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Out Side Left

How Government Works In New Zealand—Scientific Political Science, Lesson is If you're in business, and want to change the Government's policy, you've got one Really Big Threat—if you don't do what I want I'll go bankrupt. This is what the Northern Steamship Company was doing last week, and you could just see the Government shivering in its shoes—in Sid Holland's time the Northern Steamship Company tried this on and won hands down. Moral? If you must go into business, never make a profit—you have much more political pull if you live on the verge of bankruptcy and blame your failure to make a profit on the Public Service. Then if the Government doesn't help you it will have sold out private enterprise (if it's National) or full employment (if it's Labour). There's nothing like being bankrupt to give you a political future in New Zealand.

* * *

What I really liked about this weeks Peoples Voice — the -Communist Party weekly, for the politically unsophisticated—was seeing Dan Bradshaw, John Lenart and Rose Booth on the front page. So much extra work for Security—all these new files, and so liltle office space for the Public Service. It must be quite a crush in Hawkestone Street.

* * *

"We Are normal—but we have our quirks". Four girls, boasting of their alleged "bourgeois decadence" rang up this office shortly before we went to Press and demanded free advertising in the official organ of Stud Ass. Naturally it came to this column whose writer is SalientS'S only professional martyr (or, if you prefer, Salient'S only leftist). Anyway, those who prefer their normality with quirks for $4.80 a week can leave a note in Salient room saying they'll share a flat. Notes should be addressed "Decadence". Salient.

* * *

I dream I saw T. Hill last night

Alive as you or me

"Toby", I said "you're ten years dead"

"I never died" said he.

But standing there as large as life

And scowling with his eyes

The spirit that they could not kill

Goes onto compromise.

* * *

Is Alister Taylor a certified master dry cleaner—never say dyer?

And an echo arose from that suicides grave?

A certified master dry cleaner—as the Bard says.

* * *

Anybody'd think the poor boy was being got at.

* * *

Toby Hill was seen recently in Wellington wearing a Neville Chamberlain-type bowler hat.

* * *

Owen Gager has a billy-goat in his back garden.