BEAVER ^ Ir^Qoti f-'OJhij. BRmSH LBRAR7 OF/^POLITC/ UF/^POLITK (EOpNdM^ /M Newspaper of the London School of Economics Students Union No. 79 Thursday February 1st 1968 : 3d Hill........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... More MGG delays one report per member? P UBLICATION of the Machinery of Government Com-A mittee Report has been delayed yet again. The report was expected this week, but has now been delayed for another fortnight. There are two main reasons for the delay. Although subs,(antially complete, the report now needs to be typed and presented to the Committee for signature. The other reason is dissent within the Committee. Professor Wedder-burn and Dr. Miliband wish ' to appead ni;ncuty opmioiis, a id these will require a fortnight for preparation. Professor Wedderburn refused to make any comment in this, except to say that himself and Dr. Miliband were not the only dissenters. Dissent There is still some confusion over the question of minority reports. The terms of reference of the Committee say nothing on the subject. A resolution saying that anyone wishing to add comments of dissent, or to produce a minority report, should be given equal facilities with those producing the majority report was carried at last Friday's Union Meeting. The resolution has yet to be accepted by the Machinery of Government Committee. Members of the Committee are at present faced by three alternatives. They can sign the Majority Report as it is produced; sign the report with reservations on specific points; or refuse to sign the report at all, with or without producing minority reports or expressions of dissent. Dick Atkinson, as reported in the last edition of Beaver, intends to refuse to sign the report and append a minority report of his own. Adelstein will probably also add his comments, and join with Atkinson in submitting the document. Beaver will provide full coverage of the Report as soon as it is published, with summaries and comments. " Democratic to a man, we Apathetics- would nonetheless limit the appHcation of democracy in institutional life, for the simple reason that we do not wish to spend the rest of our lives in politics." Ken Minogue replies to John Griffiths on Page 3 Bookshop - £2000 water damage Raw deal for M.Sc. studentsP-GSA survey The G.S.A. is at present conducting a survey into Library facilities for Graduate students. Two Graduates are trying to collect information about the distribution and availability of reading list material needed by M.Sc students. The reason for this survey is the recent action taken by the Library in rescinding the M.Sc. students' rights to borrow books from the Main Library. This action has been taken as a result of the Library Staff's claim that there are sufficient books available in the Teaching Library to fill the requirements of all M.Sc. students. Careers office lose future employer JHE FUNCTION of the LSE Careers office is presumably to help the students find employment after their course of study. But there seems to be a gap in communication somewhere. A Mr. Atkin of Industrial Market Research Ltd., plan- ned to hold a meeting in the School to coincide with a careers feature in the next issue of Beaver. He applied to the careers officer for a room in which A NEW CHAPLAIN FOR LSE THE REVEREND HUGH MOORE this term took up his duties as full time Anglican chaplain to LSE. Apart from his main duties of celebrating Communion every Tuesday he takes an active interest in student life and is a frequent visitor to the halls. He is to be found at 13 Woburn Square, where he is happy to receive callers and give general advice on religious and personal problems. On Sundays he is at the University Church of Christ the King where he is one of the resident chaplains. to hold the meeting and explained the purpose of his visit to them. In spite of this, they said that it was a Union matter and re-directed him to the Union Secretary who again re-directed him to Beaver. Mr. Atkin (himself a graduate of LSE) wants to recruit graduates at the end of this year. We can only hope that the Careers Office will treat any future applications with more respect and co-opera-tion. J^AST WEDNESDAY night a radiator split in Dr. Morton's room, S107, and water from the radiator system foured dowu into the Economist's Bookshop causing irreparable damage to books worth in the region of £900. The repairs to the roof and walls of the Bookshop will cost about £1,100. The Bookshop's unique filing system was drenched and a team of three from the Bookshop staff were last week busy ironing each card dry. Crowbar Four porters spent most of Wednesday night cleaning up the mess, sweeping up and clearing out the damaged books, some of which had swollen so much that they had to be levered out of the shelves with a crowbar. The Bookshop was closed all day Thursday. The accident was reported to the porters at 9.50 p.m. by an unknown passer-by who had noticed water running down the Bookshop's glass frontage. The porters immediately opened up the Bookshop and the rooms above and sealed off the radiator. Dr. Morton's carpet was drenched and it has since been removed for cleaning. The main damage, however, was done to the Bookshop where, at one time, the water was at least ankle-deep. Mr. Bone, the Bookshop's assistant manager, estimated that about 200 hardback and 1,980 paperback books had been damaged, causing a loss of profit of £600. The matter, Mr. • contd. on P.12 col.1 Available The aims of this survey are to establish the number of student^ requiring books from official reading lists, the number of books they require, the number of books that are actually available, and in which Library these are to be found. The instigators of this enquiry are convinced that the action of the Library staff has been taken before a proper examination of the facts has been conducted, and they are hoping that their survey will show this to be, true. If the assumptions of the surveyors does prove to be true, then the support of all M.Sc students will be required. Handicapped However, before the G.S.A. can make any appeal against such actions, they must have documented evidence to back their case. It is then up to all Graduate students to help in this survey, if they are not to be handicapped in their ability to work eflBciently, and with the maximum of freedom in obtaining the books they require. Clare rises ! Contributions for the next issue should be sent, within the next six weeks to: The Editor, Clare, London School of Economics Students' Union, Clare Market, London, W.C.2. Anything sent will be considered: poems, short stories, etc. Pictures most welcome. 2 BEAVER February 1st, 1968 EDITORIAL As the last issue came out we were shortly awaiting the Report of the Machinery of Government Committee. Now we are told that information is delayed a further two weeks. Certain members of the Committee, not student members, have requested to have their dissention from the main body of opinion expressed in the report. This will not now be available until, at the earliest, the second week in February. This now means that when it comes (if it comes) it will clash with the Union Structural Reform Commission report. And thus will add vastly to the confusion of the average student who does not spend threequarters of his LSE life on the first floor of St Clements. He will have thrust at him two separate piles of documents putting forward detailed changes in structures maybe already imperfectly understood. In addition, he has to take into consideration the dissen-tions, arguments and conflicts of opinion that are already dimly apparent to us. It is all a lot to digest in the same week, and it all adds to the impression that this year is not the same as last. Sit-ins strikes, suspensions; then the issues looked clear cut, black and white. The intervening time has turned them to shades of grey. Now when the real fruits of last year's upheaval are about to be revealed, the issues have become somewhat clouded. No longer is there a straight dividing line between Student and Administrator. Instead there are varying shades of opinion between student and student. Academic and academic, governor and governor, on the machinery of Government Committee. There is no automotic position for a student to take per student; if he is going to form an opinion of his own he has a lot of reading a lot of thinking and a lot of deciding to do. i)IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIItllillllllllllllllllllUIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII£ BEAVER Editor Assistant Editor Design Consultant Films Photos Alison Barlow ^ Allan Grossman = A. David Baume = Robert Holton § _ Phil Crawford 1 s Derek Mortimer E i Alex Duffy 1 S Contributors: 3 = Tim Hunt, Marie Cooksley, Tony Capper, = = Kim Felix, Catherine Liebetegger S E Advertising Agents E 1 JEP and Associates, 107-111 Fleet Street, E.C.4. h I FLE 3712 I iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiil Present students have an obligation ^HE First Report on the Machinery of Government of the School will be issued in about three weeks' time. It will be presented to the Academic Board and the Standing Committee of the Governors, but in addition will be made available to all members of the School for discussion and comment. In the light of the response of the official bodies and of the general discussion, a Second Report will be prepared embodying formal proposals for changes in the working consHtution of the School. I cannot, of course, at this stage refer to the content of the Report as this would be a breach of confidence. It is important that discussion should be based on the official Report and all its inter-related proposals, and not on partial, unauthorized disclosures, which I deplore. What I wish to stress now is the significance of the opportunity which all students will have of sharing in the discussion and helping to shape the future developments of the School. Such a process of consultation seems to me natural and characteristic to a university community, but is too often neglected. Constitution The present generation of students have a chance therefore of proving whether such consultation is effective and worthwhile. I hope that they will provide such proof by a wide and vigorous discussion of the Report in the Union, in the departmental committees, in the Graduate Students' Association and in the many other bodies they have created, and by many of them sending to me their personal constructive comments on the proposals for consideration by the Committee. or over-dramatize the significance of the forthcoming Report. Machinery and constitutions are only meant to assist the fulfilment of the purposes and functions of the School as a university, but while we are making some structural changes, let us cooperate in ensuring that they are as well devised as possible. Dear Madam, — May 1 take the liberty, through your columns, of moaning. When I first came to LSE I had certain expectations, which I was told forthwith to forget. I forgot. But after three years at the place, perhaps I should start remembering. I expected .student life to be centred primarily around three things: the Bar, Debating, and outside Speakers. The Bar: fair enough, no complaints here. The Debating facilities I expected to hinge on the Union, discussing the usual topics of the day, but not really expecting governments to quiver at their pronouncements. Perhaps I have my priorities all wrong. I've spent three years here, but the ac- work efficiently, not of helping to design it. I do not wish to exaggerate And student poverty Responsibility grows In so far as the present students help now in shaping changes in the the machinery of government, they will have an exceptional responsibility to their successors, who are not likely to have a similar chance. We cannot contem-iplate constitutional changes as an annual event. Future students will have the task of making the new machinery JEWELLERY & WATCHES 20%—25% DISCOUNT To an N.U.S* Meiabcrs on onr owB maBHfactnred goocU* DIAMOND ENGAGEMENT RINGS GOLD—Wedding & Signet Ringi. GOLD AND SILVER—Cigarette Cases, Powder Boxes, Bracelets, Necklaccs, Charms, Brooches, Ear-clips, Links, etc. SILVER AND E.P^.S^Tea-seti, etc. Opta wMkcUys 9—Satf. 9—12 10%—20% DISCOUNT To ail N«U*S« Meoibtrs on braaded goodf—All Swiss Watches Clocks, Cutlery, Pens, Lighters, etc., and on Secondhand Jewellery. GEORGES & CO. of Hatton Garden ENTRANCE IN GREVILLE ST« ONLY 80/90 Hatton Garden* E.C.1 MOL •7M/6431 Special attention to orders by post or 'phooe 'T'HE Government cuts ^ announced two weeks ago include a reduction in the increase of student grants which will take eSect in October. Grants are reviewed every three years and are due to be raised this year. The Government decision is incredible. They stated that whatever increase is recommended by the independent Advisory Committee will be halved. This is a completely arbitrary decision, with no consideration of the hardship involved. The real level of the grant is already 22 per cent below that of 1961. If the new grant is to remain static for three years the reduction in the real level will be much greater. No other sector of the community has seen cuts in its standard of living to equal this. NUS in their campaign were not asking for a real increase. They were merely asking that the present standard be maintained. The latest announcement is particularly significant in relation to rising student costs. London University Halls of Residence have increased their fees by £39 per year or 21 per cent. Fees for Carr Saunders and Passfield Halls have not yet been agreed for next year but it is likely that they will rise too. We are campaigning to keep these increases down to a minimum but the University Grants Committee insist that Halls of Residence costs should break even. The effect of higjher hall fees will not be to price them out of the market, but to ensure that only students from richer families will be able to live there. Refectory charges may also rise, though not in the immediate future. NUS are launching a national campaign in February and March. This will be done on several fronts. An attack will be made on the Government for the arbitrary nature of their decision. Pressure will be brought to bear to freeze Hall fees, refectory prices and other student charges. An attack will be made on the many anomalies of the present grants system. These anomalies include the widely differing practice of local education authorities over discretionary grants. Grants to students doing a repeat year after failing an examination, awards for "non designated" courses, grants for degree courses for qualified teachers, dependants' allowances for students who are not recognised as independent and many others come within the category of discretionary grants. In these cases a student grant will depend on where he lives, which Local Education Authority he tivities of the Students' Union, though at first interesting, quickly pall. I'm sorry, but I'm no longer interested in Dick bloody Atkinson shouting his head off about an issue I quite frankly think is irrelevent. What I want to take from LSE is an education in ideas, not actions. Yes, it would be a grand idea for students to be represented on the Committees that run LSE, but is it really that important? I hope the next generation of students learn from our mistakes: please, please Ronnie Millett shut up, and John Carrier sit down. Francis Dobbyn get on with producing some decent debates, and Peter Watherston get busy persuading the political societies to produce some worthwhile speakers (even Sir Alec is better than nothing). And Beaver stop pandering to the tastes of the minority clique. Yours sincerely, FRANK MANSFIELD comes under and their attitude to these grants. LSB should take an active part in this campaign. A motion will shortly be put to Union on this subject. It is very important that everybody should be informed of the issues involved. Mindless protests will achieve nothing. The campaign must be aimed at changing Government policy. This involves obtaining wide support for our claims among the general public. This will only be done by reasoned argument backed by a well prepared case. We have a very strong case. We must make the most of it. Refer Wathersfon February 1st, 1968 BEAVER 3 Dear John, YOUR ARTICLE IN BEAVER about the Machinery of Government was characteristically stimulating and direct. Certainly it stimulated me. And the first result was the Mr. Kenneth Minogue replies to John Griffith's article of last week realisation that your third criterion — that student opinion should be fully expressed before decisions are taken—was really contained in your second criterion — that power should be widely distributed among students and staff. For how could students have power without fully expressing themselves? That left you one criterion short, and 1 thought I'd try my hand at replacing it with a new one. I then began to think about the