LABOUR M.P. ATTACKS BOYCOTT OF SOUTH AFRICAN GOODS from Alec Bagley
Capt. Mark Hewitson, Labour I!.P. for Hull West, makes a call for the end to the boycott of South African goods in an article in Perspective, tho journal of the ‘South African Foundation. "There are" he says, “many aspects of South African policies with which I disagree but neither can I agree with the proposed mothods of bringing about a change of these policies,"
He continues: "The call for an economic boycott against South Africa will have no immediate tangible affects on trade between the two countries unless officially ordered by a British Governmont...A total boycott should, if we had the courage, lead logically to a ban on the sale of gold to this country -— so undermining our whole monetary system." * arguing that the first to suffer from a successful boycott would be the non-white population who have the highest standard of living among coloured people on the African continent with advanced educational, ft health and housing schemes, he asks: "Is it likely that they would be willing to commit economic suicide."
"Problems", says Hewitson, “are solved only by understanding them, not by boycotting them." Several koy British industries would be seriouslt affected by the boycott. British capital totalling £1,000, 000,000 is tied up in the Republic. Thore are also the human tics binding the two countries. "The anti-apartheid movement is not rendering a service to tho Black Africa by its call for sanctions. It is merely helping them to starve.” ED. NOTE: We have quoted Mr. Hewitson at length to show how far he is willing to go to the defence of the South African regime by opposing the boycott. Wo hope our Hull readers will take duo note, ospecially as Hull is a town which operates a municipal boycott.