— Student fee fight presses on

DESPITE LEADERSHIP RETREAT

Maurice Rush, PT associate
editor, will speak at many in-
terior points between Monday,
Feb, 7 and Friday, Feb, 18 on
his receht trip to Vietnam,

In addition to giving an eye-
witness report Rush will show
a large number of color slides
which depict many aspects of
life in Vietnam, These are the
first exclusive color pictures
to be taken on the spot in Viet-
nam,

Rush’s itinerary, announced

this week, will take him to the
following centres:

KAMLOOPS, Mon, Feb, 7;
PENTICTON, Tue, Feb, 8; WYN-
DEL, Wed, Feb, 9; KIMBERLEY,
Thur, Feb, 10; CRANBROOK,
Fri, Feb, 11; FERNIE, Sat, Feb,
12; CASTLEGAR, Sun, Feb, 13;
TAGHAM, Mon, Feb, 14; TRAIL,
Tue, Feb, 15; VERNON, Wed.
Feb, 16; NOTCH HILL, Thur,
Feb, 17.

Watch for local announcements
of meeting places,

Honor Burns’ memory

A capacity audience of well over
300 gathered at the Canadian
Legion Hall at Commercial and
6th Ave, in Vancouver to cele-
brate the 207th anniversary of
Robbie Burns,

Under the auspices of the
Burnaby Burns Club which has
been sponsoring ‘Burns Nicht’
celebrations for many years, a
splendid concert and banquet
marked the evening entertain-
ment.

Prominent among the enter-
tainers were soloist Mrs, Marg-
aret McManus with a selection
of Burns songs, while her son
14-year-old John, piped in the
Haggis. Two braw lasses from
the Miss Isedale School of Scot-
tish dancing, Misses Elizabeth
Logan and Betty Thom turned in
a fine performance of Highland
dances to the music of Piper Bob
Lamont, Mr, Harold Brown, well-
known Vancouver concert pianist
gave a selection of Scottish
classical music,

Perhaps one of the finest con-
cert features of the evening was
a dramatic reading of the poem
‘A Toast to Burns’ by Mr. Wm,
(Bill) Philipovich of Vancouver,

This poem was written by a
prominent labor leader in Port
Alberni, George McKnight, and
was featured in the Pacific
Tribune in its January 24, 1964
edition,

Highlight of the concert per-
formance was Vancouver’s famed
‘Milestones’ whose every selec-
tion of songs were cheered to the
echo by anappreciative audience.
The Milestones gave a selection
of Burnsand other Scottish songs,

Veteran ‘Burns Nicht’ enthu-
siast Peter Munro in traditional
Highland dress acted as Master
of Ceremonies and onthe cultural
program regaled the assembled
guests witha number of selections
on the accordian.

Tom McEwen, editor of the
Pacific Tribune was the guest
speaker, In his response to toast,
‘The Immortal Memory’ the
speaker projected Scotland’s
plowman poet into the vital prob-
lems of today’s world,

The unanimous opinion of all
present was that the Burnaby
Burns Committee had sponsored
“a braw nicht”,

——

lanning a trip?

LET US MAKE ALL YOUR ARRANGEMENTS

“AGENCY

| :2643 East Hastings Street,

-  Wancouver 6, B.C...

Telephone 253-1221

University of Victoria students are continuing to protest escalating education costs des-
pite the fact the Students’ Council has withdrawn support from the fee fight. Over the last |
few weeks the council has consistently backed down from its original program.

‘Early last week (January 18)
there were 689 students who were
still withholding $56 of their
second term fees, Originally
1,517 students pledged to with-
hold their fees, January 15 was
the final day for payment and
$10 late fines are now being
levied on students who have not
paid,

Students who are withholding
$56 of their fees are protesting
tuition rises which they say are
presenting a financial barrier to
higher education,

The students’ council original-
ly asked students to signapledge
card committing them to with-
hold fees until next year’s fee
level was announced in March,

After several meetings with the
Board of Governors of the uni-
versity the council decided to
ask the students to withhold only
to the 27th of January, This was
to be a symbolic protest as this
is the day the legislature opened.

