HEALTH PROBLEMS IN COUNTRY DISTRICTS. 405 



of illness or accident, they would realise how badly they were 

 treated in the past, when these conveniences of modern civilisation 

 were grudgingly held back from them on account of a compara- 

 tively trivial initial expense. The telephone is of much more 

 value than the telegraph, because it is so much easier to speak 

 or hear than explain in writing, with a limited number of words 

 at disposal. 



Another point is the need for an ambulance available when 

 required. There are many forms of trailer ambulances, and one 

 which could be attached to a Cape cart or a motor would facilitate 

 the removal of urgent cases to hospital. Cottage hospitals should 

 be maintained in every country town, and as this could serve as 

 headquarters for the district nurses, it would not be much addi- 

 tional expense. 



This war has opened the eyes of the world to the uses of 

 the aeroplane. On the battle-field the aeroplane has already been 

 used as an ambulance to bring in the seriously wounded. When 

 the war is over there will be many skilled aviators ready for work. 

 In a country like South Africa, with wide areas, bad roads, 

 paucity of bridges, and obstacles of all sorts, is it too much to 

 ask that the bird of war will become the bird of peace, carrying 

 the country doctor over hill and dale to the care of the sick and 

 the injured, lightening the burden of the white settlers, and 

 reducing the toil of the doctor? He, after all, is susceptible to 

 fatigue and illness, although some people seem to think that a 

 medical practitioner should be capable of hard and responsible 

 work at every hour of the night or day, both week-days and 

 Sundays. I have the impression that a people, who shall be 

 nameless, introduced aeroplanes into an outlying possession osten- 

 sibly to facilitate the work of the country doctors. Whether this 

 be so or not. I have long thought that it would be a very easy 

 way of getting over distance, in making professional visits, and 

 I have foimd a French writer advocating the use of the aeroplane 

 in some such way as this. 



After this paper was so far completed, some evidence was 

 given before the Commission to enquire into the taxation of 

 incomes derived from farming, and I would like to quote the 

 words of Mr. John Roy, as reported in the Star of June 24th, 

 "because it supports the opinion which I have personally formed 

 of the hardships and difficulties of farm life in the Transvaal. 



Mr. Roy said : 

 In the Cape, farming was a gentleman's life ; in the Ti'ansvaal. 

 farming, no matter what capital a man possessed, was a hard struggle. 

 His opinion was that the general farmer of the Transvaal was not too 

 prosperous. That opinion extended to some parts of the Free State. He 

 was not surprised that the Income Tax return from the farming com- 

 munity was so small. In his view it was really a fair reflex of the 

 conditions of the farmers of the Transvaal. 



Further on he said : 



He did not think that maize-growing was a profitable occupation any- 

 ■where. The population growing grain were the poorest population on the 

 iace of the earth. 



