BRITISH BIRTH RATE

Evening Star, Issue 19617, 25 July 1927, Page 1

BRITISH BIRTH RATE

A SERIOUS WARHIKG “ Xliosc who register births, deaths, and marriages toll us that in the first quarter of 1927 the deaths in England and Wales exceeded the births hy 1,644,” writes Sir Eco Chiozza Money, in the ‘ Daily Express.’ ‘'The explanation has been 'freely t.fltied that there was an unusually large n,< rtalily due to influenza, hut that is only part of the stoi*jr. The death rate will dunbUcss return to normal, but it is unlikely tint the fall in the birth rate will be checked. The really significant items ui the Ibgis-trar-Geuoral’s last report are these:— ‘‘(1) In the first-three niomlis of (his year the birth rate fell to J 7.3 per I,CCO, the lowest recorded in any first quarter except that of 1919. “ (2) In the last three months of 19?6 the marriages were 25,2C0 fewer than m the preceding quarter, and 12,1b8 fewer than in the corresponding quarter of 1925. “In 1870 tho I rcuch outnumbered the Germans in the ratio of 53 to 37. Now, there are about 64 Germans to .'.9 Henchmen. As it is almost unnocu-.sary to add, Germany in the interim Inis mi-le cm. miens economic progress, voile hrar.cc has relatively stood still. “ The path to a small country aUo h-nds to, an older people, U.c m-w La-i.. Fi gland, which we have appa. e.iMy cielernured to make, will contain an increasing proptrlion of old people, so that its effective working power per l oad wul fall. “All experience goes to show th.it men with family responsibilities work better and are happier than those who are childless. It is only your very exception;: l mao who works without a spur. '■•ore is a;;e:-d> among us a great army of men and wt men who have nothing to vmrk lor; the ‘inertrise of that army will .e as unfortunate nr individual as for national welfare. “ Finally, We come to the case ot cur sparsely-peopled Empire. Outside these is lands, in the 13,000,000 square miles of the British possessions, tiwre are lower than 18,000',000 white people, and among them the birth rate is also Very low. It has become clear, therefore, that tne British people are iu effect determining that, as far as they are concerned, the wide areas colored red on the map are not to be peopled by wlTtea.”