NUS Move Against Colour Bar The Easter Council of the National Union of Students is to debate a proposal that, as was suggested in "Beaver" last week, the names of landladies who exercised a colour bar should be excluded from official lists of lodgings. Informal canvassing shows opinion in LSE to be favourable to the idea. 2 j t^OJ '-¦¦=\y$jtAPER"<)F^TRE jTUDENTS' UNION NOVEMBER 24th, 1960 THREEPENCE LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS & POLITICAL SCIENCE - UNIVERSITY OF LONDON STILL NO BUDGET Union adjourned again after stormy session LS.E. Student Hurt Eddie Lock, President of the Union, was moved out of the Chair several times during the course of a stormy Union meeting last Friday. The meet'ng was a continuation of the Budget meeting ad:'ournod the previous Friday, and was devoted to a point-by-point examination of the Union Budget for the coming financial year. Beavei W' - % Maxwell Bird, chairman of the Music Society and leading Pacifist of LSE v>a.s knocked down and seriously injured when his bicycle came into collision with a car. The accident occurred in Camden Town on Wednesday 16 as Bird was going home from School. Maxwell is in Ward F. of the National Temperence Hospital, Hampstead Road, N.W.I. He is suffering from multiple fractures of the thigh, severe shock and concussion. He is fairly comfortable, and is allowed to receive visitors. It is expected that he will be allowed to leave the hospital in about three to four weeks. The Hospital telephone number is EUS 5206. ASSAULT ON POLY PRESIDENT Regent Street Polytechnic stole Bedford College mascot at the Beaver Birthday Party on Saturday. This was considered a breach of etiquette by LSE students and revenge was demanded. Mr. Eddie Lock arranged to meet the President of th^ 'Poly' on Monday aftsrnoon so that Bedford's mascot should be returned with an apology. The handing over ceremony over, the President was lured into a trap consisting of twelve hefty LSE men who promptly debagged him and also took his shoes. The trousers were handed over to the President of Bedford along with the mascot. Last week's meeting opened with the Economics Society's allocation of £10. This discussion provided one of the few light moments of the evening when Mr. Ginn, a first year student, leapt to his feet to irterrupt the Senior Treasurer with a point of information. With a gleam of triumph in his eye, he sternly asked what the subscription of the Society was. Th.3 question had a devastating effect on the meeting —but not the one Mr. Ginn probably intended, for the Senior Treasurer had given this informafon in the course of his speech about half a minute before. Collapse, as Mr. Punch used to say, of stout party. This was the last bit of light relief in the evening. For the rest of the meeting, the time of the House was taken up with attempts to move token sums of £1 out of the reserves into the accounts of the Music Society and the Film Society. The Music Society had asked for £15 more than Council had allowed in the Budget. A number of objections were made to the effect that this was of interest only to a 'long haired minority', but the Union approved the motion for a token increase of £1, in spite of Council objections. The case for the Film Society's increase was that the Film Unit, having no constitutional existence, could not receive Union money. In the course of this debate Brian Roper, Chairman of the Film Society, agreed that his society would support the Film Unit until its constitutional position was settled. After this meeting Eddie Lock commented, 'This is simply ridiculous. We can't go on like this'. As we go to press it has not been possible to learn when the next Budget meeting will be held. COUNCIL At a stormy Council Meeting held on Thursday November 17, a three hour discussion waged on topics ranging from CEDESE to the Budget. On the Budget heated discussion ensued when Messrs Stone and Roper (all for one and one for all) were co-opted for a discussion on the Tour account and the Film Society respectively. Mr. Stone suggested that the proceeds of the sale of the lorry used on the tour should be divided proportionately among the subscribers to the Tour Fund. It was pointed out that Union had provided only £80 out of a total of almost £500, and that to divide the lorry money as suggested would result in the Union receiving only about £6. Council eventually decided to retain all the money, since all assets of Union Societies belong to the Union. MEETING Brian Roper, who led the attack on the Budget at the Union meeting three weeks ago, was invited to speak in the discussion on the Film Unit. It was eventually decided that the constitutional question should be settled later. In the meantime, the Film Society will assist the Film Unit. Brian Roper agreed that the Society was in a position to do so for the time being. Council decided that it would consider the question of a Supplementary Budget sympathetically. It would not be possible, it was held, to go further than this constitutionally. OLD STUDENT'S SUCCESS A former student of the School, Mr. J. F. Kennedy, has been elected president of the United States of America. Miss L.S.E. VARIED ENTRY Joan Duval, a first year student of Anthropology, won the 'Miss LSE' competition last week. It was held as part of the International Festival in aid of the World University Service. Eleven people entered the competition, including girls from places as far apart as China, Singapore and New York. The winner, pictured here, wore an attractive print dress —unlike 'Jerry' O'Connor, the runner up, who wore a home-made dress in a fetching sackcloth. It was purely by accident that the second prize was a 'Linzi' dress, chosen from a number of lovely models donated by the manufacturer. Other prize winners were Valerie Clay, Martha Grossman of New York, and Kathleen Harris. For Kathleen, who comes from Wales, it was her last ch;ine3 of cnteriiig tae contest. She is a third year Law student. The Judges included Marjory Proops, the Daily Mirror columnist, and the head of the London Charm School. This School awarded a six week counse to the winner. There was much disorderly shouting during the judging, and a number of missiles were thrown at the platform. No-one was injured. LATIN AMERICAN SOCIETY FORMED Twenty-two people attended the first meeting of the Latin-American Society last week. Jaime Garcia, from Colombia, a research student in Economics, was elected President. C. Carrasco of Bolivia was elected as Treasurer, and an English girl, Maria Wilkie, is the Secretary. Mr. Garcia, speaking to our reporter, said that he was pro-Castro. He spent some time in Cuba last May, as the guest of Dr. Castro's government. 'The reforms meet the needs of the situation in Cuba', he said, 'but he has gone too far, perhaps, and has done many things he need not have done, for example in antagonising other Latin American governments'. 