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
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Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 283, 30 November 1938, Page 16
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360MORE HOUSING. Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 283, 30 November 1938, Page 16
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