ST. GODRIC'S SECRETARIAL COLLEGE For Administrative and Secretarial Careers intensive Courses for Graduates for well-paid and responsible posts. Active Appointments Department. Expert advice on careers and individual care. Resident and day students accepted. Special Courses in Administration and Mana{ement, Journalism, Advertising, Languages and Foreign Shorthands, Hospital, Library and Political work. J W. LOVERIDGE, M.A. (Cantab.) 1 Arkwright Road, Hampstead N.W,3 Telephone: HAMpstead 5986 /V Sy BRlTiSH 1 i Wl OF POLiTJC-ECONOMiO 8 LIBRARY AVER NEWSPAPER OF THE STUDENTS' UNION, LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS AND POLITICAL SCIENCE (UNIVERSITY OF LONDON) MAY 10th, 1956 THREEPENCE _tfvo. V SIMMONDS 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 five minutes from L.S.E. 16 Fleet Street, London, E.C.4 (Opposite Chancery Lane) L.S.E.S DOUBLE Success dogs the footsteps of our President and General Secretary. As our Union swings towards the pink, so our blue leaders find bigger and better posts in student affairs. Roland Freeman, our first Conservative President for many years (our last Liberal President was Sir Arnold Plant), has been elected unopposed president of the 90,000 strong National Union of Students. Delegates from 200 universities, technical and training colleges in England, Wales and Northern Ireland were present. non-political ticket and hopes to make U.L.U. a power in N.U.S. by developing it as the rallying point of the London Colleges. This exceptionally versatile and energetic young man is due to take Fart 1 ihis term: the job goes to him, regardless of the outcome. Roland takes over from Frank Copplestone in November: asked his aims he cried, " Expansion— bigger and betterF"aced by a look of consternation, he explained that by this he meant persuading those colleges that had contracted out of the N.U.S. to return, and those that had never belonged that it would be to their advantage to join. Roland will be a full-time paid officer, will have his headquarters in Endsleigh Street and will have in his charge a staff of more than 40 officials. The post carries with it a flat at nominal rent situated just above the offices, and Roland will be happy to receive his customary visitors after office hours. Roland is the first L.S.E. President to achieve this distinction and we are sure that he will more than fulfil all expectations. U.L.U. Boss? Tom Dale has achieved his ambition and been elected Deputy President of London University Union by the President's Council. He has put in a bit of ground work to achieve this, and has been on a round of dances and other functions. He knew most of the officers in U.L.U. before handing in his nomination and should be able to work well with them. One of his jobs will be Secretary of the House Committee, which advises the warden in the running of the new Union building. Tom has run on a REFECTORY REPORT In the report of the L.S.E. London Refectories Survey, a great deal of information has been gathered about arrangements in similar colleges and some interesting comparisons are made. In fact, the tone of the whole report is clear and interesting, for which we are much indebted to Peter Hall and his associates. On the whole, the report docs not suggest any glaring causes of our unusually high prices. Rather our problem is a complex one, in which scale, size of staff and layouts play important parts. However, the need for action is emphasised. Our meals are the most expensive in London University while providing only comparable service. A later report will summarise the committee's recommendations, but this survey does put the complexity of the problem clearly before us. For those interested in the matter, copies are available in the Union office and are well worth half an hour's reading. D.T. YOU need a . . . ¦ TYPEWRITER? Second-hand Models from £10/10 0 Rebuilt and New Standard and Portable Machines of ail makes in stock HIRE AND REPAIRS WHY NOT VISIT OUR SHOWROOMS? Thrale Beaumont Ltd. 47, Kingsway, London, W.C. 2 "I'm djingfor a cc^ee . . . Let's go to the GAIETY" The Cafe to suit the student's pocket 149 Strand, London, W.C.2 Restaurant and Snack Bar THE OFFICIAL SPORTS & COLOUR OUTFITTERS JACK HOBBS LTD. 59 FLEET STREET, E.C.4 FLEet Street 2139 PRING Roland and ^Tom Romp Home "ONCE ABOARD THE LUGGER----" Seventium of L.S.E.'s renowned Sailing Club took to the Broads. Story back page. THE Nth. REPUBLIC Maybe it was the fact that Eric will have finished his course here next year, but whatever the deciding factor. Union voted to postpone the consideration of a new constitution until then. The surprising