PHYSICAL WELFARE

Grey River Argus, 5 December 1938, Page 3

PHYSICAL WELFARE

THE DIFFERENTIAL BIRTH RATE. [By P.M.W.J British, European and American population experts declare that the problem of the differential birth rate is one of the world’s most pressing—but unappreciated—questions. Present birth rate trends do not of course mean that mankind will run short in the near future of its supply of doctors, teachers, solicitors and other members of the professional classes. As the birth rate diminishes among the brain workers of the world, their ranks are fed by new blood from the families of the hand workers. This is all to the good, and testifies to the sound principles underlying a free and democratic government. It would be waste of the most deplorable kind to encourage the present falling tendency of the birth rate among brain workers. The “workers” of the nations are producing most of the population necessary to keep their own grades in existence as well as to provide our professional classes. There may be 'some superficial justification for the attitude at times taken up by them that, so long as their own birth rates are sustained, there can be no real population problem to be solved. True Democracy:

However, look at it this way. Mr. and Mrs. Worker get married. The State gives them a start in life, and afterwards sees to it that the mother’s health and domestic arrangements are safeguarded both before and after the birth of each of her children. The Workers’ have (say) fdur bonny babes, radiant in beauty and bursting with health and intelligence. Very well. They grow up. Now every normal father and mother wish to see their children “rise in the world’’;, and so the Worker’s foster their\ children’s ambition to make careers for themselves. Little Prunella Worker probably becomes a teacher; little Marina Worker startles the family by becoming a doctor; little Benito Worker becomes a composer of popular songs; and little Adolph Worker “rises” to be a solicitor.

Thumbs Up?: The question now arise: Do the original Mr. and Mrs. Worker really desire to- see the extinction of their beloved descendants, merely because they have used their brains and so have moved into the professional classes? If the brain working grades of the community are to be ’savec

from a quick and painless death, it is “up to” the hand workers to see that jhe professional classes shall at least be afforded reasonable facilities for sustaining their own birth rates. A constructive programme with this end in view would include reform of a social system forbids, marriage among the more intelligent members of the community at the natural pairing ages, as well as drastic and overdue reforms in the food habits of the entire population.