188, against $56 for cultural clubs). The highest grant to a cultural club was $225, to the Labour Club, or the Debating Society's $140, if you ignore political parties (Debating Society may be a political parly, who can fathom it?) This figure of $225 is exceeded by seven sports clubs, with the squash club taking the prize with $546. I fear that these facts mean that the Rugby, Racing and whatever-it-is attitude has crept into our Ivy (or moss) covered halls. Cultural (not political) matters seem to be sadly neglected at Vic. I know that there are groups such as the choirs, and the literary society, but they seem to have little voice compared with, say, the Swords Club.

A more basic point is suggested. Why should clubs be subsidised by all students through the Stud. Ass. fee. I cannot foresee a time when I would voluntarily give money to the squash club, or to the Labour Party club. Presumably the people who want to give money to clubs will be members of them, so let the clubs raise their own dough. I understand that the Film Society, and the Drama Club manage in this way.

Gordon A. Findlay.