Students’ letter ‘rude’

Press, 21 August 1978, Page 6

Students’ letter ‘rude’

p.\ Wellington The Minister of Immigrat ’n (Mr Gill) has refused > ■ answer a letter from the New Zealand University Stu u nis' Association because he sa > it was rude. I he association has released correspondence with '■'r Gill about private over s as students who wanted to r' main in New Zealand for •' r formal graduation ceremonies. Mr Gill sent a brief letter t 'he students on August 10. repb. ing to a letter from In view of the rudeness r <ur opening paragraph, your obvious lack of know-

ledge on the number of private overseas students in* New Zealand and the length >f time they spend in New Zealand gaining qualifications. and the tone of your final paragraph. I do not intend to pursue this correspondence further at this rime,” Mr Gill said. The association’s president • Miss Lisa Sacksen) denied that her letter to Mr Gill was discourteous The first paragraph of that letter, which Mr Gii) called “rude.” thanked Mr Gill for an earlier letter and continued: "1 note that it has now been nearly a month since Ms Choong Tet Sieu

- and I wrote to you on this! I!matter, and would express: 1 some concern over the length of time taken to reply to my -i letters.” r The final paragraph, toi - which Mr Gill also took ex- - ception. said the Govern-; slment’s move to stop private overseas students staying on t'for their graduation was 1 "petty-minded." - Yesterday Miss Sacksen said that the first paragraph t had referred onl to the. time i taken to reply to the assoriciation’s previous letter. “I consider a month to be ,an excessively long time to 5 reply to a letter dealing with Ta matter of such immediate j importance.

! “Nevertheless, my reference to this was moderate,” I Miss Sacksen said. In ail the association’s dealings with Government departments and Cabinet Ministers, she said the Labour Department and the Minister* : of Immigration stood out as being the most tardy in answering correspondence. i Miss .Sacksen said she would like to know the real reason whv Mr Gil! ended the ' correspondence. "I find the reasons given (spurious and can only as•sume that the real -eason is i the total lack of validity in i rhe arguments of rhe Minister : and rhe Labour Department,”, ’she said. •