Year Of Voluble Public Protest

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31256, 31 December 1966, Page 1

Year Of Voluble Public Protest

For New Zealand, 1966 was surely a year in which the art of voluble public protest was brought nearer perfection. Most of the subjects for dispute and complaint— Vietnam, for example —were deadly serious.

It all culminated in a “protest” General Election on November 26 and, like most of the other complaints, this one produced no changes that mattered.

The first real fuss began on February 2. Someone leaked rough drawings of decimal coins to the newspapers, and no-one liked the chosen designs. Seven weeks later 20 designs for six coins were sent to the Royal Mint for appraisal. The final designs were settled on in July. In May an Auckland University student journal broke the news of Mr David Godfrey, the Security Services’ man in the political science class. Sir Douglas Hutchison began an inquiry into the whole affair in July and, when things had been sorted out to no-one’s special credit, the only person who seemed to have suffered at all was Mr Godfrey himself.

Stockbrokers and the holders of overseas shares complained more than anyone else about Mr Lake’s Budget in June. It stopped trading in overseas securities.

Unorthodox opinions on the Resurrection started an uproar in the Presbyterian Church. Although few at the time thought much good could come of this debate, before it was ended by some adroit committee work and the General Assembly in Sep-

tember it caused many persons to do do some rare, hard thinking on a religious topic. Fishermen protested against Japanese vessels in waters New Zealand claimed as its own. The Federation of Labour complained of Government interference in its negotiations with the Italian tenderers for construction work on the Tongariro power scheme. Almost everyone objected to the French bomb tests in the Pacific. The French went ahead and exploded the first of their bombs at Mururoa on July 3. This brought the number of nuclear explosions around the world to close on 600. Although everyone else, except China, had stopped setting off bombs in the atmosphere, the weather did not improve. Summer came reluctantly and, on November 29, the wind blew 75 miles an hour over Christchurch —faster than it had for 13 years. February, floods devastated railways, bridges and farms in Auckland and Taranaki. Radio Pirates The liveliest protests were by, for, and against radio pirates. Radio Hauraki announced in April that it intended to broadcast pop music from outside the three-mile limit in the Hauraki Gulf. From then on the promoters had a bad time of it. In September the Minister of Marine, the Postmaster-Gen-

eral, and the Minister of Broadcasting, decided that their ship, the Tin, must be detained. The Tiri put to sea on November 10, endured some awful weather, was dismasted, and finally began broadcasting.

Disappointingly, music coming from the Hauraki Gulf sounded no better than much of that coming from the N.Z.B.C. ashore. Nevertheless,

this was a , protest that, rightly or wrongly, succeeded. Mr Gordon Bick, a television producer for “Compass,” decided that the N.Z.B.C. was off-course and demonstrated his objection to the corporation’s ways by a much-publi-cised resignation. For all this, most New Zealanders were getting on with their jobs of growing more, making more, shifting more, and selling more than ever before; and they were planning better things to come. Most businesses were thriving, but the Enzlon nylon firm failed. £lom Airport Auckland saw its £lO, million international airport at Mangere opened in January. Disaster struck on July 4 when an Air New Zealand DCB airliner crashed at Mangere. Four roll-on car ferries were plying between the North and South Islands. Professor Colin Buchanan came to Christchurch and generally approved the city’s traffic plan. The design for the Christchurch town hall was chosen and evoked much satisfaction. The urban course of the northern motorway was disclosed.

In Kingston, Jamaica, Christchurch batted for the 1970 Commonwealth Games, lost, and hoped for 1974. New Zealand athletes, however, brought seven gold medals back from Kingston. The Diocese of Christchurch chose a new bishop, the Rt Rev. W. A. Pyatt, to succeed Bishop Warren, who retired on June 23. The University of Canterbury appointed a new vice-chancel-lor, Professor N. C. Phillips, to succeed Dr. L. L. Pownall, who had found a new job at the University of London. The Queen Mother and President Johnson were the year’s most distinguished visitors to New Zealand.