Then the university adminis-
tration began putting pressure on
the students and the council, In
private meetings the administra-
tion assured the council that
students would not be expelled
for withholding their fees but
that the administration had to go
through the formalities of threats
in order to remain apolitical,
Even with this assurance the
council failed to lead the stu-
dents,

At counci. meetings last week
activities co-ordinator Gordon
Pollard repeatedly charged the

Italian government toppled —

By PHYLLIS ROSNER

ROME — The Italian Centre-
Left government — a coalition
of Christian Democratic, Social-
ist, Social Democratic and Re-
publican parties — resigned last
Friday after a parliamentary de-
feat had widened the split in its
ranks,

The defeat was on a Bill to set
up state-run nursery schools for
children from the ages of thr¢e
to six, ws

SG

In a secret vote, there were
250 votes against the bill, 221 in
favor and three abstentions,
Many Christian Democrat MPs
either did not attend for the vote
or else must have voted against
their own government’s proposed
legislation,

Right Wing Christian Demo-
crats have been opposing the
Bill because they object to any
state-run nursery schools, At
present mostnursery schoolsare
run by the Catholic Church.

The measure was the result of
a compromise between the
Christian Democrats and the
Socialists, both in the coalition
government, The Right Wing
MPs voted against the Bill be-

_ cause, it was claimed, it was too-

By NYL SITRUC

council with cowardice and mis-
representation,

These accusations were con-
tained in Pollard’s criticism of
council’s decision to tell stu-
dents who had signed pledge
cards to withold until March, to
pay their fees in full by January
VATA

He strongly emphasised that
such an order was misleading
since one of the original terms
of these cards stated that coun-
cil would advise students to pay
the amount only after next year’s
fee level was announced,

All last week (Jan, 17 to 21)
the administration sent letters
to those students who were still
withholding asking for payment
by January 21,

®T regret to inform you that if
this: amount (the withheld fees)
is not paid by 4 p.m, January
21, 1966 I shall inform the reg-
istrar’s office so that immediate
steps may be taken to inforce
the calendar regulations,” the
letter from bursar J, W. Mc-
Queen said,

According to registrar Dean
Jeffels he would send out another
letter when notified by the bursar,
In his letter Jeffels would again
advise students to pay.

Last Thursday (Jan, 20) stu-
dent president Paul Williamson
called an emergency meeting of
the students and advised them to
pay their fees in fullimmediately
and also to pay the $10 fines,

(Council originally had promised

much of a concession to the
Socialists,

The Communists also voted
against the Bill on the grounds
that the compromise robbed it of
its progressive nature, They
pointed out in the debate that they
were in favor of state-run nur-
series and had always fought for

* them,

A total of 56 MPs from the
Right of the Christian Democratic
Party did not take part in the

_ vote, and another 40 or so Christ-

LUIGI LONGO

— The same day another group

- it is now permanently on recall.

' facing the country.” ce ae

January 28, 1966—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Page 12 3

{re

to pay the fines of all students
who withheld.)

Even with the knowledge that
the administration was silently
behind him Williamson told the
students, “The council feels it can
no longer endanger the academic
year of 700 students.’’

Activities director Pollard also
spoke at the meeting, ‘‘I see this
as a complete sellout. I feel we
should at least hold out until
January 27, If possible we should
hold back payment untila revela-
tion is made of next year’s fee
schedule,” he said,

The aay after council withdrew
their support a multitude of in-
dependent groups took up the
cause, One group posted signs in |
the Student Union Building asking |
students to pay their $56 in
coins and $1 bills, The purpose
was to slow down the accounting
procedures as a protest,

got 157 signatures on a/fetition |
‘calling for a special general
meeting of the Alma Mater So-
ciety to consider a motion of
non-confidence in the students
council,

150 signatures are required |
to call a meeting. The organizers
of the petition emphasised that
they stopped soliciting as soon
as they had enough signatures, —

The petition accuses the coun-
cil of having failed the student —
body in its handling of the fee
issue, If a motion of non-con-
fidence is passed by the general
meeting it would automatically —
result in a dissolution of council,

ian Democratic MPs of the Left
voted against the Bill in order to
express their opposition to the
domination of the Right.

Parliament, as isthe custom in
Italy when political party con-
gresses are being ‘held, has sus-
pended sittings for this week’s
conferences of the Communist
and Liberal parties, However, in
view of the governmental crisis,

Luigi Longo, Communist Party
secretary, said that the current
crisis in the government goes far
beyond the question of schooling.
It affects the whole of the Centre-
Left, He added: “The Centre-
Left has not realized any of its
promised reforms, nor hasitre-
solved any of the vital problems

What Italy needed was a gov-
ernment withanew majority, The
Communists did not insist on
being part of that government
put the forces supporting the —
Communists (eight million votes
at the 1963 general election) could
not be excluded,

Unity of all Left forces was
essential. and how to attain this
would be one of the main points
of discussion at this week’s Com-
munist Party Congress,