The ordinary fortnightly debates during the second half of the year have been well attended and altogether successful, but the most momentous event in our life has been that special general meeting summoned, at the request of thirty odd members, to consider a motion expressing No-confidence in the committee. This created quite a stir for a week or two, and incidentally left us with a membership of over 300 instead of the customary sixty or seventy. Of this, however, more anon.

On the 5th July a Visitors' Debate was held on the subject: "That there is no justification for the continued existence of the N.Z. Liberal Party." For the affirmative Mr. R. M. Campbell was supported by Mr. Walter Nash, National Secretary of the Labour Party, while Mr. A. B. Sievwright seconded Mr. I. L. Hjorring in opposition. The movers on-trasted the Liberals of to-day with their illustrious predecessors, very much to the advantage of the latter; they searched in vain for some vital distinction between the two historic political parties; and occupied the full limit of their time in demonstrating wherein every great and fundamental principle of Liberalism had been abandoned, repudiated, and shattered beyond . recognition by its present exponents. The Negative urged that their party was entitled to a place in the scheme of things midway between the Reactionary Tories and the Revolutionary Socialists. They cited the mighty accomplishments of the past, and concluded that in a rejuvenated Liberal Party lay the sole hope of salvation for this young democracy. Neither the meeting as a whole nor our members in their separate vote evinced any desire for such salvation, and the motion was twice carried. Colonel T. W. McDonald awarded places to College speakers in the following order:— (1) Campbell, (2) Hjorring, (3) Rollings, (4) Steele, (5) Davidson and Haigh.

On the 19th July Messrs. C. E. Ball and S. E. Baume moved, and Messrs. A. C. Baume and J. B. Yaldwyn opposed, "That the Bolshevist revolution has benefited the people of Russia." The case for the affirmative rested upon a mild account of conditions under the Czarist regime, plus some evidence for the positive achievements of the much-misunderstood Bolsheviks, particularly in the field of education. The opponents of the motion saw in the present administration little improvement on the admittedly unfortunate state of affairs previously existing. Professing to stand for liberty and equality, the Bolsheviks, they said, in fact refused to trust the people, but maintained their power by a dictatorship based on force. The meeting as a whole decided for the affirmative, while the separate vote of members favoured the negative. Mr. J. A. Young, M.P., acted as judge, and placed speakers in the following order:—S. E. Baume, Yaldwyn, Rollings, A. C. Baume, Hurley.

In the next debate we tackled the problem of India. Messrs. J. C. Beaglehole and W. P. Rollings moved "That full Dominion self-government should be granted forthwith." They held that the failure of British rule in India was but a single instance of the general result produced whenever and wherever it is sought to govern a people from without. Only by a generous concession of Home Rule at this stage could we hope to avoid the necessity for a more drastic solution of India's problem at a later date. Messrs. S. E. Baume and J. B. Yaldwyn, opposing the motion, pointed to the diversity of peoples within India and their clearly evident incapacity for guiding their own destinies. The maintenance of British rule in India was not less necessary from the viewpoint of India herself than from considerations of maintaining the integrity of the Empire. The motion was lost, and Mr. H. H. Cornish gave places to Campbell. Baume, Yaldwyn, Rollings, and Miss Moncrieff.

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The Plunket Medal contest in the Town Hall again attracted a large and enthusiastic multitude. This fixture is reported elsewhere in this issue, and we shall here content ourselves with heartily congratulating Mr. Davidson on his well-merited and popular win. Mr. Davidson has for long been a most energetic member of the Society, and in this contest, as on other occasions, spoke with force and sincerity born of deep conviction. His name is now enshrined forever amongst those immortal few who have annexed the Union Prize, Joynt Scroll, and Plunket Medal.

Special General Meeting.

What appears to be the only special general meeting convened in the twenty-five years of the Society's history was held to consider a terse motion of no-confidence in the Committee elected at the last annual meeting. An obviously inspired report in the daily Press had announced that the subjects presented for debate, and the general conduct of the Society of late years, were so repugnant to the vast majority of students that it was intended to "depose" the Committee. This indeed seemed a comparatively simple task. The dull drudgery of second-term "swot" was nothing beside the sport of "dishing the radicals." A vigorous recruiting campaign raised the membership to over three hundred, and the attendance at the meeting was about two hundred, surely a record.

Messrs. G. A. Nichoils and H. J. V. James moved the motion condemning the present Committee, and were supported by Mr. J. B. Yaldwyn (recently resigned from the Committee). They objected to the regular discussion of Bolshevistic and Socialistic subjects, and particularly to the "direct" manner in which motions were framed. The College, they averred, had suffered a decline in the public estimation, and it behoved students to make clear that they were loyal. An "anti-Bolshevik" ticket had been prepared and circulated to ensure that our successors would be eminently "safe"; we refrain from publishing the personnel of the Committee-that-was-to-be.

A vigorous defence of the conduct of the affairs of the University Debating Society was made by members of the Committee and others.

Mr. J. W. Davidson pointed out that every effort had been made to have all viewpoints presented, and, while Labour and Socialist speakers had been invited, the Committee had invariably also invited representative speakers from other political parties. "No attempt to control student opinion had been made or would be attempted.

Miss Gardner effectively reminded the critics that their past interest in debating had been nil; and it was not unreasonable to suspect that their future interest would amount to the same total.

Another member of the Committee, Mr. R. M. Campbell, showed that University students the world over were interesting themselves in social and political questions. Any attempt to stifle or evade discussion of burning questions of the day would be utterly repugnant to the ideal of a University.

After further vigorous discussion, the motion was put to the meeting and rejected, the voting being: For, 76; against, 113.

The Committee is anxious to acknowledge its appreciation of "J.C.B.'s" timely letter on the final page of the last "Spike." This appeared, absolutely unsolicited on our part, just at the moment when it could be most effective in reminding us of some of the deeper issues involved in the controversy; and it contributed in no small way to producing that state of sweet reasonableness in which members were prepared, without being stampeded into any ill-judged decision, to hear both indictment and reply and to vote accordingly. We are looking forward keenly to the proposed visit of three members of the Oxford Union Debating Society. It is hoped that they will be here in February or March of next year.