attitude behind your suggestions. Criteria are abstract things, and attitudes are often the guts of the matter. It seemed to me that you took a bit much for granted. For example, that students should take a very much larger part in the government of the School, I can see your point. I too have sat through numberless hours whilst one man's amendment rubbed against another man's obsession. Who could fail to sympathise with your attempt to unload all this ennui on our students? I don't, however, see it coming off. The main reason is that the government of the School, and the style of student politics, don't get along very well together. L.S.E. student politics appear mainly to consist of faction meetings in cheer in the Union. Fine. But try and marry these two styles and there will be endless walkouts, accusations of bad faith, and all the petulance of those who are not getting what they want — now! But even if the two styles did mix, the question remains open. The actual work of government is very time-consuming, and nine terms are little enough already. (Or should we have a new class of professional student administrators — shop stewards of the groves of academe?) Let us ask the fundamental question: What is it about students which fits them for the task? I approach the question with some trepidation, but since the servitors at the Court of King Youth are so vocal these days in politics, advertising and universities, I shall perhaps be forgiven for tacking in the other direction. Disqualification Possibly the main student disqualification is the fact that most students spend no more than three or four years in the School. They lack, consequently, that salutary caution which most of us have who realise that we shall still be here in some years time. We are slow to rip up the foundations for fear of the bricks landing on our heads. Hence we realise that the university cannot be governed in convulsive twitches Mr. K. R. Minogue, Senior Lecturer in Political Science smoky rooms, and dashing postures on the stage of the Old Theatre. So it should. It's free and untrammelled, and besides, it caters to a minority taste. Except at moments of high excitement, the majority has other fish to fry — or, as the politicians (looking for a following) put it, is sunk in apathy. Marriage Now mix these two styles, and you get the results which were blazoned all over the issue which contained your articles. In student-political terms, it is really all School committees that might be covered by Mr. Atkinson's angry reactions: "ridiculously pompous .... essentially ignorant, insensitive and superfluous charade in which power counts more than ideas." This is good for a responding to the enthusiastic inexperience of each new student generation. But you have a principle— that student power should be proportionate to the direct impact which any particular committee has on students—which forces me to go further. Students have to pass examinations. This often makes them anxious. They have a short-term interest in making it easier. For this reason the promoters of student power have ben eager to include matters of syllabus and examination—the very things of which their presence at a university presumes them ignorant—to be included within the scope of their power. I don't believe I am flying in the face of rationality in feeling very strongly that it should be denied to them. One may go further. Many of our students have little sense that a university is peculiar and unique as an educational institution. Many appear to think that it should equip them with a set of .fashionable cultural tools which will help them to " cope " with modern life. They fail to realise that much of the Government no task for students value of a university consists precisely in a certain remoteness from minute to minute excitements. They do not know that a university is (among other things) a pool of knowledge, memory and skill, of great value in outlasting ephemeral passions and fashions. Our business is to convey this by precept and example. And student pressures commonly run counter to it. But this mistake is far from being limited to students. There were even hints of it in your own article. You spoke, in a puzzling passage, of the School's former position as a " progressive and radical institutions", I hope we make academic progress, and sometimes get to the root of things. But the conjunction of those two ambiguous adjectives suggests you had something else in mind. What, exactly ? Reputation You went further, suggesting that we were living on our reputation, I cannot imagine what you base this on, I can only record my convictions that the School is not merely the largest but also the most vital university of the social sciences in the country. It contains a large number of senior academics—yourself among them —who are both distinguished as scholars and stimulating as teachers. As 1 say, I found this passage puzzling in many ways, and wondered if I could not detect here the echo of the Laski Legend — one of those devices by which we flatter the dead in order to denigrate the living. But let me return to directly relevant matters of government. I think the editor of Beaver judged correctly in highlighting your passage on the Governors. I thought I heard a low growl of disapproval every time this class of person was mentioned. I think you made a mistake in attacking Governors. This is partly because some students already manifest a somewhat Pavlovian hostility at the mention of such categories as Gov- ernors, administrators and the Professoriate; and they ought not to be encouraged in it. And it is partly because I have encountered a number of governors on various committees. My main reaction to them has been admiration for their efficiency — which commonly exceeds that of our colleagues — and gratitude for the fact that they think it worthwhile to join our deliberations. So far as I can see, they grind no special axes of their own, and they are mercifully free of that element of hysteria which not uncommonly attacks members of an enclosed institution. We have recently been loosening some of the more onerous bonds with London University; we have struck out more and more on our own, and it seems to me that the Governors are all the more to be valued as a cool breath of air from the outside. My argument speaks, I believe, for the large army of Political Apathetics. We Apathe-tics are a tolerant body of men, ready to do our bit, to listen, indeed to sit through long hours of public discussion. We like wit, and this is one of our reasons for being grateful to you; you have often enlivened an otherwise dull afternoon. Democratic to a man, we Apathetics would nonetheless limit the application of democracy in insti-tuitional life, for the simple reason that we do not wish to spend our life in politics. There are a lot of screwballs around, and they sometimes pack meetings and take over instruments of government. We seek just enough influence on the tiller, within a plural system of government, to keep it broadly wise, but not so much that government becomes the main business of our lives. Our beliefs arise, not from the lifeless pallor suggested by our enemies but because we have better things to do than deploy ourselves for the pseudo-excitements of the mass meeting. Apathetics The Apathetic principle, then, applies a kind of Occan's razor to the committee system. It is: Will the machinery of Government Committee produce a set of proposals to diminish the endless proliferation of committee, and allow us to achieve the rapid, wise, well-informed and responsible decisions necessary to sustain our corporate life? The Machinery of Government may be our foundation; but we don't want to live in the basement all the time. In the orgy of constitutional dialectic which awaits us, I for one shall have this Apathetic principle prominently in mind. I hope you expected to provoke a little discussion. Yours sincerely, KEN MINOGUE. As a salesman at P&G you'd be competing for a share of a one-hundred-million-pound-pius market... and probably securing a million . share of it-right away. You may not be too impressed by that... ... Because we are thinieen damaged by crevasses and land slides; this must be put in order again too. The people are living from day to day with no idea of the future. The task is gigantic, and the Italian government has promised £100 to each family, but this is not enough. The Italian Embassy in London says that old blankets, sleeping - bags, woollen clothes, etc., are especially needed to combat the cold. Any donations; money, clothes and non-perishable food, should be taken to the Union office (1st floor, St. Clement's Building). Anything, however small, would be most welcome. Thank you. Russell King 6 BEAVER February 1st, 1968 Kurf Klappholz B.Sc. (Econ) is a Senior Lecturer in Economics ot LSE and has been Warden of Carr Saunders Hall since its opening in the Summer Term of last year. In this article he attempts to account for the current popularity of Economics as a course and suggests possible application of its teachings. "Economics is becoming ever more technical and so, obviously, are the interests of the teachers" Statistically speaking, the Economics Department impinges on more students than any other Department in the School. This is so for three well known reasons: (1) every student doing the BJSc.