'Cuba Communist?', he laughed. 'That's a problem for the Americans, not me'. The Society welcomes new members. They would particularly like to hear from English speakers who would like to learn Spanish, in exchange for helping Latin Americans with their English. \ BEAVER 24th November, 1960 leaver No. 4 STAFF LIST Editor: Don Esslemont Ch. Sub : Mass Niida News : Mado Demozay Arts : Alastair MacAuley Features : Paul Buteux Sports : Richard Stevenson Pictures : Peter Salathiel Manager : Mike Keenoy Secretary : Anne Stone A CHILDISH INCIDENT At one time 'rags' used to play a much bigger part in the life of the University than they do now. It is possible to argue that they performed a xisefuL function, cementing the corporate life of the student body. But it is hard to escape the conclusion that they were less admirable than their champions claim. There is a photograph in the 'Beaver' office of a 'rag' in the 'Thirties, showing students fighting with flour, soot, and water in one of the larger colleges. This hind of hysterical behaviour may be eoopected, and excusable, in Japan — it might be better if Japanese students used no weapons more lethal than these—but in the London of the 'Sixties it has no place. Last week a particularly unfortunate 'rag' took place. The President of our Union invited the President of another College to meet him. At the rendezvous the other president was assaulted by a group of hefty LSE Students, who forcibly removed his trousers. We are entitled to expect a higher standard of manners, let alone common sense, from the holder of the highest Student office in our Union. STUDENT PRESS The issue of censorship in the student press has recently arisen again in two universities. In London the editor of 'Sennet' has resigned as a result of the decision of Presidents Council to require all matter concerning ULU to be approved by a board of censors before publication. In Manchester the University has suspended the publication of aU student publications until arrangements are made to ensure that they contain no undesirable matter. We understand that the Union in that university has agreed to this. We regard it as utterly improper that any editor should be subject to this kind of control. If an editor makes an error of judgment, he should of course be held responsible for it: we do not quarrel with the decision to suspend the Manchester students for the rest of this year. That is a matter properly within the powers of the University. It is all too easy to yield to the temptation to muzzle the press, and it may be thought that student publications do not matter. They do. We're all right? Dear Sir, I should like to express my disgust at the attitude of so large a number of members of the Union. I was thoroughly ashamed and disgusted at the self interest displayed by many Union members at the Budget debate on November 11th. The number of members v^^ill-ing to argue that 'they come first'; that £10 is better spent on them than on an effort designed to raise at least ten times as much money for WUS; that it is more desirable to save £7 than to send the proceeds to a charitable organisation; that for a mere £12 this Union should barter its self respect by allowing other colleges to subsidise membership of COSEC—is appalling! I am dismayed to find that the popular slogan 'I'm all right' has found such widespread acceptance among members of Union. yours sincerely, Deanna Stanwell Beaver Resignations Dear Sir, In the last editorial note on Beaver you end the paragraph by announcing that 'these are the facts'. What you failed to mention is that the so-called facts were highly misrepresented. I was a member of Beaver staff until my resignation over a matter of policy. What you failed to tell your readers is that I made that point clear before the last issue went to press (27/10/60) and that on the same occasion and in my presence Mr. de Boltho resigned saying that he wished to dissociate himself from that specific issue which in our humble opinion was as poor as the previous one. You asked me to write an article because you were ill and because you did not have a page one. I spent half the night on the task to find out the following morning, at the printers' that it was 'excellent editorial stuff'. Sir, I am no ghost writer. As far as policy was concerned, our complaint was that Beaver did not have one. As some members of the staff put it: 'We don't know each other and we don't know what is wanted from us.' There was no organisation or co-ordination in Beaver until a meeting was called by a member of Union Council. Your Editorial on the solution of the Jewish problem was the last straw. Readers may like to know that I was approached by the news editor who promised to 'keep my name out' of Beaver if I did not criticize it at a Union Meeting. Readers may also be interested to know-that the front page on segregation of October 27th was written en desespoir de cause and that the news items came out of the national press. One can only deplore such a state of affairs at a time when we are asked to sink £300 of our annual budget in Beaver— Sir, the first task of a budding journalist is to get his facts straight, I am afraid you haven't done justice to this principle. Simon Klinger. BEAVER Dear Sir, I wonder if I might take this opportunity of questioning what seem to me to be some basic weaknesses in your paper. Much of what is printed can President*s Column My- regular readers may like to know that I was not wholly responsible for the failure of this column to appear in the last issue. The Editor wanted the space for letters—but I was glad not to have to turn in my usual copy. It has been a hectic month in Union. The Budget meeting, Sennet's misrepresentation and retraction, and Beaver's birthday party all helped to increase the general activity. Writing with the Budget meeting adjourned, I hope that Union will accept the Budget, as amended, for the year. It is the first time for many years that Union has done some serious thinking about its finances. This is all to the good! Over five hours of intense discussion by several hundred members has been fruitful. Union has thrashed out its views on money matters, and Council will certainly take action in accordance with them. I would like to welcome to Council the new External Affairs Vice President. He has proved to be very reliable and will, I am sure, make a success of this job. Elections for the office of General Secretary will be over by the time you read this and whichever candidate is successful will find a considerable amount of important work waiting or him. Here again I would like to express my welcome. be found in slightly different form in the National dailies. I am not suggesting that you should change 'Beaver' into a school magazine but could your review staff pay a little more attention to the cultural societies and a little