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NZUSA National EXEC

Last weekend saw NZUSA's National Executive faced, once again, with the problem of the activities of its prodigal son Arts Council. Eventually the most contentious matter was referred to August Council but not before a motion of censure in the Director and the Chairman was placed.

But more mundane matters first. Earlier in the meeting the salaries of the Director of the Student Travel Bureau Ltd., the Accountant NZUSA, STB, NZSAC and the Director of Students Art Council came up for review. The eventual salaries followed the wishes of our last SRC fairly closely. The Director STB is to get $9000 a year rising to $10000 with service while, the Accountant is to get $8100 a year, rising to $9000 with service. The Director of Arts Council's salary is still undecided. It was eventually referred back to a committee of Arts Council that might have had something to do with reorganising Arts Council.

The report from members of NUS working party set up as a result of May Council described the boring meeting they had, the apparent consensus against national union of students among the members of the working party, and led into a debate about the attitude of technical institute students to the working party. NZTISA was described as being quite unhelpful by Sue Green but other people from the working party thought it was not for NZUSA to adopt such an attitude.

Lastly came New Argot. In a fit of humorous spite Bruce Kirkland had seen fit to name an advertising tabloid for an Arts Council promotion as New Argot and even to include in it an editorial which gave a quite inaccurate picture of the reasons for the stopping of New Argot. Essentially the episode was no more than a prank but. As Peter McLeod and several others pointed out, this sort of attitude to democratic decisions (i.e. the one that no more New Argots be published) is quite serious. Accordingly the culprits were censured. Next up came the story of Bruce Kirkland's 4 days in Christchurch motel. Kirkland had taken a $600 typewriter and a secretary away from national office in Wellington and down to Christ-church where he set up shop again in a motel. The loss of the typewriter and secretary at no notice severely hampered the activities of NZUSA national office and from most accounts it would seem that the only work that the secretary did in four days was organise a mail-out. NZUSA's officers have never stayed in motels when on association work. They have always been encouraged to find friends' places to stay or to arrange accommodation with the local association. Kirkland appeared to make no attempt to find alternative accomodation in Christchurch. Kirkland's spokesman, Don Stedman (Kirkland, although invited did not come), tried to say that the motel room was hired for Arts Council to have somewhere to work from, yet an offer from UCSA (Christchurch Students Association) of office space was not taken up. Salient has often commented on the undemocratic nature of Arts Council. Such a situation can easily lead to elitism and a belief that high officials are accountable to no-one. It would appear to be the case this time. The whole matter was referred to August Council where Bruce Kirkland will present a report on the venture.