(Ecoii.) must do some economics throughout his course, and this is not the case with any other subject (I leave aside the question whether this ought to be the case); (2) approximately 36% of current second year students and 28% of current third year students doing the B.Sc. (Econ.) are taking a Special Subject in the Economics Department—a higher percentage than in any other Department; (3) approximately 36% of all students reading for the taught Master's degree are doing economics —again a higher percentage than in any other Department. What accounts for the relative popularity of economics? As far as I know, no-one has yet tested any theories that may be floating around to explain this perplexing phenomenon. So anything I may say on this must be taken for what it is—pure speculation. Indeed, some might say 'idle speculation' unless and until I have been able to formulate my vague hunches in a more rigorous and testable form, and get some eager statistician to test them. Lest this prospect should alarm you, let me reassure you at once that this is something I am certainly unable, and perhaps not very keen, to do. The fact that all students who do the B.Sc.(Econ.) must do economics throughout their course is clearly no index of the popularity of the subject—for here we are dealing with ' compulsion ' rather than ' free choice.' But when we consider the figures for second and third year students and for graduates, it is difficult to deny that they must be regarded as an index of popularity. Some might, perhaps, try to argue that the number of students can be explained by the size of the Department, i.e. that supply creates its own demand. PLAUSIBLE This argument might be plausible if the choice of special subject were constrained by some kind of rationing, that is, if students entering their second year could not go to the Department of their choice— because it is overcrowded—and had to make do with second best. This, in fact, is not the case and we must therefore conclude that the number of students doing economics cannot be explained by the fact that the Department is large. So 1 return to my speculations. Perhaps one reason for the widespread interest in economics is the fact that so many current problems are economic, whether this be the UK's current economic difficulties, or problems of economic development. What seems to me (not surprisingly) a more cogent reason is the fact that the demand for the services of economists, in both government and industry, has been growing steadily. These two considerations are pretty obvious, but perhaps there is also an intellectual aspect in the study of economics which makes it attractive to large numbers of students. The aspect 1 have in mind is that, for the time being at any rate, economics can retain its claim to being the Oueen of the social sciences. It has a more rigorously formulated body of theory than any other social science. At first blush it might appear that the rigour — and, by implication, t h e fact that economics is certainly not a soft option — would put students off. In the event this has not turned out to be the case. As the subject has become more mathematical, students have been flocking to it in increasing numbers. My hunch is that this may not be a mere correlation, but that students in fact enjoy the greater precision and clarity which is implied by increasingly mathematical formulations. This last point is linked with another one, which seems to me highly relevant here. Despite frequent assertions to the contrary, economics is not an ideological subject. By this I do not mean to suggest the highly questionable proposition that the current body of economic theory is ' unbiased,' still less that individual teachers are. On the contrary, I think the study of economics tends to make one look with favour on the operation of ' free markets ' and with suspicion on proposals for ' planning,' whether indicative or otherwise. What I do mean is that, say in discussions about policy, we insist that the arguments presented should be relevant to the issues at hand. Or to put it crudely, we attempt not to confuse ' means ' with ' ends.' An excellent example of what I have in mind was Professor Johnson's discussion of the relevance of economic theory to economic policy in his recent Inaugural Lecture. I find this rational approach appealing and so, I am glad to say, do many students. There is the further point that economics has long ago ceased to be split among a variety of' schools' which believed in different ' methods.' While Professor Fisher told us that his Department has not yet ' begun to offer courses in . . . econometric history,' the Economics Department covers most aspects of current economics. No-one interested in economics need abstain from coming to LSE on the ground that the Department does not believe in this or that branch of current economics. From a student's point of view what matters is not merely the intellectual appeal of a subject, but also how it is taught. In this respect the Economics Department has been busily trying to put its own house in order under the energetic guidance of Professor Alan Day. This has indeed involved a substantial amount of standardisation in the teaching practices of the different members of the Department. Some may deplore this standardisation as inimical to the expression of individuality; I myself think that it is appropriate to the effective teaching of the subject. Judging by consumers' responses, they seem to agree with me. From the point of view of the Department, the teaching of specialists poses at most technical problems. Serious problems, however, do arise in connection with non-specialist teaching, and here the Department cannot be said to have found its feet. despite the strenuous and fruitful efforts of Roger Alford. The difficulty is this. Economics is becoming ever more technical, and so, obviously, are the interests of the teachers. Yet, non-specialist teaching presumably must remain non-technical. Thus, the question arises of what to teach, and how to find the teachers to teach it. I think that our difficulties here are rather more severe than those of other 'service' Departments. This, however, is not the place for suggestions as to how these difficulties might be overcome (though suggestions from readers would be welcome). Recently someone in The Times referred to " the reconstructed Economics Department" of the LSE. I do not know what he may have had in mind, unless he meant the inevitable changes in the composition of the staff which occur with retirement and expansion. The rapid expansion has certainly diminished the cosy feeling which comes from being a member of a relatively small and stable group. ADVANTAGE One compensating advantage is the fact that the Department is now much less ingrown than it was, say, 10 or 15 years ago. And the fact that the ' outside ' recruits are usually American trained is also an advantage. Currently there are three vacant Chairs in the Department, one being due to the tragically early death of Ely Devons, and two professors, H. Phelps-Brown and R. S. Sayers, will be retiring at the end of the session. No doubt the character of those chosen to fill these vacancies will exert its own influence on future developments. What may be said about future developments? I shall hazard a rather platitudinous prophecy, viz that mathematics and statistics will become ever more pervasive (though not, one hopes, for the reason so neatly dismissed by Professor Fisher, namely " that the economy can be saved by mathematics alone " !). Another point occurs to me, and that is that economists here