less to the West End? Yours faithfully, Jean Cheah STAIRS Dear Sir, It is difficult to imagine a building incorporating more stairs in its design than ours. Surely it is time that we decided on a civilised manner in which to use them. I wish to put forward two suggestions to reduce the exasperation suffered by stair users—one is to institute a 'Keep Left on the Stairs' campaign; the second is to implore people who have to stop for a 'natter' to do so, out of the way on the landings of the various floors. Yours faithfully, Graham Stallard. Weekend Schools seem to be growing in popularity. Several societies have taken them up with considerable success. The Union's own weekend school will be held this weekend and promises to be one of the most successful ever. We can take 120 people at a cost of 39/6 each. A fine programme on the topic of 'Education' has been arranged and discussion, if previous experience is any guide, will be deep and wide. Weekend schools such as this offer a splendid opportunity for people to get to know each other—a better opportunity than anything else among the Union's activities provides. The cost of tickets is very low—I hope there is one left for you. There has been a great deal of discussion about the Commemoration Ball. I would like to point out that this is cheaper than any comparable function in the country. There is no reason why it should not be an outstanding success financially as well as socially. There is no reason why members should not wear dark lounge suits (at least if they are men: I feel that lounge suits in any shade would not be suitable otherwise). If we can sell 100 more tickets than we did last year there will be no need for a subsidy. Finally I wish to congratu-. late the Debates Committee, especially the Chairman, Gerry Bradshaw, on their work. LSE has more teams than ever in ULU and NUS competitions. I hope they do as well as they have in the debates we have held at the School. The ECONOMISTS' BOOKSHOP Clement's Inn Passage —for all the Books you need. A wonderful range of Paperbacks—and more and better ones to come. 24th November, 1960 LAW LIBRARY 'Unrest' Reported Serious unrest is brewing among Law students on account of the use by non-lawyers of Room L. They claim that Room L. is their own private property. The universal use of Room L. is making it impossible for Law students to find adequate seating accommodation. They complain that not only do they have to compete with non-lawyer LSE students for places but also with students from other Colleges who are following Inter-Collegiate courses at LSE. Lawyer's Complaint They feel that the students go to Room L. because of the individual lighting at the tables and the greater amount of privacy and quiet of the Room. The Lawyers have decided to make a serious complaint to the Staif Student Committee if the Library does not try to find a solution to alleviate the problem. Librarian's Statement The Librarian made this statement when asked to clarify the position concerning Room L. "There is no rule prohibiting any readers from using Room L. Readers who are not using the Law reports shelved there are however asked to work in other rooms, and I shall be grateful if Beaver will give any possible publicity to this request." BEAVER Con. Soc. Meeting The housing shortage is the result of failure of local authorities to make full use of the available accommodation, said Sir Keith Joseph at the LSE last week. Sir Keith, who is a junior Housing Minister, was speaking to a Conservative Society meeting, in the Graham Wallas Room. He claimed that the housing shortage would be solved if trade unions would allow Italian workers to join the building labour force. SENNET Ian Johnson, present Features Editor of Sennet, has been proposed as the new Editor of Sennet, the ULU weekly newspaper. This follows the resignation of the present Editor, Brian Hammond, over the reaction to the report of LSE's abortive Budget meeting, published in Sennet two weeks ago. Ian Johnson, a second year student of History at LSE, is at present Acting Editor of Sennet. He says he will not accept the position of Editor, as he has too much academic work. The Crisis on the Left 'The Crisis on the Left' was the subject of a talk by Ken Coates, Nottingham student and official of the National Association of Labour Student Organisations at the School last week. Admitting that there was a crisis of leadership in the Labour Party, Mr. Coates said that what was needed was not simply a change in the person of the leader, but a change in the type of leadership. Deploring the current trend against internationalism, which he said had been sacrificed to 'an oligarchic leadership', Mr. Coates called for the formation of European Socialist movements. About fifty members and others attended the meeting, at which Mr. Coates spoke for almost an hour. Kipping on Six - Seven 'It's up to Britain now' claimed Sir Norman Kipping Director of the Federation of British Industry. He was speaking to about 100 students in the new Threatre at a meeting arranged jointly between the International Foi;um and the European Society. Sir Norman's speech was entitled 'Britain and Europe' and in it he stressed Britains opportunity to take a lead in European trade due to France's internal unrest. He warned that although the time was now ripe for Britain to forge ahead a careful plan had to be worked out. Britain should solidify the Seven and create an atmosphere of trust between the members. The Seven and the Six should get together and try to work out a joint Treaty. Only in this way could Europe hope to compete successfully with America and the East. Sir Kipping ended by saying 'Britain must not only look to Europe for trade but also to the underdeveloped countries who are eager for trade connections with our country.' Castro Defended Not a Communist 'Villain' Gordon Lewis, Professor of Political Institutions at the University of Puerto Rico, defended Fidel Castro at a meeting of the Political Science on Tuesday last week. SI MMON DS University Booksellers Our shop is not the biggest in London, but it is amongst the best. And it's a place where you will obtain individual attention. We stock most of the books on your syllabus, and we are Ave minutes from L.S.E. 16 Fleet Street, London, E.C.4 (Opposite Chancery Lane) Castro was not, he suggested, quite the villain that the western press makes him out to be. While there was an element of demagoguery in his behaviour, this was insignificant compared to that shown by, say Gladstone, or by candidates in a presidential election in the U.S.A. Reforms Overlooked The social and political reforms of the new Cuban regime were too often overlooked, said Professor Lewis, although he admitted that mistakes had been made. He regarded the 'flirtation' with the Communists as dangerous, but said that Castro was less a Communist than a pragmatic revolutionary