thing is that not only has an appointed committee reported back on time, but they have surpassed themselves and drawn up two constitutions. The relationship of these two drafts to each other and to the committee seems to be very obscure. If you are bold enough to ask any member of this hard-working committee you will no doubt receive a quarter of an hour's explanation which will leave you quite dizzy. Nevertheless, whoever is responsible for putting a new constitution to Union in the future will have these two excellent drafts to work from. Union Shop Some people like tinkering with constitutions for the " fun " of it, but there are some changes which are urgently needed in ours. The increase in services with the coming Union Shop has created new top level responsibility and many people feel that we do not pay enough attention to academic problems. Star Chamber? Changes to meet these problems with others which were felt to be desirable were incorporated in each diaft. But one draft contains far more radical changes designed to give stability to Union policy and speed to Union procedure by sub- stituting an elected '* court " to replace the weekly general meetings. This change is revolutionary or reactionary according to how you see it. If this proposal is ever put to Union it will provide an inter-cstnig meeting ;1 nothing else. IN THIS ISSUE Page 2 UNION BUSINESS Page 3 IN LIGHTER VEIN Page 4 THE CRITICS Page 5 SOCIETIES Page 6 SPORT & SPORT STOP PRESS NO ONE 'ECKLED ECCLES! Last Friday Union Public Business consisted of an address by Sir David Eccles, Minister of Education. Unfortunately, owing to preoccupation with exams., many people could not be present but the Old Theatre was adequately filled. Russian Etons? The Minister spoke for twenty minutes and answered questions for three quarters of an hour. He had, he said, spoken to Mr. Kruschev about the Russian education programme. In spite of the fact that 30% of their children in the cities had no secondary education, and there was no secondary education at all in the rural areas, they were thinking of setting up a system of boarding schools " to perpetuate the ruling class." At question time this was vigorously challenged by Mr. Marshall Harris, who urged the Minister to read Mr. X's report to the 20th Congress of the Communist Party. The Minister queried the accuracy of Mr. Harris's copy and said that the copy which he had read, which was certainly the true one, hinted at what Mr. K. told him personally. Rate for the Job Sir David also mentioned that all heavily populated countries were now facing the same problem as oiuselves—the need to give priority to education and particularly to technical education, and to cut down on some other form of expenditure to enable them to do so. Unless we were prepared to reduce industrial building, the only way to do this was to cut down on housing. The teaching profession was at a crucial point and he hoped the pending settlement of teachers' pay with the proposed wider differentials for responsible posts, would bring- in the better quality teachers needed from the University graduates. In reply to other questions, the Minister said he saw no justification for any further increase in students' grants: he did not and could not in the future negotiate with N.U.S. on the subject, though he was always pleased to receive representations from the N.U.S, / deserve art 'ELEPHANT' FREMUNS 'ELEPHANT' ALES LIGHT AND DOUBLE BROWN On sale at the Three Tuns Bar and from Free ' Off'Licences in London and the Home Counties FREMLmS LIMITED • MAIDSTOME AND LONDON 2 BEAVER May 10th, 1956 "TRIPLE ALLIANCE" The L.S.E. delegation to N.U.S. Council (Bill Capstick, Leader; Dick Whitehouse and Peter Fletcher), has every right to be proud of its achievement last month. Of 7 motions moved no less than five were carried— some by very large majorities. This is a far cry from the days v/hen L.S.E. delegates rising to speak were greeted with groans from the assembled representatives of our fellow Unions. The motions on Miss Lucy (jointly moved with the N.U.S. Executive) and Iraqi students were carried unanimously and Bill Capstick had the satisfaction of successfully moving motions calling respectively for payments of grants on the first day of term and for the inauguration by the N.U.S. Executive of a concessionary rates scheme for N.U.S. members. The latter motion was hotly attacked on the floor by those who objected to private enterprise providing benefits for students who, they argued, should be more adequately provided for by State grants. Incidentally, later on in the Council meeting a motion calling for an