may gradually start to make contributions to fields such as politics and international relations. The reason for this is, as some recent and not so recent American work has shown, that the traditional approach of economists to the explanation of social events may also be fruitfully applied to the field of politics. At any rate, I do not foresee technological unemployment among economists. But if I am asked whether the absence of technological, or any other kind of, unemployment among economists bears witness to their ' social productivity,' I decline to give an answer. What I would say is that since economists study behaviour conditioned by scarcity, then, despite Galbraith, they will have something to study for as long as one cares to look ahead. February 1st, 1968 BEAVER 7 Ml CINDERELLA STYLE DRESS SAME DESIGNER Simple, smart, warm, so quick and easy yon can make it yonrself in jnst an evening by Zuleika Carre ??????????????????????????????? A comfortable, warm, simple, attractive garment. Extremely easy to make, no lining required. Can be as attractive and practical for everyday wear in tweeds and wools with woollen tights, as for evenirtg wear, made in velvet or rich brocade with glittery or plain tights and flattish shoes. The whole look is soft and feminine, and inside it, a girl feels good because it is so comfortable and does not limit movement, so she looks good. 1 j 6o 1 d Makiiiig Instructions TABARD Worn with tights and probably sweater. Can be made in wool velvet furnishing fabric, etc., 2^ yards of 54" wide fabric (includes i" for hem but length of garment and consequent yardage of fabric can be adjusted according to height and preference). Next week we shall be continuing in fashion with a feature on Maxi-Coats. The new maxi length coats have provoked more controversy on the fashion front since Dior and the New Look, and the time everyone was watching Paris for the level of hemlines. PATTERN Cut two of each main pattern pieces (i.e. tabard and cuffs). Stitch together as indicated by dotted lines. Bind top edge of neck and fold inside. Attach to shoulder seams inside garment (dotted line at neck indicates fold). Press Put up hem Press Gather sleeve ends Stitch cuffs together and fold double Attach cuffs to sleeve ends Seam and press i ad^tka^J. .Gxrre 8 BEAVER February Isf, 1968 Oppression and fear in the steamy heat^of Haiti THE COMEDIANS : Coliseum Cinerama; St. IVIartin's Lane This is an adaptation by Graham Greene of his own novel. The setting of the story is the Island-Republic of Haiti in the Caribbean. This country suffers under the rule of Dr. Francois Duvalier, who amongst stiff competition qualifies for the title of the worst dictator in the world. Needless to say the film was not made in Haiti but, interestingly enough, in Dahomey. As a portrait of horrifying oppression the film is effective. The " tonton macoute " (Bogeymen), the President's secret police, are everyw^here. They are the law, they conduct summary executions in the street without trial or investigation. Everything is overshadowed by fear. The hero, played by Richard Burton, is a typical Greene protagonist. A man corroded by despair and defeat, he is a spectator who envies even the most stupid person's faith. He is a resident of Haiti, owning a bankrupt hotel. There are three visitors. Paul Ford and Lillian Gish play an elderly America couple, in Haiti to promote the cause of vegetarianism, and Alec Guinness a dubious " British major ". iMF" The unthinking courage of the unworldly Americans shames Burton. Lillian Gish even saves his life by baffling the thugs by a demand for their warrant. The story of pitiless cruelty provokes a desperate appeal to the Voodoo Gods, and a hopeless revolt breaks out. Burton tries to escape involvement, but cannot. It is a pity that an important film, which gives valuable information about a regime that poses as a bulwark against communism, should be largely disappointing. The acting is generally good, Elizabeth Taylor apart. She has been lumbered with playing a German. Her accent is infrequently remembered, and even then is better suited to the South of France. Peter Ustinov as her husband, a South American ambassador, gives a nicely underplayed perforamnce, but he is sadly wasted. The assorted thugs are all excellent. Roscoe Lee Browne as an ambiguous Haitian journalist is just right. Director Peter Glenville has a deserved reputation for handling Eyepatch to match THE ANNIVERSARY: General Release This film is the latest episode of the remarkable career of Bette Davis. This formidable actress has made 78 films, never giving or asking for quarter. In this film she plays a one-eyed, carniverous matriarch, with a different eyepatch for each dress. In most of her films, her fellow thespians, who are badly overmatched, are left clinging to the sides of the screen by their fingernails. This time however she has some good sparring partners, notably Sheila Hancock as her daughter-in-law. Miss Davis has almost a patent on frightful dominating women. If she had not been available it is doubtful whether this film would have been made. It is an ordinary adaption of a not very good play, and is really quite dully directed. But the sight of Bette Davis tearing her three screen sons to shreds is a joyous one. The dialogue she has been given has a nice fresh vulgarity. Sending her youngest son's girl friend across the room because body odour offends her, is just for starters. I particularly liked her blast at this son " The moment you popped your head out I knew you were a troublemaker ". Recommend for all hopeless Bette Davis fans like myself. DOCTOR DOLITTLE: Odeon; Marble Arch This is one of the first of the current spate of musicals written for the screen. The songs are very ordinary, and their performance is even less impressive. Of the cast only Anthony Newley can sing, although Samantha Eggar is worth looking at. The coach-party trade will doubtless keep the Cinema full for years, so the proprietors will not need charity. Without charity it would be difiicult to see this film and keep a full stomach. UP THE JUNCTION : Rialto; Leicester Square This was once a fairly original television play. In fact when first shown it caused quite a storm. It was lurid, violent and shocking. Much copulation and an abortion. Its narrative was fiercely naturalistic, and it set a style. If the original was reshown its impact would be considerably diminished by recent developments, but it would be better than this adaption. Director Peter Collinson's debut was the unsuccessful Pinter Imitation " The Penthouse". This is just as bad. A silly cliche story of society girl coming to Batter-sea to find an escape from hypocrisy. She finds a Junction boy "with nothing to offer but himself"; their love is blighted. The racy dialogue seems forced. There are awful sweaty close-ups ad nauseam. The acting is mediocre. Suzy Kendall is reduced to twitching her face in imitation of Julie Christie. There is an awful scene Tommy Steele stars in Kipps adaptation HALF A SIXPENCE : Astoria; Charing Cross Road Another nominally British musical, this is an adaption of H. G. Wells' novel " Kipps The most important fact about this film is that it stars the remarkable Tommy Steele. So fully does he dominate the film that it is impossible to imagine the part with anyone else. The songs are generally good. Apart from Steele, the acting is generally ordinary. The direction by George Sidney is generally dodgy. Errors The opening coachride of the young Kipps to his new job as apprentice is very beautiful, but it evidently travels through four widely spaced counties. Other minor continuity errors mingle vi'ith more serious mistakes of style. The worst of these is the incessant introduction of the society girl in a sort of pink haze. This is completely at odds with the visual qualities of the rest of the film. Uneveness pervades the whole film, it takes an effort to ignore it. Definitely not a film to be seen cold. PREVIEW OF DRAMSOC Knowing the impecunious state of most LSE students Dram.Soc. has decided to present a production of Samuel Beckets " Endgame " in the Old Theatre at 1 p.m., Monday Feb. 19th. As a special concession admission is free (not 3/- as at ULU). Egalitarianism can go no further. actors, but the other technical problems are less well handl^. The whole film is grotesquely deformed by Cinerama. Henri Decae's photography is surprisingly unimpressive. In the last essence Greenes adaption is inferior to his original