like Betancourt. Effect on Colonialism Professor Lewis was talking about 'Revolution and Nationalism in the Caribbean', a subject on which he has written a book, due to be published shortly. He analysed the effects of seventeenth century commercialism and slavery on the present situation. These forces, he said, have had a disastrous effect on class and race relations. They still affect the attitudes of educated West Indians and Cubans. Future of Caribbean Looking to the future. Professor Lewis was nevertheless optimistic. He felt that improved communications between peoples in the Caribbean, coupled with the teaching of Spanish as a second language in the English-speaking countries, would allow a Caribbean nationalism to develop. Professor Lewis is at present on a Sabbatical year. He has visited Cuba many times during the last two years. Mr. BUTLER VISITS LS.E. MISS SOHO AS A CASTAWAY Miss Soho, Janet Weitz, was the main attraction at a record programme in aid of WUS last week. Held in the Graham Wallas Room, it was on the lines of the BBC programme, Desert island Discs, with Miss Weitz as the 'castaway'. This was Miss Weitz's last engagement before leaving for Holland. Dr. Ralph Milliband, the left-wing lecturer in Political Science was to have been the 'castaway' but was unable to appear due to unforeseeable circumstances. The Home Secretary, R. A. Butler, was greeted by a prolonged barrage from the gallery, when he addressed about 800 students in the Old Theatre at a meeting of the LU Conservative Society on Thursday, November 3. He was subjected to the singing of the Red Flag, toilet rolls were thrown at him, a trumpet played the Last Post and a banner proclaiming 'Remember the Empire' was on display. Throughout his speech he was heckled by the more left-wing members of the audience, led by Brian Levy and Alan Segal. Mr. Butler energetically supported the Government's defence policy on the basis that unless Britain had nuclear strength our voice would carry no weight in international affairs. He agreed that a new summit should be called specially to discuss nuclear disarmament. Unless we had the bomb, he argued, we could not deal with the problems entailed and could therefore make no valuable contribution to a definite settlement of the problems. He attacked those people who are willing to get rid of the bomb while 'hypocritically shielding behind America's skirts'. Apparently on the asump-tion that students do not read the newspapers, Mr. Butler devoted almost the whole of his speech to outlining the Queen's speech. Exhibition The International Exhibition was held in room 2 on Thursday afternoon. Among the attractions were foods from Pakistan and exotic wines. It was well supported by students who gave generously to the cause. Miss LSE was among the visitors and was encouraged to buy bangles at the Indian Stall. Alan Segal dressed in national costume publicised the Exhibition in the Refectory and in the coffee bar. BEAVER GETS AN OUTING About five hundred guests packed the Refectory and the Coffee Bar on Saturday 12th November for a party organised by the Entertainments Committee. London Colleges had been invited to send their mascots, and about half-a-dozen of them were there. Our own mascot. Beaver, was brought out after a special birthday cake had been cut. SEGAL MEETS HIS MATCH Alan Segal, former news editor of Beaver and a well-known heckler at Union meetings, met his match last week when he tried to heckle Edith Summerskill, M.P. at a debate in the Old Theatre. The motion was that 'This house welcomes a return to Victorian principles of domesticity for women', and Miss Summerskill was understandably, opposing. Mr. Segal made a valiant attempt to get the better of the guest speaker, but was eventually defeated by a reference to his cracked falsetto voice, which reduced the House to laughter, and Mr. Segal to silence. An uproar arose in the House when Mr. Ginn, a first year student, was trying to tell what it is understood he thought to be a funny story. The motion was defeated by a large majority. My Bank?. . THE MIDLAND OF COURSE! §1 It's no coincidence that many students choose the Midland; young people with forward-looking ideas like to deal with a forward-looking and go-ahead bank. Once you open an account with us you'll wonder how you ever managed without it. The cheques you receive are so much more easily dealt with. The bills you pay can be paid by cheque. And you may even find at the end of Term that you have actually saved something! Why not call at your local branch and see us about it ? Our staff there will be happy to explain how the Midland Bank can help you. Midland Bank- THE GO-AHEAD BANK FOR CO-AHEAD PEOPLE 2,250 BHAl^CHES IN ENGLAND AI\D WALES BEAVER 24th November, 1960 Features Page edited by Paul Buteux Thou Shalt Not Meddle by Simon Klinger The year 1960 will go down in history outside G.B. as the most tumultuous in student politics since 1848. Last week, the President of the Union presented us with what appeared to be a minor problem, viz., politics and the NUS. Some voices were raised for and against the marriage and one wonders if the issue is at all taken seriously by the National Union of Students and the officers dealing with it. It has been said that the lack of interest is due to the fact that little or no publicity has been given to it in SENNET and other student publications. It has also been suggested that the present state of political amnesia in our rags is genuine. Students are getting more and more conscious of the political situation here and abroad and the number of police helmets lost is on the increase. The Aldermaston Marches, the demonstrations against the Sharpeville shootings and now a Campaign for Civil Disobedience have all had numerous student adherents and have as a result provoked the wrath of rags with a wider circulation in Fleet Street. The cliche; "students ought not" is becoming more and more common daily. It is felt that students are a caste apart, whose views are to be taken with a pinch of salt, a shrug of the shoulders and a sigh, a caste with no other rights than to hold rags and drive around in jalopies painted in yellow. Some people feel students are as good and justified a pressure group as any of the Trade Unions in this country, and the sooner they become a group the better. The arguments in favour of political partisanship and 'the right to struggle' are as varied as they are colourful; but I shall leave it to the appropriate bodies to sort those matters out with and by the constitutional means at their disposal. Gay Paree was not so gay last week when it witnessed a strike backed and organised by the French Students' Union opposed to the continuation of the war in Algeria. The military coup in Ankara had the active support of the Turkish Student body, the Zengakuren (Japanese Students' Union) have prevented President Eisenhower from calling on Tokyo and on Mr. Kishi who is no longer Prime Minister, President Syngman Ree of South Advertisers Announcement ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL EXPOSE This is the city. My name is Vingoe. My job's entertainment. 