immediate interim increase in grants was defeated by a big majority. Casualties Peter Fletcher had the exciting experience of moving two of the most controversial motions of the week-end. Once calling for the abolition of conscription was ruled out of order, producing a stormy debate on a challenge to the President's ruling — which was overwhelmingly upheld at the vote. The other, on insurance payments for vacation work, was attacked as depriving students of protection BY THE PRESIDENT against industrial injuries, which Peter stoutly maintained was quite untrue. It was the only other casualty among L.S.E.'s seven motions. Probably the most unusual debut for a maiden speaker at an N.U.S. Council befell Dick Whitehouse. The very first motion of the Council, a constitutional amendment from L.S.E. on part-time students, was called but nobody rose to speak. N.U.S. President (again): " Speaker from L.S.E. please" (awkward silence). Mr. Capstick: "Mr. President, Sir, he's waiting outside! " (loud laughter). N.U.S. President; " Then would you kindly bring him in? " (exit Mr. Capstick—prolonged cheers; enter Mr. Whitehouse—tremendous ovation). POST BAG L.S.E. Society Dear Sir, Within the next two months you will lose one third of your readers —members of the academic community now preparing to take their final examinations and transfer their activities to other fields. But some of them will cast nostalgic glances over their shoulders at their student days at L.S.E. It is their eyes that this letter hopes to catch. L.S.E. does not want to lose touch with them no more than they want to lose touch with us. For this purpose, the London School of Economics Society exists, an association of Old Students open to anybody leaving L.S.E. after having been a student — day or evening — for twelve months. By joining us. Old Students are kept in contact with L.S.E.; they are entitled to a limited use of L.S.E. facilities, including the Library; twice a year they receive a magazine giving news of what goes on at L.S.E. They are v/elcome at an annual reunion dinner, a social meeting held at L.S.E. in conjunction with the Annual General Meeting, and a tea-time "At Home " where members act as hosts to students about to go down. " Old Economicals" teams play football and cricket and are permitted the use of the L.S.E. sports grounds. We are aware that funds are never lower than at the moment, when newly qualified graduates or diploma bearers go forth from University in search of their first jobs. To keep membership within the means of even the least well endowed, we have a concessionary subscription fee of 5/- for those joining us in the year of leaving L.S.E. Thereafter annual membership costs 10/-, life membership £3/13/6. All particulars from the undersigned. Yours, etc. W. M. Stern, Hott. Sec., L.S.E. Society. Room E318. Africa Society Protests Dear Sir, It seems rather difficult to understand how the position of the Africa Society on the Colonial Students' Day issue has been completely misunderstood. This misunderstanding, which appears to have been deliberately fostered by certain persons to save their faces, has been reinforced by the welter of confusion and the apparent gloom into which the whole issue has been cast. This state of affairs has given rise to two sorts of criticisms of the policy of the Africa Society, according to how the critics understand what the Colonial Students' Day stood for and what it was all about. In fact, a hard-boiled and disillusioned age is quick to jibe about political heresy and intransigence and the characterisation of the officials of the Africa Society as " veteran comrades " who have no made common cause with the imperialists, did find faint echoes in the last edition of Beaver. I consider it necessary therefore to give a reasoned picture of the whole situation and to nail the lies and dispel the confusion in the above criticisms. What did Colonial Students' Day stand for ? It was not until about a fortnight before February 21st last year that most of us (then first year students) got an inkling of what the Colonial Students' Day was about. Before then, what we knew was apparently the programme for the celebration which the External Affairs Vice-President had displayed on the Union Notice Board. The programme can be conveniently summarised with a convenient preamble as follows; "An occasion for the getting together of Colonial Students and Students from the Mother country. Native Colonial dishes will be served. The present Colonial Secretary and the Colonial Secretary of the Shadow Cabinet will be present, together with some other eminent personalities. Colonial