novel. The final heroics are un-suited to the whole tenor of the piece. where two Junction girls sing in a pub. with the practiced polish of veteran pop-singers. One to be avoided. It would be wise to pass by on the other side. "MAGHIFICEHTINOTTO BE MISSED" -Haroei'sBtzaar "A KNOCKOUT OF A MOVIE..." -CueMiganne "BRILIIANT...A PERFECT MOVIE... A GREAT MOVIE" -TheNtw Yorker "BREATHTAKING! SWEEPING AND EXCITING" Produced, directed, edited by Bruce Brown • Featuring Mike Hynson • Robert August FROM THURSDAY FEBRUARY 8th CAMEO VICTORIA Opposite Underground VIC 6588 February 1st, 1968 BEAVER 9 ADVERTISEMENT I--.. — I Westminster Bank Limited ! ! - i Senior management development plan Its purpose? To identify as early as possible, and thereafter to train and develop, men and women for the top lOO jobs in the Bank. Who is eligible? (a) Men not over age 30 with good business experience and qualifications who will be considered for inclusion after a probationary period. (b) Graduates with a good Honours degree and the ambition to succeed in a business career. (c) Men of high qualifications included in our 'A' tier selected from our staff from age 22 (women age 26). The plan? Training individually tailored to meet the needs of everyone accepted. Training will include service in selected Branches, District Offices (we have 9 in the Provinces, at Bedford, Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol, Chelmsford, Maidstone, Manchester, Reading and Sheffield, and 4 in London), special courses at our own training centres and at Management Development Schools (we use Harvard, Henley, Ashridge, London and Manchester, etc.), service abroad in some cases and service in the Bank's specialised departments. The rewards? Salary at 22/23 around £1,000 a year. Progressive increments leading to managerial appointment in the early 30's at around £2,200/;;^2,500. Ultimately a senior appointment in the £5,000/£i03000 bracket, perhaps beyond. Interested? Write for further information to me: W. L. Crossley, Deputy Chief General Manager, Westminster Bank Limited, 41 Lothbury, London, E.C.2. I. 10 BEAVER February 1st, 1968 FANTASTIC LIFE IN KAFKAESQUE Sex - the secret of success 'JpmS book was first published in 1946 in the aftermath of the war. I first read it some ten years later in the midst of a passion for Tolkien and fantasy. Fantastic it certainly is though now I realise that it resembles Kafka rather than Tolkien. The style and the setting might be described as Gothic. It is the story of the Count and Countess of the castle of Gormenghast, the bleak and uninviting pile in which the action takes place. Their life CASTLE Titus Groan; Mervyn Peake: Penguin Modern Classics 10/6 is ridden by complicated ritual, so complicated that it is understood only by an ancient and learned Master of Ceremonies. Nothing has been changed for centuries, everyone in the community has his place and knows to keep to it. Until the advent of Steerpike. A scullion too clever for his own good he launches on a career of murderous iconoclasm. A modern mind cannot help a sneaking sympathy with him rather than with the so-called hero Titus Groan whose birth opens the action. He is no more than a child at the ending—though his adventures are continued in two further volumes, ' Gormenghast ' and ' Titus Alone' (soon to follow this first into paperback). One cannot decide whether the purpose of the writing is an attack on the fossilisation of the British system or upon those who wish drastically to change it. Nevertheless I would recommend this book to anyone with a taste for fine writing. Sentences are beautifully constructed, terse and expressively descriptive. Even if you don't like the content you could still wallow with pleasure in the style. Alison Barlow Sartre Madame de Beauvoir Before it after the war ^NE wishes that Madame de Beauvoir would use fewer words to express herself in. Here she continues at nearly 700 pages length in this third volume of her autobiography (a sequel to memoirs of a Dutiful Daughter and the Prime of Life) to tell us about herself in the years after the war. In a prologue she states that she put down everything she remembers a s she remembers it; also that she is amazed that a memorialist should be criticised for longeurs, if she is interested she will read him. Frankly I do not find Madame de Beauvoir interesting. Very well we all know she is a friend of Sartre and Force of Circumstance Simone de Beauvoir Penguin 9/6 of a highly intellectual French literary set, still it is easy to suspect that often she is name dropping. We all know of her relationship with Sartre; she herself quotes people saying to her ' everyone knows your story, it's been public property since '44'. One is only surprised that a person of Sartre's stature did not become impatient of her long ago. This is a volume strictly for devotees of Existentialism and the French group at the heart of the movement. Others can only expect to be irritated or bored by her tales of her travels, of her friends and of all the minutiae of her daily life. Alison Barlow J^OWN to earth and realistic Sartre—probably too well equilibriumed for sensitive minds ! The Reprieve is a portrayal of how several people reacted during the Jean Paul Sartre: The Reprieve Penguin 5/- post - war 1938 - 40 period. Sartre successfully builds up a tremendous tension. But it is hardly attractive. Death is imprinted in the minds of man, and destruction and ruin seem to be the only visions they see. Under such sordid conditions love becomes cold because a distracted heart loses its depth and sensitivity. Cynicism tears all romance apart and happi- 'J'HE idea of a young and sexually immature man profiting from an older woman's experience is nothing new, but now it is the theme of Stephen Vizinczey's best-seller " In praise of older women recently published as a Pan paperback. His hero recalls for the benefit of young men both the happy and unhappy events which made him a man. He writes with great tenderness of his boyhood infatuations, of his first attempted seduction, at the age of twelve, of a refugee Countess. He recounts his unhappy experiences with girls his own age, how they would experiment with all the psychological tricks of a woman, teasing, not knowing how painful it was to him. Soon he finds a woman who has only been waiting for him to ask, and so his first successful relationship begins—the first of a sequence with women of every type : the frigid, eager, the technically faithful wife, the mother of little children. In Praise of Older Women Stephen Vicinzey Pan 5/- even the religious woman who doesn't mind what happens as long as she stays virgin. Vizinczey has been compared to D. H. Lawrence, who, typically, wrote of sex : " Surely the man was intensely ridiculous in this posture and this act!" Vizinczey, an existentialist, sees sex in less physical terms: it is " our deepest experience of the Absurd" when we bare not only the BUT HORROR IS ALWAYS REAL 'J'HIS is the latest novel by Greene to appear in paperback. When it first appeared it was not generally regarded as one of his best. In my opinion " The Comedians " has been over-criticised. The setting of Haiti is brilliantly captured, the whole atmosphere of living under a total tyranny is exactly portrayed. The theme of the novel is the contrast between the committed and the uncommitted. The narrator. Brown, is uncommitted and The Comedians: Graham Greene: Penguin 5/- ¦ ¦ ness becomes an illusion men fear. Instead they become used to blood, sweat and tears. Yet Sartre carefully creates episode upon episode to demonstrate how in actual fact human beings long to avoid war when it threatens. It becomes almost convincing that pacifism is a universal feeling, for on the eve of war the only desire we all strongly cling onto is that of reprieve. Mai Lin U body but the personality, with all its limitations. While the story is loose and episodic, it has a co-sistent tone of sadness, surprising depth, and an appropriately anti - climatic end. Written with great style and delicacy this touching and amusing book is a modern classic. Roger Mountford. Jazz is —back— Steve Crocker surveys the scene FEW real have is one of the Comedians. The word is used in the french meaning, that is an actor with no control over his own destiny. The Comedians play their parts with a sense of their unreality. Only the dictator " Papa Doc " is _ real, horror is always real. One of the committed is Doctor Magiot, his last letter is a testament and a plea by