6.45. Monday. Lieutenant Shave woke me up. Had a hangover, didn't like it. Got drift of what he said. This news was real hot. Took 4 finger slug of Bourbon. Report notorious Vice Queen Waddleton planning big racket in Festival Hall, night December 2nd-Zero hour 11 p.m. 6.55 p.m. Called up rest of Entertainments Committee Deputies. 7.00- 7.01- 7.02- Rushed outside Ran back in — — hell it's cold ! ! ! ! Put pant's on. Rushed out again. 7.30 Visited 3 Tunns bar. Found her in dingy upper room, planning with Eddie Lock, known among the boys as 'Scarface Big Ed'. This boded no good. Big Ed known as chief of London mobsters. 7.35-Interrogation followed. They clammed up. We began to get tough . . so did Big Ed. When we'd finished he looked a mess, covered in blood. ! ! ! our blood ! ! Threatened them with a 642 (Budget Refusal Form). 7.40- They talked fast. Planning a night raid on South Bank — Festival Hall main objective. Planning themselves a Ball — quite a racket, a night of wine, women, and song, food and liquor in plenty. Hoping to be joined by a 1,000 other smooth characters, the Jackson gang and the Leeward Islands mob. Cabaret intended for interval. Sounds like striptease — must be there. SO MUST YOU. Korea owes his premature retirement to the Faculties of Seoul University. Students seem to be having a say in world affairs, whether rightly or wrongly is beside the point. Is anything similar likely to happen in this country? The chances are as remote as the possibility of Britain turning into a water-drinking nation. Politics are far from being a sword of Damocles hanging over our heads. Nevertheless, the means test issue. Lord Russell, Rev. Soper and others may provoke some student reaction. Promises from an up and coming party as well as from the Opposition may precipitate students into the political arena whether they like it or not. What this student of student-behaviour would like to know is are we all sitting on the fence ? And if so how long is it going to last, assuming that this uncomfortable position has not become a way of life? It would be interesting to know what they make of it in Endsleigh and Malet Streets. GERMAN UNIVERSITY LIFE (This article was written with the assistance of the Cologne delegation to the International Summer School.) As both Cologne and LSE are members of CEDESE a short description of German university education may help in the understanding of this organisation. At Cologne, neither lectures, classes nor internal examinations are compulsory; only those who are at university on State scholarships have to take regular exams. According to the principles of Academic Freedom (Aca-demische Freiheit), students attend whatever lectures they like in all faculties, presenting themselves for their finals when they feel ready. However, all students must remain at university for at least eight terms, which means a four year course. A leaving certificate from his 'Gymnasium', qualifies a student for university entrance, and students may move from one university to another whenever they wish. Only those students with a parental income of less than £600 to £1,200 are eligible for State aid and must suffer the indignity of examinations at the end of their third term. Corporate life is even poorer than at LSE. However, what there is of it is organised by a students' council (ASTA) a body indirectly elected by a college of fifty members. Rosa Luxemburg A Brief Reappraisal by Paul Buteux There are many who feel that the prescription for the resolution of world problems lies in the hands of the left. There are fewer, who find the solution in that brand of Marxist socialism expressed in the European social democratic tradition. All however, might find guidance and inspiration in a somewhat forgotten figure of the socialist movement, Rosa Luxemburg. She was born, a Polish-Jew in 1871, and from the age of sixteen was engaged in revolutionary activity. Forced to flee, she continued her education in this and other fields in Zurich, which was at this time the centre for Eastern European political emigres. It was during this period that she met many future Russian leaders, including Lenin. Polish Problem It was as a founder member of the Polish S.D.P., that Rosa Luxemburg advocated her solution for the Polish problem. She envisaged a revolutionary alliance with the Russian working class, resulting in a greater Russian democratic republic, within which, Poland would enjoy more cultural autonomy. Many would regard this exclusion of Polish nationalism as being typically dogmatic and Utopian, but in the light of post-war Europe, one might alter this view. In Germany, where she eventually settled, Rosa Luxemburg became a leading Marxist intellectual in the left wing of the German S.D.P. It was this group that claimed to be the true heirs of Marx's revolutionary ardour. A result of this was an ideological conflict with Lenin. Anti-War In her book, The Accumulation of Capital', she prophesied that the last phase of capitalism would be a period of catastrophe. When in 1914 the war came, it must have seemed that this stage had been reached. Rosa Luxemburg took a firm unyielding stand against war and militarism, but she took it almost alone. To her bitter disappointment, the German S.D.P., like most other European socialist parties, supported the government and the war. Spartacus League Her anti-war activities, associated with the group known as the Spartacus League, caused her to spend much of the war in prison. On her release in 1918, she and her associates played an active role in the disturbed and bitter faction fights of the ensuing months. But it would be unjust to link her with the bloody Spartacus rising of 1919. Following the failure of the rising in Jan. 1919 she and her associate Karl Liebknecht were murdered by members of the so-called "Free Corps". Conflict with Lenin In 1918, the small group of intellectuals around Rosa Luxemburg founded the German Communist Party. It was through the paper that Karl Liebknecht edited, that she expressed her differences with Lenin and his conception of the Russian revolutionary movement. It is this which accounts for her disfavour in Russia. Some of her writings have been published, but only in bowdlerised and edited versions. She emphasised the moral and democratic basis of socialism and regarded freedom as being inseparable from it. In my opinion, it is this which makes her a valuable study for those interested in the history and ideas of the European social revolutionaries. Read Clare Market Review the lively magazine of L. S. E. only 1/- out December 24th November, 1960 BEAVER A National Theatre ? by Alastair