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Salient. Official Newspaper of Victoria University of Wellington Students Association. Vol 40 No. 26. October 3 1977

Last One

page 4

Last One

Being our last issue, I suppose it's time to sit down and take a long hard look at the year. At the start of the year our aim was to put out an alternative to the dailies. We hoped to get a paper which would, perhaps, explore some of the more pressing issues of the time and try to throw up some answers to them.

On retrospect we have made some ground. The paper was widely read on campus and down town. We would like to think that most students found something of interest each week.

The thing we battle against here at Salient and wrack our brains in order to find a solution is the nightmare of all student editors—apathy and indifference; the type of thing that you observe at a student meeting when something of great import is being discussed and some clod up the back yells out, "Boring".

The effects of this disease are widespread and the victims are observable everywhere. The elections were a good indication of it. Firstly there were very few candidates and secondly a President was elected on a platform of indifference and non-involvement.

What does it all go to prove? It means that a university education is a damper to creative thinking which actually stifles social awareness and a sensitivity to the problems of others. Workloads and frequent tests install fear and subservience in students and as a result they are reluctant to come forward and offer a positive contribution to student life.

I LIKE YOUR ATTITUDE, SNAVELY

Nevertheless, many of the activities of the Students Association involved large numbers of students in order to help them break out of the vicious circle described above. In particular, the bursaries campaign and some of the recent forums of civil liberties have been successful.

But the times are moving rapidly, and 1977 has been characterised more by what New Zealanders have lost rather than what they have gained. Attacks on living standards, (in students' case bursaries), on civil liberties and on opportunities for both jobs and places in universities have been increasing over the last few years, but this year they seem to have reached a climax. We simply can't afford to be indifferent about such things unless we want someone else to make all our every day decisions for us.

"It can't happen here, is a common attitude which students have, even those who consider themselves to be left wing. Unfortunately for us all it is happening little by little and, like the historical examples of other countries, people aren't conscious of the steady inroads that are being made into their freedom.

In our opinion there is definitely the potential for fascism in New Zealand. Further more, the seeds are there now. For this reason we have run articles this year on fascism and its growth in other countries to give you some working knowledge of the way it grows and how to stop it at its earliest stages.

The other major trend which has clomaxed in its visibility is the conflict between New Zealand keeping its independence and the manoevering of the big powers. Because New Zealand's economy has had a history of serving 'mother' countries, it has developed in a very 'bent' manner. We have no heavy industry and we are completely reliant on overseas for our technology. This now means that we are absolutely dependent of big economies for our prosperity. This is why our own economy is in the shit. When the going gets rough for our big trade partners, they simply close the doors or force down the prices for our products. At the same time the price of imports rise steadily.

Successive governments have preferred to run away from the problem but no longer can. If the situation progresses much further, New Zealand will be forced to open its doors to direct economic plunder by foreign capital.

The two super powers would be delighted to do just this, just as they have done in Latin America, Asia and Africa—they would drive us into underdevelopment. New Zealanders must build up a united front against the inroads of the superpowers and their allies into our country and also ensure that balanced and sensible economic growth takes place in New Zealand.

The present National Government is going the wrong way to correcting these problems. They are selling off New Zealand to other countries in the form of mineral, power and marine resources and making New Zealand working people pay for the economic crisis by gradually squeezing them in favour of the big monopolies who dominate our economy.

The logic is crazy—but this is the price we pay for capitalism.

I hope students will bear these points in mind when they go out into the real world for a few months to find a job. This is the opportunity to break away from the unreal world of academic life and consider things the way they really are.

Next year I hope that with the experience that Vic students gain from four months real living, that we will be able to get off our backsides and make use of the freedom we have here.

I urge you all to involve yourselves more in the association and its many activities—social, political and cultural. I also urge you to use Salient to a greater extent than you did this year. We always need new people and new ideas. Next year's editor Simon Wilson will welcome you with open arms if you decide to contribute in some way.

Goodbye from me and your 1977 Salient workers. Have an enjoyable and productive holiday.

—David Murray.