the committed. A man who is bound by his nature to share in what terrible things will happen. But the Comedians opted out. jazz followers ever had faith in magazine popularity polls for judging a musician's worth; hence the Election by Downbeat readers of Charles Lloyd as Jazzman of the Year will come to them as no surprise. Tenor Saxist Lloyd, the darling of the West Coast Hippies, plays a commercial, even sometimes an exciting brand of jazz. However to vote him the best jazzman disregarding the work being done by Davis, Shep, Coleman, Ayler and others on the limits of jazz where it is really happening, surely must be the Injustice of the Year. Most promising news of the month (aside from the final submergence of the Dave Brubeck aggregation into the oblivion they richly deserve) are the bookings for "Jazz Expo '68 ". Bobby Hutcherson, Elvin Jones, Dizzy Gillespie and Gary Burton are among those scheduled to make appearances. American artists starting tours in Britain soon include Buddy Rich, Woody Heman and John Griffin; Art Famer will be making some guest appearances, as will ' soul' organist Jimmy McGriff. Record of the month must surely be the delightful new Miles Davis album ' Sorcerer'. Finally January saw the unlikely event of Tenor player Ian Carr making a surprise appearance on Radio I's "Scene and Heard"— praising of all people, the Rolling Stones. (Charlie Watts for the Sonny Murray of the 70's ?) ESSENTIAL READING FOR STUDENTS. Keep informed on politics, world events, social & economic affairs, new books, ail the arts. Every Friday, 1 s. only. NEW statesman SPECIAL OFFER to new student readers: 20 weel^s for 10s. Write sending 10s. to Arthur Strutter, NEW STATESMAN, Great Turnstile, London WC1. February 1st, 1968 BEAVER 11 Drink or skill reason for good form? L.S.E. I 5 H.E.C. (Paris) 0 T'HE safe arrival of the French Soccer team on Friday, 20th January and their defeat on the Sunday afternoon illustrated two well respected virtues of the soccer club; their superior soccer skills and their unequalled drinking capacity, whether it was the former or the latter which accounted for the 5-nil victory will never be understood. All one can say is that the celebration after the game showed that Andy Tramayne was a far better drinker than footbaUer. The game was devoid of ever, the overall impression highlight. The litle skill and was the deplorable lack of entertainment that was in evidence was provided by LSE who took the lead early in the game when Firth made his sole contribution to the game (apart from helping Tonge to " hammer" the opposition captain) by scoring with his first kick. Rumours that he never touched the ball again are unfounded. Tonge enhanced his reputation by .scoring two well taken goals; comparisons to Jimmy Greaves were voiced by the said Tonge although Tramayne scored the best goal of the day with a thirty yard drive. Sudlaw added the other. Captain MacDonald, in his return to first team football after injury was in fine form until the effects of an all night party took their toll and he had to leave the field while Baron von Beagan showed his unfullfilled promise once again. How- ability shown by our French visitors. Comment must also be made on the improved form of the first 11; victories over St. Mary's College and IC in the League. Both were team victories with everyone playing to their utmost ability and effort. Good team game against L.S.E. II1 Goldsmiths II 0 'J'HIS very fast, hard fought cup tie looked very much as though it was going to end in deadlock until Tonge produced a stroke of genius twenty minutes from time. Fastening on to a high forty yard pass out of defence from Stein. Tonge suddenly found himself clear. He drew Goldsmiths the goal keeper and clipped the ball into the far corner of the net. From the edge of the penalty area. But despite this the victory was above all a team performance which augurs well for the future and the semi-final in par- ticular. What is even more encouraging was that this form and spirit was maintained with superb 3-1 away win against IC II in the league three days later. Look out the third team revenge is in the air. D Vth team - hard working match T SE 5th soccer team continued its fine run by beating IC 6th 3-2 in the quarter finals of the Lower Reserve Cup. An early IC goal was soon equalised by D. Lewis who later hit the cross bar with a strong shot. His struggle for form earlier in the season seemed to have resolved itself as he put up a solid hard working performance in this match. In the second half B. Mordsley twice ran through IC defences to score, giving LSE a comfortable 3-1 lead. Although he could not be described as having played a "blinder", nevertheless, his speed in pouncing on defensive errors leading to his two opportunist goals was instrumental in winning this match. In the last ten minutes IC pressed hard but only managed to penetrate the LSE defence on one occasion. PREGNANCY TEST SERVICE Medically approved hospital used method detects presence or absence of particular hormone. Result by return post or telephone. Request free container and literature or send small urine specimen and £2 fee to:— Name Address Please forward free container and literature under plain cover. LANCO LABORATORIES, MANCHESTER 20. 4 ST. ALDWYNS ROAD, Tel. 061-010-5423 'THERE seems to be no room on this page for a seasonal reminder to cricketers that ULU Cricket Oub are holding winter indoor nets at Alf Cover's Cricket School near Clapham Common tube station. White shirts and plimsolls are specified. College players as well as intending University players are welcome. Dismal Display LSE Women's Hockey team lost 0-8 to Goldsmiths College last Wednesday. Of the several matches played they have now lost all but two. Wednesday's game had several points of interest. First of all Goldsmiths, not crediting the possibility of LSE fielding a full side only turned up with ten players to find themselves in a majority of one. Secondly the Captain's boots split half way through the game leaving her to finish the game without. Thirdly the traumatic effects of occasionally penetrating into their opponents' half so unnerved LSE that they immediately tripped over (a) their feet, (b) their sticks, (c) the ball, although indef)endent witnesses have laid claim to an LSE corner at one stage of the game. MEN'S HOCKEY LIVELY MATCH U.C.2 L.S.E.0 JJOPES of a win over University College were wrecked in the space of a minute when U.C. scored twice ten minutes before the end. Up to this point the game had been very even with the possibility of either side gaining the points. The game began at a fast pace with U.C. attacking strongly and forcing several corners. However a combination of poor finishing and goalkeeper Ian Capewell who was in excellent form prevented any score and LSE came gradually more into the the game. Their best chance came two minutes before half time when Peter Cooke sent a shot screaming past the post. The second half was slightly scrappier than the first but still entertaining to watch. Ten minutes from the end the U.C. forwards finally managed to score and half a minute later LSE defence stood aside in admiration while they did it again. After holding their own for 90% of the game this was a slightly disappointing result but we hope for better things in our future league matches. There has apparently been serious thought of reducing women sport to Netball if the present dearth of players continues, but this is a disaster to be avoided at all costs. After all it IS a way of slimming for the summer. A Computing student checking his pigeon holes recently found two letters. The first read, "The pleasure of your company is requested at a reception for Computing students at 5.00 p.m. in room S401." He then, with thoughts of forgotten tutors, opened the second forbidding looking blue envelope. No need to worry, though, it merely said, "The date of the Reception for which you received an invitation today is on the 5th February." So even computers are fallible. PREGNANCY TEST SERVICE Results by return. Reliabit mtthod. Fee £2. Phone Portsmouth 23366. (After hours answering service) or write Department S25. Bell Jenkins Laboraiorlet Umlt«d» 4, C^rlotte Street, Portsmouth (0P05) 23366. 