Students will have the opportunity of meeting and talking to these people." An unmistakable impression that any students from the Colonies would get after reading the programme was that L.S.E., of all the colleges in Britain, was going to celebrate Colonialism on February 21st—a reminiscence of the Empire Day celebrations which have now been abolished for good in most of the African Colonies. It was therefore not without reason that the Africa Society should sound the Union Council that if Colonialism was going to be celebrated, its members were not going to take part in it. The Africa Society did not go further than this. It was obviously not the intention of the Society to force anything down the throats of other people. Other In spite of this inauspicious start, due to a last-minute change in the delegation speaking arrangements, Dick Whitehouse made, at very short notice, a lucid and effective speech on this complicated amendment. It was carried by the required two-thirds majority and as a result, all L.S.E.'s part-time students can now join N.U.S. at 15/-per }'ear, instead of 31/6. Union members have certainly been well served this year by their representatives, and all three delegates deserve our warmest congratulations on the most successful N.U.S. Council, from L.S.E.'s point of view, for many years. be:aver LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS HOUGHTON STREET ALDWYCH - LONDON - W.C.2 Vol. IV No. 9 Editor: John S. Sidle Associate Editor: Derek Shaw Assistant Editor: Sally Shulman. Art Editor: Ian Woolf Business Manager: Shirley Smith Sales Manager: David Lethbridge Sports Editor: Alao Aka Bashorun Staff: Barbailv Lever, Ian Jarvie, Paul Moverley, David Tackley, Tony Beard, Jolanta Sczaniecka EDITORS CONFER During the Easter vacation we attended, on behalf of the Union, the N.U.S. Editors' Conference in Birmingham^ arid we are pleased to be able to say that Beaver compared favourably with most other publications represented. It also seems that we are given a much freer hand to represent all trends of thought in the Union than are most student publications. This is all very gratifying, but we went primarily to learn how to produce a better paper and this is mainly where the organisation of the conference failed. There was an instructive talk on layout by a gentleman from a local Birmingham paper, and a very good meeting on advertising which was addressed by an ex-President of L.S.E., who works in London. We learnt a lot from him. Unjustified Apart from this, the delegates were left to discuss their views and difficulties among themselves, even in the formal meetings of the conference. Although this was very interesting, and the present writer picked up some valuable hints from these discussions, it was not a very good justification for a five-day stay in Birmingham. In all fairness to the organisers on the spot it must be said that they had to cancel some talks at the last minute, as the speakers could not come from London, and also student editors are extremely difficult to organise, but a sightseeing trip to Stratford-on-Avon is not really a very satisfactory substitute for a cancelled meeting at a conference of this sort. Next year it is to be hoped the conference will be held in London, which is, after all, the centre of the national press, and that there will be more speakers or the conference cut to three days. Perhaps the new president of N.U.S. will be able to see that arrangements for next year's conference are better. There will he one more issue of "Beaver" this term, on June 2\st, under nezo manageme^it. It will contain the programme for Going Down Week, and a full coverage of the term's sporting activities, so ice hope there will be plenty of copy from the A.U. AS I SEE IT .... in the Union This is a typical Union meeting. Typically it is unlike all others. Mr. Thomas Dale is forced to read the Minutes—the Union did not realize how funny it could be—Mr. Dale himself folds up into paroxysms of laughter. Roland remonstrates, "Tom, eh . . . Mr. Dale." Yes Roland, Tom is now U.L.U. Deputy President. "... and if eggs are 4|d. each then ..." We hear him out. It is Question Time. The Union is told that the B.B.C. is going to record a debate by London University for the Beveridge Trophy, and they do not know whether to put it on the Third or the Light Programme. The Union thinks this is funny. Mr. Eric Thompson wants to know why Council wishes to change the present Coat of Arms. Mr. John Brown will not let Council reply. He tells them he is delighted at the change—purple is too expensive to print, Clare Market Review is therefore