30 PRESIDENT S ADDRESS. 



to the primary and rudimentary stages. They will need at least 

 two additional years of vocational training. . . . They must l)e 

 launched strong, alert, acquisitive and disciplined for work in the 

 craft or calling they are to follow." 



In view of this expression of opinion from such an author- 

 ative quarter, it is exceedingly disappointing to find the Minister 

 of Finance a few months ago admitting that " The history of the 

 Provinces during the past few years had heen the retardation, 

 embarrassment and starvation of education . . ." althougli 

 he added: " It is the first duty of Parliament to encourage edu- 

 cation." 



This starvation process also extends to the primary school 

 teacher. It is gratifying to note that, in connection with the 

 •outstanding reforms in education, which are being intnxluced in 

 the United Kini^dom, the bulk of the three and a quarter million 

 sterling increase in educational expenditure is being devoted to 

 the increase of teachers" salaries. 



The Administrator of the Cape Province stated at the Ije- 

 ginning of this year, that there were 24,000 white children in the 

 Cape Province not receiving school education. The corres])ond- 

 ing number for the Transvaal is 6,000, or 6.8 per cent, of the 

 European children of school age, while Natal is to be congratu- 

 lated in having a ])ercentage of only i. The two chief difficulties 

 given are distances and lack of accommodation. All authorities 

 unite in declaring that this absence of school facilities is simply 

 manufacturing " poor whites." At a Conference held at Krugers- 

 dorp, in January of this year, it was stated by a prominent minis- 

 ter of the Dutch Reformed Church that there were 80,000 poor 

 whites in the Union, of whom 10,000 are the heads of families, 

 the majority belonging to his denomination. Such an alarming 

 position must be faced, and faced immediately and resolutely. 

 The Cradock Conference, held last Octoljer, urged as remedies 

 mainly labour colonies, more irrigation, more and more suitable 

 education, and greater sympathy and co-o])eration on the part of 

 the landowner farmers. 



According to a statement by the Minister of Lands, land 

 settlement operations have comj)rised since Union 3,900 settlers, 

 and about four and a third million morgen of land, having a 

 value of nearly two millions sterling, have been allotted, apart 

 from 730 settlers who have been placed in closer settlements 

 and in relief farms and labour colonies ; further, in connection 

 with the Government's land settlement schemes, over a million 

 sterling has been advanced in irrigation loans, and £400,000 si)ent 

 in irrigation works, while there are 205 farms at present available 

 for settlement, which, together with new areas, provide sufficient 

 land for some 2,000 settlers. 



An unfortunate aspect is that many of the poor whites are 

 practically unemployable, owing to want of education, absence of 

 energy and indifference, the inevitable result of their misforttme, 



