based on Hsinhua report
A nationwide campaign to wipe out illiteracy, a legacy of French colonial domination, started in Algeria on July 15th. After 132 years of Fronch rule about 73% of the adult population are illiterate, About 100,000 students, teachers, and functionarics have listed as volunteor. teachers, In the past few days members of the national commission in charge of the cam paign have toured the country making preparations, Tho campaign will give priority to wiping out illiteracy among members of the management committtes in industry and agriculture,
The Pouple, organ of the FLN, has published a series of articles explaining the significance of the campaign and acquainting readers with the experience of literacy campaigns in countries such as China, Vietnam and Cuba. Algerian television has devoted a special programme to the campaign. As part | of the campaign it put on a Vietnamese documsntary film on the literacy | €ampaign in that country.
1660 We Save roproduced here extracts from a Militant article which give
an idea of the depth and oxtenziveness of the Negro struggle in the U.5.!
July 2nd, Demonstrations by negroes continue in both North and South, Concessions
have been won in some areas, but in others the movement is meeting stiff opposition
and delaying tactics from racist officials. The Philedeiphis movement for more
jobs for negroes pioneered a significant experiment in demonstration techniques on
June 24th, A 4-hour general work stoppage by the city's negroes was called “to
mourn for Medgar Evers", § The stoppage was called by Cecil Moore, local Nationel
Association for the Advancement of Coloured People leader, and was supported by
the Congress of Racial Hquality and an alliance of ministers. The city's top
AFL-CIO officials opposed it, but some local unions gave support. City officials
at first threatened reprisals against city employees joining the stoppage but later
ehanged their tumo. While it is difficult to estiet. just how many actunlly stayed
offtheir jobs that morning, observers in Philadelphia generally agreed that it was
a Significant number, Some 4,000 people picketed the city hall.
In Mississippi, voter-registration and direct-action campaigns continusd
in the face of increasing violence and police harassment. In Itta Bena, Miss, on
June 18th a smoke bomb was thrown at a voter-registration [le@ting. Nogroes walked
out of the mecting to go to the police to protest at the Inck of polico protection,
' 58 were then and there arrested on charges of “breach of the peace, 29 of the
group = the others were children between ten and 17 years of age - wore convicted
end sentenced to six months in jail and a 500 dollar fine cach, with bonds set at
500 and 750 dollars for men and women respectively, Robert Moses, director of the
Student Non-violent Co-ordinating Committee's voter-registration project in
Mississippi agealed for financial aid to bail the people out. In Clarksdale,
over 20 people ware arrested lost momh for picketing against segregation at the
library, city hell, and the Bell Telephone Co,
Albany., only seven out of a staff of 26 SNCC workers remained out of
jail as of June 26th, Police have been arresting the staff members on such charges
a8 “investigation of vagrancy". Greonsbory’ birthplace of the sit-in movemont
which swept the South has becore ean “opémcity", with virtually all public facilities
degpragated according to CORE,, Desegreagation followed two waves of missive
demonstrations in May and June,
June 2]th. Canton, Mississippi. Ben Lewis a white gas-station attendan’ wes
errested yesterday on charges of shooting at five young negroes here two days ako ~’ following a CORE voter-registration mecting, The five were hit by shotgun pellets
- as police stood by and watched - and wore taken to hospital for trentrent. The
charges against Lewis are -unlawfully pointing and unlawfully discharging o firearn,
Danville Police raided the church headquartor's _ Civil-
rights leaders seeking persons indicted on June 2lst charged with conspiracy
to riot, Almost 100 people were arrested in Danville demonstrations in May
and Juney and some 40 persons were injured by police clubs and firo hoses,
July ist, Gadsden, Alabama, The Gadsden Transit Company has promised to
begin total desegregation of its buses, City officials promied to bring about
the withdrawal of state troopers and Negro leaders have suspended domonstrations
in the hope of further progress, Some 500 demonstrators wore arrosted horo
recently. Some of them were shocked by electric prod poles — both outside and
inside the jails, Clubswinging state troopers initiated the violonce and the
use of prod polos on June 19th,
The following report, based upon an article in the July 12th issue of Board Of Trade Journal, is of importance because it shows the very serious decline in capital expenditure by British capitalism, This decline is symptomtic of a lack of confidence and means a very considerable slowing down in the process of modernisation of British industry... The decline is even more pronounced if we compare the figures for the first quarter of 1962 with the same quarter of 1963. These reveal a decline in manufacturing of no less than 20% in capital expenditure with no change in distributive and services. (This is, in itself an indication of the moribind and parasitic nature of capitalism - because distributive and service industries cover such non—productive = as wholesaling, and retail distribution, banking, insuranco, property, catering, etc.). :
Final results for the first quarter of 1963 show that the volume of industry's capital expenditure (at 1958 prices and after seasonal adjustments) declined by about 56 from its level in the lest quarter of 1%2,
Thies further fall continuec a decline which has persisted since expenditure reached a peak in the third quarter of 191, Each of the 2 broad sectors of industry ~ reached their peak of expenditure in this quarter, but the decline in the expenditure of manufacturing industry - like the preceding rise - has been mich steeper than fer the distributive and service industries, This differing experience contimicd in the first quarter of 1963, when the fall in expenditure cf about 8% cf manufacturing incustry was accompanied by virtually no change in the expenditure of the distributive and servico industries, The total decline of abcout 57 in the first quarter rerlects a reduction of about 8% in expenditure on plant and mchinery and of about 4% in expenditure cn new building work, cnly slightly cffseet by a rise in expenciture on vehicles,
Revised estimates for the first quarter cf 1963 show that the volume of capital expenditure by manufacturing industry, at 1955 prices - seasonally adjusted fell by about a bedween the fourth quarter of 1962 and the first quarter of 1%63, This fall prebably reflects to some extent, the abnormal climatic conditions experienced during the carly months cf the year, but in the case sof manufacturing industry the effoct of the Veathber is not thought to be great because the miin contribution tc the fall was in expenditure on plant and machinery (the revised figures show a fall of about 11%) rather than in new building work (where the fall in expenditure was about 4% only).
Detailed figures for individual groups shew that the bulk of the 8% decline in the tctal capital expenditure wes in metal manufacturing (primaridy iron and steel), Although spread over mest industry groups, the decline in expenditure was not by any means even, In the case of the “engine®ring, shipbeilding and metal goods” grcup of industries, for example, the first quarter figures show a rise for the first time for some 6 quarters, “Although too mich should not be read in to these seasonally acjusted figures, this rise may perhaps mark a turaing point in expenditure in this sector.
The figures for the distributive and service industries shew that there was no significant change in the expenditure cf the two quarters — expenditure having been £210 millions compared with £211 millions in the previcus quarter, Tho figures for new building work show a fall of 5% (prebably acecunted for by the bad weather) ; en vehicles a rise of 4%, and on plant, nc change,