The Evening Star TUESDAY, APRIL 29, 1947. WE NEED POPULATION.

Evening Star, Issue 26087, 29 April 1947, Page 4

The Evening Star TUESDAY, APRIL 29, 1947. WE NEED POPULATION.

Nature’s way of making up the loss of life occasioned by war is again showing itself in the latest birth statistics quoted by Britain, America, and New' Zealand. In those countries the birth rate for 1946 was the highest for many years ; in .New Zealand in 1946 there were 47,648 births, the final three months seeing the greatest number of quarterly registrations—l3,s72. Births for 1946 exceeded deaths by nearly 30,000, and the over-all total of births, averaging 27.04 per thousand of the population, was the highest for thirty years. This must be considered verysatisfactory, and if the rate could be maintained it would in due course assure New- Zealand of a steadily expanding population. The pessimists who aver that recent birth trends could not possibly see more than a two million population by 1970, with thereafter a steady decline, would be completely confounded. _ But the prospects of this rate continuing are remote. Invariably any post-war increase has soon been followed by a decrease, and to-day large families are not- popular, mainly on selfish grounds. The Government family allowance has not yet had a real opportunity of proving itself as an incentive to having children, though it may have had some bearing on the latest statistics. In general, in countries where it has been introduced a family subsidy has not been productive of lasting results. The New Zealand scheme is, however, more'than a birth subsidy; it is something that is of aid in the care of children until their .education is complete, and is consequently more attractive. It has been argued that New Zealand requires-a population of 5,000,000 within the next twenty years. If that is so it is plain that by no processes of natural increase can that total, or anything like it, be approached. The only way by which the required goal could be brought reasonably nearer is by immigration. It has been stated' that- one reason why the Government is reluctant to establish an immigration scheme is its inability to provide homes. That is a good argument, and hard to set aside, but South Africa and Australia have the same pi-oblem and those countries are absorbing immigrants as speedily as transport allows. This country lias to populate or it will perish. It has the opportunity to-day to obtain immigrants, an opportunity that may have gone for ever in another few years. The country is under-populated. Reduced hours in industry have meant reduced production. The only way the two could be reconciled would be to.take on more workers, and they are just non-existent. Increased population would mean increased work and increased production. Standards of living,, now threatened by the repercussions .of the forty-hour week, would improve. The contention that immigration would ’ mean unemployment is a bogy. The country needs more people ana the sooner a selected immigration scheme is put into effect the better. Initially, accommodation would be certain to prove a problem, but it would be overcome —more workers and tradesmen of the right type would tend to that end—and in any event those who would be prepared to endure some hardship at the start of their lives in a new country would lie the proper immigrants. No one would have to face what the pioneers faced, and they survived to provide for their country a goodly heritage that is in definite danger of being lost.