STUDENTS' FROLIC

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22424, 21 May 1936, Page 15

STUDENTS' FROLIC

SYDNEY PROCESSION SENATE LIFTS THE BAN ELABORATE PLANS MADE - [from our own correspondent;] SYDNEY; May 1G Sydney University students have scored a bloodless victory. By intense agitation, they have forced the University Senate to relinquish a ban on their street commemoration procession. This procession was a feature of Syd- j ney undergraduate life for many years; indeed, a feature of the city's life itself. Hut the wave of recklessness and abandonment, which swept the world immediately after the war infected the undergraduates, anil the procession deteriorated into grotesque displays of disorderliness, larrikiuism and coarseness that ended 11 years ago in the Senate banning the procession through city streets. The police department and City Council, each concerned with the evil effects of the "rag," had much to do with influencing the Senate to make that decision. For some years the procession as part of the students' annual festival was abandoned. Then it was revived to pass through the university grounds only, and during the last couple of years it has emerged timidly into a stretch of street bordering those grounds. This year,, the Students' Representative Council, which organises and controls the festival week, set out with the one object of having the procession "through. the city streets restored It persuaded both the police and civic authorities., to withdraw opposition to the city procession, and, armed with this ammunition, stormed';, the Senate fortress. But the Senate refused to surrender. The student- body organised a huge meeting of protest and Dverwhelmingly voted to hold the procession through the city streets in defiance of the Senate's ban. It first passed a vote of no-confidence in the Senate in -it" administration of the? student body s affairs, and also resolved that no alcohol' should be carried on the floats in the procession, and that the students should assist the censors in every way possible to eliminate anything undesirable from the procession. The Senate, called together for a special meeting, quickly decided to give its tacit permission. It decided to leave the entire organisation of the students festival week in the hands of the Students' Representative Council, "to give the council an opportunity to show that it can properly and efficiently control all the student activities of festival week," thus impliedly revoking its refusal to grant permission for th^ procession to pass through the city. The students' reply to this conciliatory gesture, voiced through their president, Mr. Kevin Lllis, was: All possible steps will be taken to ensure that the procession will be not only properly conducted and displayed, -but will be of such quality as to appeal to the public, and reflect credit on the university." . tit j The procession will be held next »ennesdav, and during it, women undergraduates will collect from the spectators for the King George Memorial Fund, to which the whole proceeds of the day will be given. . . The procession will offer a comic commentary on events of the day. A specialjv impressive swordfish is being built to illustrate Mr. Zane Grey s fishing exploits. It will be towed behind a lorry.

rUJf JOE THE PUBLIC NO CENSORSHIP NECESSARY (Received May 20, 6.15 p.m.) ' SYDNEY, May 20 The Sydney University students' procession, 'which was banned more than 10 years Jigo, was revived to-day without giving occasion for censorship. The procession was a mile long and burlesqued every phase of life, political, foreign, sporting, social and domestic. The streets were crowded with people; who thoroughly enjoyed the fun. ' .•■ • • v . '