American Tour.

Debating tours are beginning to occuply an important place in student affairs. New Zealand has been visited by teams from Oxford, the English N.U.S., Bates College, Maine, U.S.A., and Sydney. Many teams from English Universities have debated in the States, while American and Canadian debaters have gone the round of the English Universities. Last year a team of three women from Oxford, Cambridge and London page 76 toured the States, while a Sydney team included New Zealand, Hawaii, U.S.A., and England in their itinerary. This year a V.U.C. team, the first New Zealand team to travel, will visit about thirty Universities in Canada. U.S.A., and perhaps Hawaii. The members of the team will be Messrs. W. J. Hall. G. R. Powles, and W. J. Mountjoy, and the subjects to be debated are:—

"That the British Empire is in grave danger of disintegration" (V.U.C. will oppose); "That democracy has failed" (V.U.C. will affirm); "That the continuance of the capitalist economic system is in the best interests of civilisation" (V.U.C. will affirm); "That all international disputes can be settled by arbitration" (V.U.C. will oppose); "That East is East and West is West, and never the twain shall meet" (V.U.C. will oppose); "That the jury system should be abolished" (V.U.C. will oppose); "That the American system of Government is more democratic than the British" (V.U.C. will oppose); "That the emergence of woman from the home is a regrettable feature of modern life" (V.U.C. will. affirm); "That the modern sporting girl makes a better wife than did the girl of fifty years ago" (V.U.C. will affirm).

This tour is the result of an invitation received from the National Student Federation of U.S.A. after negotiations had been made by Mr. W. J. Hall. International debating, generally arranged by students organisations such as the N.U.S. through the Confederation International des Etudiants, is being recognised as one of the best ways of establishing international contacts, and the N.Z.N.U.S. has establishing a standing commmittee. stationed at V.U.C., to arrange for visits of teams to New Zealand and for tours of New Zealand teams. This should be a great step towards the widening of our University thought and should prove more useful to New Zealand 'Varsities in this way than scholarships, for scholarship winners seldom return to take an active part in our University life.