MORE HOUSING.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 283, 30 November 1938, Page 16

MORE HOUSING.

THE NEED IS VITAL. AUSTRALIA'S PROBLEMS. ADDRESS TO CLERGY. SYDNEY. November 24. "Housing cries out for attention in Australia, to-day; you tian't exjiect people to marry and have children if they can't find a house to live in.*' said v Mr. R. H. Madgvvick in an address to a conference of clergy of several denominations at St. Andrew's Cathedra 1. 1 Mr. Madgvvick is lecturer in economic history at Sydney University. ' If the Church desired a good cause for which to work, it might well look ' s to the need for the increase of the number of children per family. < But tivst the clergy, as practising ■< sociol gists, should find out a solution j < to the problem* which prevented people ( desiring large families. s "Personally. I would not feel justified in advocating increased population with- i out feeling that it would be well cared , for," Mr. Madgvvick said. \ Six Per Cent Living Standard. Baby l>onuses and child endowment ' were, in his opinion, waste of time in ( trying to encourage larger families. Australian* were too ready to believe l their conditions ideal, whereas the stan- I dard of living in Australia was high'' enough for only 0 per cent of the population. | "National insurance is going to cost an enormous amount of money." he said. ! "But at the rate we are going, there ! will be an increasing number of people j drawing these pensions and fewer and ] fewer people earning money out of i which these pensions can be paid." I By a continual increase. Australia ! should aim at a population of 1 .">.000.000. ! A fairly low birthrate and low death- i rate was the ideal way to attain this. ' from the economist's viewpoint. A high birthrate, contrary to popular opinion,! meant too rapid an increase in one age . class. J "The reason generally given for Aus- ! tralia's population need is defence," he I said. "But since this will he defence ' against raiding rather than conquest, ] Australia need* equipment, not man . power. j "Whatever our population increase, ' yrfu cannot envisage the country in a position to defend herself against conquest by Japan even in the next 200 years." j