bankrupt, please have the cheapest colours he pleads. Council replies in stentorian tones: " We are not proposing to change the Coat of Arms. We were just asking members to submit designs for a new one." Council moves in a mysterious way, its wonders to perform. Mr. Peter Hall discusses the Refectory. He contents himself with the short report. If it were the other he " would probably be reading it at 9.30." " Not to us though!" cries Mike Brecknell in alarm. A thorough man is Mr. Hall. Finally the President moves out of the Chair in order to plead a motion not to carry the proposed new Constitution through this term. He is successful. The Union certainly spoils that boy. Business is about to continue, but somebody wants to go home and does not want to miss anything; so he challenges the Quorum, A veritable fund of information is Union—and a waste paper basket for grievances; but L,S.E. is a paradise unto itself—for few have grievances, and the intelligentsia have all the information they want in books. The future professors, business men, and administrators stay away, but here at Union meetings hopeful-to-be future politicians show their paces, and thrust and parry for the places that are to be had on Union Council, Con. Soc., Lib. Soc., . . . and all the other Socs. Scorpio. people could have their fun but the members of the Africa Society would prefer to stay unamused. In fact, the day was celebrated. History evoked as an alibi. Incidentally, the last Union meeting preceding February 21st last year had passed a motion censuring the Union Council on the Colonial Students' Day issue. The motion read as follows " That this House regrets that the Colonial Students' Day celebrated annually by the Union has deviated from its real purpose of being a day of protest and urges the necessity of observing it in a more effective form of protestation." It was from this motion that most of us got a clue as to the origin and the purpose of the Colonial Students' Day. Yes—a day of protest but not a day of jollification. Sheer hypocrisy to blame Africa Society. It was up to the Union Council if they wanted to celebrate the day this year to have reformulated their programme in the light of the motion passed by the Union. This agonising re-appraisal of the whole situation must have definitely weighed too much on the consciences of the Union Officers, To give the whole thing up and to blame it all on the intransigence of the Africa Society appeared to them the safest thing to do. But the whole situation acquires a high flavour of irony if one remembers that Mr. Roland Freeman, who was the officer in charge of the celebration last year, and who did not care a hoot to consult the Africa Society about his programme, now has had the effrontery to say that it has all been given up because the Africa Society does not want it. Kwesi Hackman, President, Africa Society. (Editorial Note.—In view of the alleged controversy regard}ing Colonial Students' Day, we have decided to print the above letter in full.) SECOND THOUGHTS An interesting sequel to the weekend Conference is the School authorities' decision to embark on a similar enterprise, possibly making it a feature of the school year. They had previously considered holding a weekend school, but had felt that it might prove impractical. Students are notorious for their " woolly" ideas, but for once, 1 think, we can congratulate ourselves on having shown the way in a solid and practical manner. The hard work of the Committee has resulted in more than just the very efficient running of one such weekend. Union Council are very grateful to the Director for a great deal of help and advice, and to the Committee for their efforts. I would like to express my own thanks to Miss Shirley Smith, Secretary of the Committee, who has borne the brunt of the wori;, despite her other duties as Social Secietary and Business Manager of Beaver. Others on the Committee were Messrs. B. Van Arkadie, R. Singh and Miss J. Garner. Dudley Fernando, Social Vice-President. I May 10th, 19S6 BEAVER Or else A LITTLE CONSERVATIVE We were on our way to Syb*rs party, travelling by the Bakerloo. The carriage was rather crowded, and a very drunk young man seemed to have suspended himself from a hand-strap just in front of us. He was wearing a purple and black and yellow scarf. At Piccadilly he suddenly began to speak. " Cognoscere Rerum Causas," he asserted rather belligerently; then he asked, beseechingly, " Cognoscere Rerum Causas? " and eventually he was repeating the samel words with a touch of surprise, as if somebody had made an improper suggestion. People who talk to themselves often attract