“Procesh” Wittier, Less Vulgar

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31982, 8 May 1969, Page 1

“Procesh” Wittier, Less Vulgar

Less vulgarity and more wit than has been noticeable in past years was displayed by Canterbury students in the annual procession yesterday.

’Apart from very few with “off-colour” comments, the floats in “Procesh” dealt with a 1 wide range of topical subjects with genuine satire. Most of the floats were of a high standard and showed obvious careful thought and preparation. Many prompted spectators not only to mirth but also to thought The students continued to show concern over the state of the country generally, but floats dealing exclusively with the economy were in the minority. Not all, however, were restricted to New Zealand. One displaying burning wreckage, a body and a weeping woman in Vietnam was entitled simply, “A Funny Float.” Another was divided by a wall, an affluent group dining well on one side and a group of beggars demanding trade, food and dignity on the. other. A poster called for the breaking down of the Berlin Wall but .it was not made clear whether the beggars were on the Eastern or Western side of it. The "Morte de Gaulle” with its “Skooby Doo, Pompidou” slogans resembled an Amerlcan-style election cam- > paign.

Variety Of Topics Among the best of the bulk of the floats, which dealt with topics closer to home, were:— New Zealand’s Foreign Aid. — A very small pumpkin on an otherwise empty tray of a very large truck. Oil I; Strike.—“Kaphooey No. 1,” New Zealand’s first ale well, with a “gusher” of beer spurting intermittently. Finances for Universities.—A large rocking figure of Mr Muldoon charging a toppling university with a lance, with slogans such as “Muldoon: the last of the pig spenders,” "God’s own country, a sty in the sky,” and “Cast not pearls before the swine.” The Breath Analyser.—A traffic officer from the moon getting a breath sample from a spaceman whose rocket had crashed on the moon. Drifting Yachts.—A group of

“vulgar boatmen” offering a 24-hour Russian tow service, with cut rates for spying. Japanese Fishing Boats.— A boat manned by “sakisodden sailors” who, be- ' cause of a “newted Nippon navigator” merely lost their way. The State of the Country.— The U.S.S. Kiwi, the New Zealand ship of state, drifting to Australia under some errant navigation and subjected to many stormy seas. Among the most popular topics for floats was sex and one of these advised that, since the discovery of male grass grub sex attractants in glue started in a grubby way, the Department of Sexual Investigation and Research should “get a little grubby about sex.” Another float noted that New Zealand had become a world leader in its illegitimacy rate and that the National Development Council had called for a 133.3 per cent increase.

Immediately after the haka party arid capping choristers, which led the procession, came “Miss University 1969” in a car Which, unfortunately, could not make the whole trip under its own power and needed some assistance. The other personality in the procession came immediately after. She (?) was “Miss Luniversity,” a muscular “Woman” with an inane laugh who was a cross between a beauty contestant and Neptune.

The whole procession was escorted—or impeded—by miscellaneous groups and individuals, some with not very musical instruments. Among these were a group of Malaysian students who provided a Lion .Dance and a set of pall-bearers with the coffin of “Prohibition,” followed by a car in the Bonnie and Clyde tradition recalling the student revolt against prohibition. Some of the pall-bearers took their cause seriously and abandoned the coffin to the rest while they made off to a hotel beside their route.