The characteristic " Poor White " trouble is largely
of rural origin. As reasons for this hare been assigned
the Boer War, the droughts, the rinderpest, the increase
in the number of the landless (bijwoners), the educa-
tional neglect, and the economic struggle in competition
with better edueated immigrants, and the cheaper
coloured labourers. 8

During the Parliamentary session of 1908 a grant of
£4,500 was voted for the promotion of education in
specially necessitous districts. It was estimated in
1917 that there were in the rural areas of the Cape
Province about 10,000 children without schooling* The
Indigent Children Ordinance was passed in 1917 to make
provision for the education of those for whom even the
Private Farm School was not available. There were in
1921 about 140 indigent boarding houses accommodating
about 5,500 boarders. 1 The census of the European or
white races of the Union of South Africa in 1918 has
shown the rural illiteracy to be greater than the urban.
About 3 per cent, of the rural population above 7 years
of age w^re reported to be neither able to read or write
as against 2 per cent, of the urban population. The
rural illiteracy in the Van Ehynsdorp district was more
than 6 per cent. 1

Administration. — In 1714 by the school ordinance of
Governor de Chavonnes a Commission consisting of three
scholarchs, namely, the secunde (next in authority to
the Governor), the minister in Cape Town, and the
military captain, was appointed under the authority of the
Governor and Council. They had to visit the schools
and to inspect them.
The de Mist Ordinance of 1805 made provision for a
Commission of seven Scholarchs to consist of (1) a

*MaIan D. P. De Achteruitgang van ons Volk. Nationale Pers

Kaapstad. 1917.