12 BEAVER February 1st, 1968 Council and Bar Management "very concerned'' about bar vandalism School suggests drastic steps to combat Tuns troublemakers This term and last have seen frequent instances of vandalism in the Bar on Friday nights, and Union Council and the Bar Management Committee are very concerned about it. A certain number of breakages, especially when the Bar is very crowded, must be expected. But not to the extent of recent weeks, in particular of the Friday before last when students were noticed playing a game of breaking glasses. The School have suggested taking drastic steps to remedy the situation — such as the closure of the Bar at 9.30 p.m. Union Council members however state that they prefer to keep the matter in their own hands. Judging by last Friday which was comparatively quiet and orderly, they are succeeding. troublemakers It had been suspected that the culprits were outsiders. Hence card checks last week and the week before. However, it now seems that the main troublemakers are in fact members of L.S.E. It is therefore impossible to exclude them. But a careful watch is being kept to identify the culprits. In the Union Constitution, sec. 11 subsec. 4, it is stated: "Union Council may, with the consent of the Union, levy fines on members of the Union and of Union and Associated Societies breaking Council Regulations or acting in conflict with the Constitution or Standing Orders of the Union . . ." This Authority has not been invoked within present memory. Nevertheless, as stated in the Deputy President's letter displayed in the entrance to the Bar, these powers will be used if necessary. Stein on legal fees row.____ 661V.U.S. were instructed to pay the legal fees by the Liverpool conference. They are obliged to pay them". This was how David Adelstein attacked NUS reluctance to pay his £170 outstanding legal fees, highlighted by Beaver last issue. Firstly NUS assured him of £100 orally. Then a NUS motion was passed mandating them to pay for fees resulting from a possible appeal. These could have been anywhere in the region of £1,000. "Since they promised this we assumed they would pay for anything", Adelstein commented, and added: "Surely they realise advice must be taken before any appeal is made". He believed £170 a minor sum when NUS could have been faced with fees very much greater. Replying to an NUS accusation that the legal fees were unreasonably high for the advice received, Adelstein said the chosen lawyers were re- commended by the LSE Law department. To the NUS comment that the problem was not of sufficient importance for them to ask for contributions from other universities, Adelstein replied, "At that time it was a big national issue". Negotiations are still going on between Union President Peter Watherston and NUS. If the money was not forthcoming from NUS Adelstein thought that he might seek help from RSA or, alternatively, from the Students' Union. "Persons of the left will never learn" -so why does^he bother to try to teach us? BACKING FORMER PRIME MINIS-TER Sir Alec Douglas-Home spoke at the LSE on the 23rd of January. His speech, given for our "intellectual enlightenment", consisted of an attack of the socialist party (read: Socialist Labour Party) and an exposition of the aims of the Conservative party. To illustrate his witty attack upon the socialists. Sir Alec told us of a typical Wil- .. and the free life In £2000 flood • contd. from P.1, col.5 Bone said, was now in the hands of the insurance company. One happy note for students : the Bookshop was already planning to have a sale on February 22nd and Mr. Bone said that the number of books in the sale would be considerably increased by the books damaged in the flood, subject to the approval of the insurance company. «T THINK CUBA is a fan-tastic country. I was impressed by everything they had done, I understood much more about what they were up against in terms of aggression from the USA". This was David Adelsfein's view after his visit to Cuba last month. He was invited to attend a conference, all expenses paid, sponsored by the Cuban Ministry of Education. Others attending the conference included Ralph Mili-band and Robin Blackburn, of LSE staff. Also present were official representatives from Russia, and delegates from France and North America. Although most of them were sympathetic with Cuban views, the majority were not communists. Cuba "The Cubans were interested in the problem of culture in the third world and imperialism". Adelstein praised the free speech there; "Although Cuba is a small country in the lap of a hostile America and under a very severe economic blockade they can still maintain international contact and absolutely free discussion from all points of view". The conference lasted for seven days and Adelstein spent some extra time visiting the country. Queen Mother to visit Hall T SE's brand new status symbol, that hideous monstrosity of brick, glass, concrete and 100 per cent faith in the elementary laws of structures, Carr-Saunders Hall, is shortly to suffer the social pangs of a royal visit. On March 13th Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, who is the Chancellor of London University, will tour the building, taking in on her itinerary a typical student bedroom, in this case that belonging to Richard Beville and Geoff Brunskill. May a friend advise them to slightly modify their mode of wall decoration? After all . . . son trick. Last autumn, at Scarborough, Wilson told the' party conference that he would postpone until the spring the scheduled closure of some coal mines — the trick being that the mines were never scheduled for closure to begin with. The miners did vote for Wilson at the conference. Although Sir Alec is sure that persons of the left "will never learn" he proceeded to give us a lecture on Conservative policy. He is in favour of monetary incentives to industrialists; he is in favour of making the trades unions come under the aegis of the law, "for their own protection". Rule Britannia When asked if the opinions of the people in the regions where England was committed mattered. Sir Alec answered that surely the benefits of English presence were wonderful; upon which one wit began to hum "Rule Britannia". The question and answer period which followed showed Sir Alec in a poor light. Even though we were all convinced he is sure that Labour will win by 1971, good luck to him. Race law pressure group defeated by Francis Keohane T AST FRIDAY'S Union meeting saw strange bedfellows when Black Power Apologists and Right Wing Tories combined to defeat a motion calling for LSE Union to support 'Equal Rights' — ad hoc multiracial organisation formed to lobby Parliament on the 1968 Race Relations Bill. It is hoped that this Bill will cover discrimination in Housing, Employment, Commercial Services, etc., and, at the same time, include adequate legal provisions for its enforcement. Opposition is expected from the Confederation of British Industry, the TUC, and various Government Departments. Suspicions of the ambigious position of the Home Office, under its new leader, Calla-ghan, have been substantiated in the Observer dated 28.1.1968, saying: "His (Cal-laghan) references to race relations have stressed the purely declaratory nature of the Government's commitment to new measures against discrimination. He is showing less enthusiasm for putting teeth into any new Bill.'-' Some saw it as undermining the Campaign for Racial Discrimination. It is precisely because CARD is paralyzed and utterly discredited that the need arises for a lobby group at a time when a new Race Relations Bill is due to come before Parliament. At the last AGM of CARD a palace revolution was carried out by the Maoists, the result being that ten of the foiir-teen-man Executive walked out, anti - Semitic remarks being hurled at a Jewish member of the Executive, and other racial smears , at some immigrant organisations. Consequently local CARD groups such as Croydon, Oxford and Leeds, as well as immigrant organisations, have withdrawn. Nobody expects that an Act of Parliament will overnight create equality, but it is a necessary step in the right direction. Not only is there discrimination in the private housing sector, some local housing authorities have unusual approaches when redeveloping slum areas where groups of immigrants live. Quoting the thoughts of Chairman Mao is not very likely to influence employers, Whitehall, or anybody else, unless of course you believe the Resolution is about to begin at any moment. While the new-found alliance at LSE continue to oppose any reasonable advance towards racial harmony the forces of reaction march on. Published by London School of Economics Students Union. Printed by F. Bailey & Son Ltd., Dursley. Glos.