King Koroki, leader of the Maori people of the Waikato and Maori chief of the highest rank, died on May 18, aged 54. Worst Disasters In June four young climbers were trapped and died on Mount Rolleston, and one of the mountaineers attempting to rescue them perished in an avalanche. New Zealand’s worst disaster was the sinking of the collier Kaitawa on the night of May 23. Twentynine seamen died. Both misfortunes evoked great sympathy and support for the bereaved. Floods wrought havoc in northern Italy during November. At Aberfan, in Wales, a collapsing slag pile buried and killed nearly 200 persons. The world’s worst disaster of the year occurred on August 19 in East Anatolia, Turkey. More than 2300 persons were killed and 100,000 made homeless by an earthquake. This tragedy produced a massive response with aid from abroad. The International Red Cross, the World Council of Churches, and other international organisations sent aid. The United States Air Force flew four complete hospitals to the area. The Royal Air Force flew civil defence teams from Bristol, and five British charity organisations sent £20,000 for relief supplies. United Nations Human violence was all too rife. China conducted its most sweeping purges since 1958. Racial violence persisted in the United States. Anarchist youths rioted in Amsterdam. Hope persisted that international frictions could be settled in the councils of the United Nations. Indonesia was readmitted to the United Nations, and three newly independent countries,

Guyana (formerly British Guiana), Lesotho, (Basutoland), and Botswana (Bechuanaland) joined the organisation, which then had 121 members. The Afro-Asian members of the Trusteeship Council voted for the independence of 26 territories remaining under the control of other countries. The Asian Development Bank got under way and, at Seoul, in June, the Asian and Pacific Council of nine nations was formed for greater international cooperation. Elections. Elections in Australia and the United Kingdom returned the existing governments to office and President de Gaulle was elected to a second term in France. Mr Harold Holt followed Sir Robert Menzies as Prime Minister of Australia. Germany’s Chancellor, Dr. Erhard, was replaced by Dr. Kiesinger. Military coup* overthrew governments in Ghana, the Central African Republic, Burundi, Upper Volta, Nigeria (twice), Argentina, and Syria. Congressional elections in the United States raised the dampened hopes of the Republicans for the first time since they had been Goldwatered in 1964. The “New York Times” reported that the country had returned to the two-party system. Vatican Meeting One of the most remarkable meetings took place on March 23. The Archbishop of Canterbury talked with Pope Paul in the Vatican and they made speeches applauded by cardinals, diplomats, and representatives of the Greek Orthodox, Methodist, Presbyterian, and Lutheran Churches It was the first meeting of the heads of the churches in Rome and Canterbury since the sixteenth century. At the same time,

the name of the Rev. lan Paisley, of Belfast, came to the notice of the world, and the dissension he was inspiring in Northern Ireland pleased few outside his band of fanatical anti-papist supporters. Evidence at the trial of Myra Hindley and lan Brady for the Moors murders chilled newspaper readers. Britain’s police staged their biggest manhunt, for Harry Roberts, one of three men sought after the shooting of three detectives outside Wormwood Scrubs prison. South Africa’s Prime Minister, Dr. Verwoerd, was stabbed to death in Parliament on September 6. Australia was shocked when a 19-year-old youth shot at the Labour Party leader, Mr Calwell, after a political meeting in June. Science Success In spite of the war in Vietnam, purges in China, dispute over Rhodesia, hunger in India, and all the other ills and troubles of the world, the great mass of human beings were trying to make the world more comfortable for themselves and others to live in. The greatest scientific achievement was probably the isolation of the human growth hormone. This success by scientists at the University lof California may lead to an advance in medical science to match the discovery of Sabin poliomyelitis vaccine. Yesterday, New Zealanders learned that a computer in Washington had assessed them as the most stable and peaceful of people. Some might suspect that this meant they were also the dullest The rest could be forgiven, after many events of 1966, for suspecting that at times and until men are wiser or more tolerant talk is not a bad substitute for action.