19 OCTOBER 1956, Page 18

SIR,-1 first saw Oxford in 1912 as a member of

the first WEA Summer School at Balliol College. Compared with the present volume of traffic it was then almost unbelievablY deserted. I learned that the issue then between the 'reactionary' College authorities and the 'progressive' Philistines was the erection of iron poles and overhead cables in the HO for an electric tramway. In the course of out discussions, I was dismayed to hear 0

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prominent Liberal don of Balliol speak n favour of the plan. Fortunately it was defeated; but who will now dare to say that the 'reactionaries' were wrong?—Yours faith'