MacAuley A few weeks ago the Arts Council issued its annual report in which it urged local councils to spend far more on the Arts in their areas. The controversy over a National Theatre on the South Bank site has reappeared in the National Press. These questions raise the question: can cultural minorities expect their entertainment to be subsidised by the state, or should they make do with only those forms that can pay for themselves ? Serious artists have seldom been able to avoid penury except by the enjoyment of patronage. As the well-known but nevertheless justifiable argument goes, the income redistribution of the past fifty years has removed most of the sources of individual patronage. Only limited companies and the state have fortunes nowadays. Those people AN ADVENTUROUS CINEMA A year ago, a small East London cinema, the State of Leytonstone, found itself with a new management, which, instead of showing 'Cowboys and Indians' to attract the local enfants terribles, adopted the slogan 'The Cinema for Adult Entertainment', and set out to cater for grown up people. The Film Industry has developed with the century, and no one will dispute its claim that today the film is a distinct form of art. It should not put all the blame on to TV and HP, for the fall in attendances. The ill-mannered may be in the minority, but like all minorities, they make themselves heard, and, today, in the popular cinema 'heard' is the operative word. An intelligent person goes to the cinema to see and hear the film, not the audience, so that today he goes once and stays away. "There you find no advertising films; no mouth-watering trailers for Ice Cream and Popcorn; and no noise. Nothing to distract from the entertainment. The casual cinemagoer, and the couples seeking the dark to provide their own amusement, are tactfully persuaded to go elsewhere. In fact a State Film Society has been formed and the State Leytonstone is all times for 'Members Only'. Subscription is nominal, prices are low; ncne-the-less, it is a bold policy, and it is hoped that the State will come to be held in high esteem by the serious cinemagoers, not only for the quality of its programmes, but for its integrity of purpose. who are best fitted to rise to the top of the commercial tree have not had the type of education that would make them capable arbiters of promising artistic developments. Equally in Britain and the USA electoral success demands a cheese-paring tax policy; the difficulties in the way of adequate state patronage are almost insuperable. In dictatorships where there is no need to worry about success at the polls, the role of patron has been willingly accepted by the state. As far as the theatre is concerned, if we are to expect the State or industry to subsidise it, we must show that modern serious drama in some way enriches the cultural life of the community, instead of providing amusement for the intellectual or affluent few. English dramatists have only broken free from the FILMS LA NOTTE BRAVA Director Mauro Bolognini misused 8,376 ft. of celluloid to tell us an incoherent story about three punks, four prostitutes and four other personalities of minor importance. Using some cinematic effects which would have been rejected even by members of the nauvelle vague, he has presented us with half a dozen quasi-libidinous scenes including fornication on a carpeted floor, which is left to our imagination. The plot hardly deserves that name, the dialogue is pedestrian and the background mildly cool. S.K. * * * THE GIANT OF MARATHON The Giant of Marathon illustrates the lack of originality in the cinema today. Mylene Demongeot pouts, sheds tears of glycerine and writhes in a way that is supposed to be sexy tied to the prow of a warship. Steve Reeves as Philippedes performed such feats of strength, with the aid of the camera that the audience simply laughed. Good colour and a simple story make this a film that children of ten might enjoy, but to offer it as adult entertainment is nothing less than an insult; no doubt it will be an immense success. D.K. winding-sheet or drawing-room comedy conventions since the war. There have been two separate strands discernable; modern verse drama and problem plays and the realist school. There has always been a strong popular tradition in English drama. While the French classicists were writing almost exclusively for the Court, Shakespeare's plays were directed as much at the groundlings as at the aristocracy. The emergence of authors like Osborne, Arden and Wesker is only a recrudescence of the popular tradition. In their plays, people are shown in plausible situations, speaking as people do talk; further, these playwrights have some relevant observations to make about modern Britain. The success of films like Look Back in Anger and Room DRAMA SOCIETY'S NEW PRODUCTION Three hundred and thirty seven years after Shakespeare wrote Richard II, a modern version began a successful run in the West End. This play, Richard of Bordeaux, by Gordon Daviot (who is actually a woman) is being presented by the Drama Society on December 6th, 7th and 9th. It is no mere modern version in the usual sense, but a new creation, excellent in its own right. It deals with Richard's story from the time he began to take over the reins of government up to his abdication in 1398. Each year, for its Michaelmas term production, the Drama Society seeks to discover and develop new talent among the first year students. This year Ron Legge, the producer, has cast fifteen out of his twenty-seven characters from first year members of the Society; In Roger Forber, who will play Richard, the Society has found a talent of no mean proportions. This is perhaps a more ambitious production than the Society has been attempting in the recent past, but they hope it will achieve the success merited by this fortunate combination of talent and initiative. Mac Aillbutt at the Top, and the popularity of Theatre Workshop productions show that this type of production has a wide appeal. The failure of a number of plays and the stagnation on Shaftesbury Avenue point to two things. Either the public has become discriminating— which the success of The Mousetrap belies—or that a large potential audience is being put off by the snobbery that is associated with theatre going in London. The widespread use of such phrases as 'doing a show' indicate that theatre-going is still very much a social occasion and the play itself only secondary. Audience behaviour substantiates this. In France the state supports a number of companies —among them the TNP and the Comedie Francaise. Both companies undertake provin- BOOKS IMPERIALISM AND SOCIAL REFORM by J. Semmel (Allen and Unwin, 28s.) For many years, sensitive people have been worried by the fact that the British 'Welfare State' and affluent society have been buttressed by the cheap sources of raw materials and food, coupled