Readers will remem vor Tho Week quoting an article by Capt. Mark Ilewitcon, written by him for a journal called Perspective, in which he argued that the first to suffer from 4 successrtul boycott would be the non-white population who have the highest standard of living among coloured people on the African continent with advanced educational, health and housing schomes. He addede “Is it likely that they would be willing to commit economic suieide?"
Sinee then we have roccived from a South African correspondent the February 22nd issue of The New African. In a front page article we read the followings ——_ a
tt. ...cdouth Africa has the highest African infant mortality rate in the continont...eethere is only one doctor to 60, 000 africans in the St. Marks district, Transkei..e.«There will be a shortage of 1,500 doct— ors by 1965. Only 13 of the 3,146 pharmacists serve the four million Reserve Africans.e.e.e\frican housing is not subecconomic, the vast bulk of tenents are constantly in arrears with rent, for which they can be, end in great numbers are, gaoled for woeks at a time. Tho houses are let without doors, coilings or wooden floors, and tenants who put them in get no compensation even if thoy are compulsorily moved. The lava torios consist of a hole in the conerote floor....Tho teacher to pupil rate is 1 to 58, among the worst in Africa. Jixpendituro is Rl2 per child por year, compared to R144 per white child por year. (a rand is equal to 10 shillings). Tho percentage of African matriculation passes droppod from 47. %% in 1953 to 25.3% in 1961..."
We wonder what Capte Howitson has to say about this?