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Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. Volume 33, No. 6 6 May 1970

Radicals relate

Radicals relate

Early unionists came to New Zealand from Britain, "to drink themselves to death".

King of Quiz. Mr Jim Winchester made this claim at a meeting of the VUW Historical Society, at which the history of radical dissent in New Zealand was discussed.

Mr Winchester told the meeting that the wooden railings around Parliament were removed became dissenters had used them to club police.

He was also of the opinion that the New Zealander is the tamest worker in the world. "Our radical dissent is based on what goes on overseas," he said.

Mr A.H. Scotney, a former radical student and editor of Salient, recounted the history of university dissent in Wellington.

He recalled that for 1922, the Debating Society was without a patron as the then Governor General. Lord Jellicoe, who was approached for the post, objected to some proposed topics to be debated.

Mr Scotney said that in 1933, a newspaper called Spike was suppressed by the Professorial Board. "They cleared it from every bookshelf in town" he said. It contained an anti-war article written by the now Professor I.D. Campbell entitled "Farewell to Arms". It included a suggestion that World War One was a war for companies and businessmen.

Mr Conrad Bollinger, a trade union historian, said that the state had been capable of some appalling acts of fascism. He said that the government should not be able to put ships to sea with untrained crews. They had done so in four major disputes, he said.

Mr W.J. Scott, Chairman of the Council of Civil Liberties, said there should be an inquiry into the conduct of the police during Vice-President Agnew's visit. The power the police had to stop demonstrations was a bad thing, he said.

Letter from PM Holyoake