with the soft markets for finished products, in the British Commonwealth and Colonies. In a word, socialism at home has rested upon imperialism abroad. This book describes the formation of the ideology which provided the rationae for these arrangements during the two years preceding the First World War. This period of course includes the Boer War. Dr. Semmel has much to say about the avowed imperialists such as Joseph Chamberlain, Lord Milner and H. J. Mackinder, but the real interest of this book centres round the attitude of the day towards imperialism. Robert Blatchford, and to a lesser extent the Webbs, supported it. But Dr. Semmel over-states his case by alleging that the bulk of the Labour movement favoured not only imperialism but also imperialistic wars during the period covered by the book. Yet the record shows that the majority of Labour leaders were opposed to imperialism and even to the Boer War, when such opposition was unpopular. At almost every annual Conference of the Labour Party before 1914 resolutions condemning war and imperialism were passed by overwhelming majorities. In 1914 the leader of the party, Keir Hardie, Ramsay MacDonald, Herbert Morrison, and the whole of the then large Independent Labour Party opposed Britain's entry into the First World War. At the beginning of the war the Labour Party was accused of being unpatriotic. cial tours during the summer but the composition of the theatre audiences is far more varied than in England, and they have a more intellectual approach to the plays they see. In Germany most towns have municipal theatres attended by a broadly-based and serious audience. But unless it can be shown that a state-subsidised theatre in Britain would not remain the esoteric amusement it now is, it should not be introduced. At present we have only the experience of the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry, and the new municipal theatre, Nottingham, to go by. When we have seen the type of audiences they attract, and the policies they follow then the question of a National Theatre should be advanced again. JAZZ AT CHELSEA PETE RIDGES JAZZ BAND DECEMBER 3rd 7.30-11.30 There are some minor slips in the book which it would be tedious to enumerate. But my main criticism of Dr. Semmel is that he has tried to fit the complex history of the Labour movement into a doctrinal straight-jacket. Unfortunately, as is all too plain today, the Labour movement is a delicate coalition of many interests and ideologies, some of which are contradictory. Dr. Semmel's failure to understand this elementary point spoils what ought to have been a very enlightening book. B.T. BASIC ECONOMICS by James Hadfield (University of London Press, 4s.) This is a very simple introduction to Economics. It was designed for East and Central African students in secondary schools. The author, who was head of a school in Rhodesia, knows what is required; he has provided simple and lucid explanations, and illustrated them from African examples. For those with an interest in the economics of these territories, there is plenty of information in this book, but it is likely to find its greatest popularity in schools which provide courses in Economics. F.M. LAW BOOKS NEARLY 2,000 LATEST EDITIONS SECOND HAND SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT After 123 years at our present address, we have now extended our premises, which include a Showroom of nearly 2,000 latest edition Textbooks; also a large collection of trials, Criminolo&y and Legal Biographies Inspection invited — correspondence welcomed WILDY & SONS LTD. Law Booksellers and Licensed Valuers since 1830 Uncoln's Inn Archway, Xiondon, W,C.2 Telephone: Holbom 5160 Telegrams : Wildy's, Holbom London 6 BEAVER 24th November, 1960 Sports Page Edited by RICHARD NEWS IN BRIEF Basketball The Basketball Club achieved the following results: •— V. Regent Street Polytechnic (away) lost 58-52 V. St. Mark and St. John (away) won 29-61 V. Battersea (away) won 34-43 Hockey Women's Hockey Report Despite several cancellations due to the weather, the women's Hockey Club goes from strength to strength. To date it is unbeaten, having recorded recent wins against Goldsmiths (2-1); Royal Holloway (8-3) and Royal Free Hospital (4-0). Fencing Result of the match against King's College on 20th October. LSE 9 wins: King's College 4 wins. Individual results: Fort LSE 7 wins; King's 2 wins. Epee LSE 2 wins; King's 2 wins. Chess The Chess Club, aided by University players John and Cureton, has done extremely well to maintain their so far unbeaten record. The most recent results are:— First Team V. St. Barts. Hosp. Won 5-3 V. Lensbury Drew 5-5 Second Team V. U.C.H.I. Third Team V. Q.E.C. Won 4-2 Drew 3-3 Fourth Team V. Wye College Won 3i-2i Table Tennis The first team of Misra, Oyediran and Stevenson is so far unbeaten in the University League. The first match resulted in a 10-0 defeat of U.C. II, and in the second, a Caribbean Cup Match, I.C. II, lost 9-0. Encouraging as these results are, LSE is in the 1st Division for the first time ever, and can hardly hope for many more games as easy as these. Indeed, even with the help of University player Misra, it will need a determined effort for the team to avoid relegation. SAILING Since the start of term the Sailing Club have been having a busy season. Early in the term LSE soundly defeated King's in a Fresher's Match, by 44i to 32 points. In the last of the two races LSE came in first, second and third places, with a demoralised King's team far away in the distance. Later in the term, unfortunately, Wembley Juniors proved too much for us, winning by 2 points. It was a very close and exciting match —LSE were leading until, trying to round a buoy against about thirty Fireflies, an LSE boat was involved in a collision. No damage was done, in spite of a horrid grinding of masts. This was the Sailing Club's first defeat since last Christmas. On top of these team racing activities, individual members have been sailing in the University 'A' and 'B' points races with some success. Peter Watson took second place in a 'B' race sailing our new boat Nikita Khrus-chev and Peaceful Coexistence, after gaining several places in the last beat to windward. Brian Stevens, who was lying second, had to retire after a collision. Later in the day Brian Hartley took fourth place in an 'A' race against some very strong opposition. All these helmsmen have learned to sail since coming up to LSE. The Club has had three members in the University trials. Eglin took a second and a fifth place in the individual races. A home match has already been arranged for this term with Exeter University, while a match away against Cardiff has been fixed for early next term. The Club would like to arrange more matches, but it is difficult to raise the neccessary six boats as two have to be borrowed from other colleges. Cross Country One of LSE's most