ARMY EDUCATION

Grey River Argus, 10 June 1943, Page 6

ARMY EDUCATION

LIFE IN AMERICA DISCUSSED. AUCKLAND, June 2. An innovation in the weekly current affairs discussion in Army camps was introduced last week when a group of American officers was invited to visit an Auckland unit to participate in a discussion on relations between the United States and New Zealand. A background to the subject had been provided through the Army Education and Welfare Service’s weekly bulletin, the contents of which were made available to the men some days in advance. Consequently, the majority of those attending came prepared with thoughtful questions on various aspects of American politics, both domestic and international. The American officers, too, had apparently gone to some trouble to come prepared with plenty of material for the New Zealanders.

The point which seemed to trouble Dominion soldiers most in gaining an understanding of the American scene was the exact nature of party politics. The visitors gave an informal opinion that there was very little difference between the platforms of the Republicans and the Democrats. Another matter which provoked some lively discussion was the influence of Hollywood in presenting the American way of life to other countries. The Americans approved of the scepticism shown by the New Zealanders in their views, and stressed .that the type of household seen in .films existed neither in the United States nor anywhere else. It was a pity, they thought, that the Government had not done more to foster documentary films portraying a more ■typical picture of American life.