Cricket, lovely cricket
Sir: Your correspondent K. I. Wiggs (Letters, 27 June) sets out to champion the cause of South Africa after completing his arcane researches into data provided (I pre- sume) by the UN Demographic Yearbook.
He admits that data for South African Africans is unavailable (why? one wonders), but his relentless logic is not to be diverted by trifles. After all, he does have figures for other African populations.
We hear frequently that statistics deceive. Mr Wiggs has evolved a new formula for statistical accuracy: the comparison of two unlike groups of data which allows a pre- diction of absolute certainty of the charac- teristics of a third, unknown, unrelated sample. I trust that this technique will shortly be published in professional journals.
Might I suggest to Mr Wiggs that rather than comparing South African Asians and Coloureds with other Africans (in that differ- ences between Asians and Coloureds and Africans in terms of education. job-oppor- tunity and lite styles exist all over Africa) that he compare the Gross National Product of South Africa with that of other African nations and marvel at the fact that if the Burundian baby can expect thirty-five years the South African cannot cheerfully contem- plate 300.
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