SIR,—There is today in parts of our Commonwealth, and in
other countries too, a terrific need for young people—young Britishers—who can 'identify them- selves with the social and economic aspirations of the people' as stated by Mr. George Edinger in his letter last week. Merely 'liberating' colonies whole- sale will not un-besmirch our reputation in Asia and Africa for rudeness and high-handedness.'
Voluntary Service Overseas, directed from the top, by somebody like Mr. Alec Dickson, with imag- ination, sympathy, and the energy of ten men, can do much to heighten our reputation among the newly emerging and ultra-sensitive nations of our former empire.
But at present there is no direction from VSO headquarters at London; in fact since Mr. Alec Dick- son left the organisation eight months ago there has been no Director!
For months and months now there has been a com- plete lack of sympathetic understanding of the prob- lems of individual volunteers; and although those young men and women do not go overseas to be pampered, the knowledge that there are people at HQ concerned with one's progress is immensely gratifying and an enormous spur. But the present aloof, and apparently disinterested VSO committee hardly con- veys the vital, pioneer spirit which was once one of the chief strengths of VSO. People, even compara- tively young people, dislike being treated as refer- ence numbers.
Now, letters, when they are sent, to the volunteers in the field, are often circular in type, or are even mere acknowledgements of volunteers' own corre- spondence.
As Mr. Edinger points out, these ex-colonial people who are at present in charge of VSO possibly can- not be blamed for their conventional and unimagin- ative approach to policy. Theirs, 1 suppose, is a dif- ferent world. But there is no excuse for the ineffi- ciency which appears to be creeping into the organi- sation, Volunteers even write of having to arrange their own passages home.
In closing may 1 support Mr, Edinger's plea that something be done immediately to restore the 'orig- inal drive and imagination' that was, until recently, the hallmark of an exciting and remarkably poten- tial scheme.
c/o 23 West Park Avenue, Kew Gardens, Surrey
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