a wider audience than those who address their remarks to others; but with drunks it is often difficult to know whether they are speaking inwardly or outwardly. ! The passengers around us studiously continued what they were doing, but with even greater inten-¦ sity than before. The space into I which many of them had been staring became apparently even ' more absorbing; the advertisements gained a new significance, and conversations became more earnest. Some self-effacing passengers re-' coiled still further into themselves, like anxious anemones, whilst others contemplated their overcoat buttons with a startling gravity. For me it was more difficult. I had no newspaper, my shoe laces did not need tying, and I felt that nobody would be convinced if 1 started to file my nails. So I took to gently shaking my head and nodding alternately; a gesture which the young man could take as confirmation or denial, according to ' taste, and which could pass as something entirely to do with my own innocent thoughts if that suited him better. R*ch*rd, who was sitting on my right-hand side, leant towards me and spoke in a noisy whisper. " Disgusting, isn't it.' " he said. " People are just soft nowadays, what with the Welfare State and these new fangled ideas about education. Do as they like. No moral fibre." At the same time R*th hissed into my left ear; " Poor chap! That's what capitalism does to us. Rotten, isn't it.' They sell us their filthy beer, and then fine us for being good customers." At Oxford Circus the young man was swept onto the platform by the throng of people leaving the train; but he remained the centre : of our thoughts. "Too much money to fling around," said R*ch*rd, " Practically starved to desperation," said R*th, Usually I count myself fortunate in having such a knowledgeable friend as R*ch*rd, whose pronouncements can be used to refute the theories put forward by R*th; and I am glad to know R*th so that I can contradict R*ch*rd. But now 1 concluded, with a slight sense of disloyalty towards them both, that CLARE MARKET REVIEW are pleased to announce that the Summer Issue, to be published on JUNE 2nd, 1956 will be a Jubilee Issue containing a Supplement of Reports and the Edited Speeches of the Jubilee Conference (the Weekend School) held at the Beatrice Webb House in January, 1956. Price (with Supplement)— l/6d. post free Enquiries to Business Manager, cjo Students' Union. on this occasion their views might not be reliable. Who but the young man himself could tell whether it was a capitalist or a socialist society that had caused his downfall.' This thought was to vex me for the rest of the evening. * * * ? Syb*rs party was well under way by the time we reached her flat.' " How long have you been here?" I inquired of a blonde whom I met in the bathroom. " Since Tuesday afternoon," she replied. " The sherry's wicked." The kitchen was full of people talking politics. I felt restless. An elderly man whose collar appeared to be back-to-front was lying on the floor with his head inside the refrigerator. He looked thoughtful and I decided to tell him my problem. " You see," I explained, " I still don't know whether he was drunk because of the Tories or whether it's just a hangover from the last Labour government." My new friend withdrew from the refrigerator and closed the door. Trouble is," he murmured kindly, " you political people over-simplify things. Now what I say is that we've all neglected God. Do you think he had a Public School Education? " "Of course! " exclaimed a charming lady with a Grosvenor Square accent. " The way I see it, it's like this: he's probably a real nice kid that ought to see a good psychopath. Why, my own cousin Elmer, the one that had such a good time in Biarritz, he was still frightened by his nannie all the while until the-- told him that it was only a bottle of coke that she used to ... " Somebody said, " After the revolution there won't be no nannies." But R*ch*rd and R*th, who had overheard this discussion, had already found it necessary to exchange premises, although their conclusions remained unaltered. It was R*th, who now complained that the young man had too much money, still blaming the capitalist system for his predicament; and Il*ch*rd declared that the cream of British youth was being victimised and driven to despair by pernicious taxation. sf: * * * When I left the kitchen I felt none the wiser for what I had When the World Seems Downside lip pi^o^ ,, iiSnoxi(2 siuapnjs s^pjxom di(t i(jiai m 4^9"^ 'ui datj 0} pjuo.m v puv Kjtun juapnjs pjxOsn 'uisi -jvtu0]00 puD msiimovx jsuwiiv X3tjo4 V pu8 'sojot{<} 'dtioiunif tfjim pdi(JO