WORKERS’ EDUCATIONAL ASSOCIATION

Evening Star, Issue 22144, 26 September 1935, Page 13

WORKERS’ EDUCATIONAL ASSOCIATION

(Contributed.) MR LLOYD ROSS. Tho recent announcement of the appointment of Mr Lloyd Ross to _ the secretaryship of the New South Wales branch of the Australian Railways Union is of special interest to ; VV -L.A. members of Otago, where Mr Ross worked as tutor-organiser from 1926 to 1932, including one year when he also undertook the duties of director. Mr Ross was always actively interested in the history and theory of trade unionism. and of the Labour movement in general, and the title of the thesis which the University ot New Zealand accepted from him‘for the degree ot D.Lltt. was 1 The Australian Labour Movement: A History and Analysis.’ It is a curious thing that m spite of the lively part played in current politics by the Labour movement , in Australia and New Zealand, it is still extremely difficult to get any satisfactory account of its development,, and it is no doubt the absence ot an historical sense which this. gap indicates which also to some extent explains the disappointments. which. have many promising developments in LanoT policy. In considerable measure therefore, Mr Ross was working on virgin ground, and was concerned not merely with chronicling events, butalso with fitting them into a general back ground of political and ecMomic theory. The problem of correlating umversi y education with trade union interests is mfortZtlly to from b««S torily solved. There are no. doubt serious faults ofapathyandmisunderstanding on both sides, but Mi Rosss W E.A. work, both in New Zealand in' Australia, was steadily directed towards the removal of these faults. I ■ a matter for great satisfaction that cise his influence m stimulating a keener appreciation of the real value of independent study inside the trade union movement. DRAMA AND ART CLASSES. A combined meeting of the R™ma and Art Classes was held in the rooms *? the Arts Class, Dowling street, on Saturday, September 7, wheirthe < M-i«ses and Man,’ was produced, ih s Mas cs aim To l lel . a German Communist., who wrote it ' h ®, been thrown into prison aftei tlie-short lived Bavarian Socialist revolt in 19lu. The play was written m two days and two nights, and Toiler spent a year pruning it. He has written it. in the expressionist technique, and as is usual in an expressionist play, there are no characters, rather persons types, lay (inures almost. There is the womai representing the creative element in living, Sonia, who-remains : tbo same without changes all through the plaj. There is Nameless, representing the newer for reform; there is the woman s husband representing the State official; these are the three principal characters. The play consists of seven scenes—lour scenes are “ real,” three are. dream scenes, and represents Soma s thoughts in analysis. , a dream picture, the dream ” scenes being the essence or the play and being greater, than the real. Toller is here attempting to sum up the case for and against capitalism, and for and against revolution; and he attacks the most vicious, the most cranial element in capitalism by epitomising the worst aspect of capitalism and the worst aspects of revolution. Twenty-two students, from the two classes took part, and notwithstanding the limitations forced upon them in the matter of music and acting, the production may be considered as ranking among the best work of this year. Miss Phyllis Maden, as Sonia, did excellently in portraying a most exacting and difficult role. The work of producing was in the hands of Mi- J. L. Wilson, on whom too much praise cannot be bestowed for assisting the classes to stage so effectively a play that is singular not only as a powerfully-written drama, but as one of the best examples written in expressionist technique. .-■*

WOMEN’S CLASS. An interesting series of studies on the geology, flora, and fauna of New .Zeafund have during .the past four weeks been under tho direction of Miss Nelson. The papers were planned to give a greater understanding and appreciation of the diverse beauties of our country and of the trees and plants, tho birds and animals, that are characteristic of it. Those contributing papers or readings have been: Miss Nelson, Mrs Laurenson, Mrs Nenson. Mrs Oswin, Mrs Wilson, Mrs Mee, Mrs Kirk, and Mrs Adam, Misses Nicholson, Steven, Burgess, Galloway, and bamie. Mrs Watson’s study circle ? is now m charge, and is dealing with men and women of note in New Zealand. At the final meeting on Friday, October 11, there will be a talk by tho tutor, Mrs W. N. Benson, followed by New Zealand music and a social ballhour. _____