(The Editor, "Spike").

—Not once nor twice in this College's story has the plea for student representation on the Victoria College Council been voiced in your worthy pages. But not once has adequate reason for non-representation been given us. Usually the urgent plea has been ignored. Enough! Let us shriek our cause continually; let us advocate through your worthy medium and even if need be through the less worthy medium of that precocious infant "Smad."

Now, what do we want? We desire to be directly represented on the College Council. We want a delegate there as OUR delegate, as the voice of the current student body. We are tired of "go-betweens" and occasional contacts—we want a permanent official seat on the august body. School teachers, city council, education board, graduates, government—all have their duly elected or nominated representative. Nothing is more just. But the student—the raison d'etre of the college—is totally unrepresented. To say that the college exists for the student is only to repeat a trite platitude. A man can be a student without attending a college, but a college without students is inconceivable. And yet our students have no direct, active voice in the government of the college! An amazing anomaly which could be easily rectified.

I feel that the Council itself, with the broad view it usually takes of student problems, could well support this contention by initiating legislation to provide for an additional member to be added to the Council such member to be elected by the undergraduates of the college. If the Council does not feel this is a just plea let it be so good as to publish its valued criticism and considered opinion on the subject. With a monthly as well as an annual publication in the college I trust no delay will occur in an opportunity being presented to the undergraduate to review the Council's considerations.

(To the Editor, "Spike.")

—I wish to reply to some criticism which appeared in the columns of your last issue. While recognising the justice of much that is there said, I must explain several things evidently not apparent to you when you penned the lines in question.

The procession is theoretically part of the programme for Capping, and, like the Undergraduates' Supper and the Capping Ball, is under the direct control of the Students' Association. In practice, however, the supervision of the procession is handed over by the Executive to the Haeremai Club, who are, or should be, more at home in running things of this nature than the Exec. The business side, however, has always in the past been run by the Executive, who procure the Lorries. This year the Haeremai Club Committee, up against a more apathetic lot of students in general than those of more illustrious years, and handicapped because several of its leading members were fully occupied in "Kyd," had also the task of procuring the lorries, given to them by the then Secretary of the Students' Association, who was too busy to get them himself (although one remembers the Secretary of a year ago running the business side of the procession, the Capping Ball and also being capped Himself). As it was a heavy shipping day in Wellington on 9th May, many of the firms who usually lend lorries could not do so. After superhuman efforts on the part of Messrs. East and Fabian, sufficient lorries were begged, borrowed or stolen to accommodate every "stunt."

Owing to the extra heavy amount of traffic occasioned by the departure of several overseas vessels that day, the Traffic Department allowed us only ten minutes in the Post Office Square—a wholly inadequate time in which to deliver, four speeches—before moving the cortege on again. The statements made in your June issue relative to the miserable attempts at speech-making are somewhat harsh, in view page 58 of the above facts, and to say that the leading horses bolted is incorrect—they were moved on by the traffic officers at the expiration of the time allotted to us.

No apology is presented for the procession itself. When it left the College it was longer and better than either of its immediate predecessors. The fact that some of its members fell by the wayside, though regrettable, was probably unavoidable, and a word of praise for the manner in which the procession kept to its course and refrained from interfering with tram and motor traffic would have been a more deserved reward for the labours of the Haeremai Club Committee than some criticism which borders on the harsh.

A thing which might have been praised, but was not, was the pace of the procession. Previously it has gone too fast. This year it was controlled at either end and the centre, and went through the town at a slow walk. As a result, everyone was given a chance to hear and see (and, I fear, in some cases at any rate, to feel and smell) each "stunt" to the best advantage.

I trust that I have not trespassed on your space at too great a length, but I feel that the difficulties experienced by the officials running the procession have not as yet been fully appreciated, and in fairness to my Committee I have attempted to set. forth some of the difficulties with which they had to cope.