important fixtures of the season was the 6 X 1.6 miles UC Invitation Relay Race. On the Hampstead course the LSE team started off very well with two fast laps by Hack and Hall, so that at one stage they were in third place. The other four legs, though commendable performances were not quite fast enough with the result that the team dropped back to tenth place. Even so, against high class opposition in a field of 26, the team showed themselves in fine form. A further boost to their already high morale came when they beat the Royal Veterinary College by the convincing margin of 10 to 33; LSE runners gaining the first five places. On Wednesday, November 9th, LSE met Borough Road T.C., Royal Vets, and London Hospital in a four-cornered fixture. Freeman and Campbell, the two star runners in Borough's formidable side, led their team to victory. The LSE runners, led by Heck (who finished third equal) all ran well, and finished in a well-deserved second place. One other fine result was achieved against Q.M.C. and Shoreditch T.C. when LSE won the match by one point. Cakebread was second, and Allen fourth. RUGBY REPORT The Rugby Club has not made an auspicious start to the season and this is confirmed by a glance at the results. More than 20 first year students have come forward to join the Club, and consequently, the number of players on the books should be sufficient to field three teams twice a week. This we usually succeed in doing but often only after last minute Football The first team are playing well this year, despite their propensity to concede penalties (eight in nine games). The Lower teams' records are not so impressive, but should improve as they settle down. Recent results are: — 1st XI. V. Shoreditch 2-2 V. St Clement Danes 2-2 V. Kings 2-1 2nd XI. V. Shoreditch 2 - 2 V. I.C. 3 - 6 V. Kings 3-1 V. Queen's (Oxford) 3-2 3rd XI. V. Kings 8-0 4th XI. V. Goldsmiths 0 - 10 V. Imperial 0-4 Squash So far this term the Squash 1st V have played five matches. Four of these they won against other London colleges in the newly formed University team; the other they lost to a very strong team from St. John's, Oxford. With Axford, Norburn, Gibbs and Allen playing verj consistently, and research student Krain, showing considerable promise the league and cup prospects look very bright indeed. In the club ladder competition the latest positions are—¦ 1 Axford, 2 Norburn, 3 Gibbs, 4 Allen, 5 Krain. The results so far are: —¦ 1st team v. Kings 4-1 V. U.C. 4 - 1 V. St. Johns 1-4 V. LC. 5 - 0 Boat This term the Boat Club found itself in the rather unenviable position of having most of its senior members lost to LSE rowing because of graduation or because of their failure to satisfy the examiners. This meant that the club lacked the nucleus of experienced oarsmen which is so necessary to maintain the continuity of a college boat club. Nevertheless the future is much brighter than this rather gloomy picture would seem to indicate. An enthusiastic band of freshers has combined with what remained of last year's Second Eight to form two Eights. This year's First Eight is therefore, made up of last session's Second crew and one or two freshers who have had previous rowing experience, while the second crew is composed entirely of freshers who had had no rowing experience until they came to the LSE. With this as their material, the committee have looked at the possibility of future competition. As things stand at the moment it would seem to be a little ambitious to talk of the First crew ever becoming Thames Cup class (or as it would be known in football circles, First Division standard), but there would seem to be no bar whatsoever to the eight doing well in some of the less senior events. Accordingly, the First Eight will be entered for the Vesta Autumn Clinker Eights on 3rd December, the University Winter Eights on 10th December, and possibly the Ibis Christmas Head of the River race, should the date be convenient. The novice Second Eight will probably be entered for the last two of these events. This report must necessarily be lacking in more detail as most of the Club's time this term is spent in training. However, the Boat Club hopes, at some later date, to be able to report that this year's members have not tarnished the reputation which the LSE Boat Club has made for itself in University rowing circles. panics on Friday afternoons. All club-members are keen and enthusiastic, and this zeal for the game compensates for lack of talent on occasions! As regards the question of skilful players, it appears that there are quite a few good players around LSE who have committed themselves to outside clubs. This is natural for Londoners who have been playing for local clubs for several years, but it is a little harder to understand the attitude of those people who come from outside London and yet prefer to join London clubs rather than their own college clubs. A constant difficulty is the provision of referees for the Second 15 and Third 15 matches. The London Society of Referees will supply us with referees only for the First 15 matches, and hence we must find referees for the other matches from amongst ourselves. This often proves difficult and I would appeal to anyone who is interested in serving the Rugby Club in this way to contact any of the officials. We give referees 7/6 per game and they receive a free tea and free beer. These incentives apart, there is the added attraction of weekly exercise. Two matches were played against Reading University on 19th October and both were lost, 3-21 and 0-14 respectively. On this day, the First 15 seemed again afflicted by their recurring ailment, namely lethargy. In addition to this, there was a pitiful lack of cohesion, and this was fatal against the extremely fit Reading team. Three freshers in the pack had very good games and this fact, if nothing else, proved heartening. The following Saturday, the Second 15 won easily against a young Streatham team whilst the First 15 had a creditable battle against the immense team fielded by Wasps 'A' 15. The final result was 0-3 in favour of Wasps but this margin was no disgrace, the LSE forwards having combined extremely well on this rather muddy day. On 27 th October, there were two matches against Wye College. Conditions were extremely bad, the Second 15 pitch covered in places with several inches of water. This was truly a day for the forwards and the First 15 pack made the most of it, holding Wye to a pointless draw. The Second 15 proved negligent in their observance of the outside rule and Wye increased their lead of a try and a goal with three penalty goals. TOUCHJUDGE Iswiardlgl^ 86 KINGSWAY, W.C.2 BLAZERS - HOLborn 2240 BADGES Official Suppliers to the Students' Union Published by the Students' Union, London School of Economics and Political Science, University of London. Printed by Albert Clark & Co. Ltd. (T.U.), Waterloo Rd., N.W.2.