HOW POPULATION CHANGED.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 18 October 1924, Page 15

HOW POPULATION CHANGED.

—— 4 ■—• INTERESTING FIGURES. changes have occurred m the last oO years l in the ‘ relative positions of Britain, America, Germany and France, writes Sir Leo Uuozza Money in “Overseas"’"' Ih when Hohenzollern William was proclaimed German Emperor at Versailles, h ranee was the 'biggest of the four countries. She had roundly 38 mdiiom .people, whereas Britain; .had only 30 millions, Germany 37 millions, I Trl t i? United States 36 millions. After the lapse of 54 years,France, whien lii ‘ 1870 had about 38 millions, had, at the beginning of 1924, about 39 millions. Germany, which had 37 millions has grown to 64 millions. The United States, which had 36 millions has grown to 110 millions. • \ The United Kingdom, which had only 30 millions, has grown to 48} millions, inus m half a century what was the; gieatest white nation in the world has I added only about one million to ita population, and that despite the Tact that the French population figure includes the people of the restored territories of Alsace-Lorraine. Frenchmen are yearly, becoming a declining pro-! portion of the world’s people. Germany has almost doubled her population in the same time:. The increase .in , the population of the German Republic is now 600,000 to 700;000 a year, so that it will not bp long before there are twice as many Germans as French. Even more remarkable is the case of the United States, which has now grown to about .110 millions. Her natural growth is enormous; and although she has Seriously curbed immigration by statute, she'is constantly -receiving 'a-stream of new and vigorous ,citizens or al! races. The growth of America, has been the : most wonderful thing that has > happened in the last century. I give the facts of , the ; case .in a convenient form:— < Growth of the United States.: ear - ’ Population. 18 so ..: i7,ioo;oco Growth, in' 50 years (1800- ! ’ 185 °) - ...M1,860,000 T9OO 76,000,000 Growth in. 50 years (1850- • d; l 00 0) 58,900,000 1920 : ..105,700,000 Growth in 20 years (1900- L 1920) 27,700,000 In some years before tlie war America gained a million immigrants, including members of almost every, other raro in the world. There are Actually more Irishmen in the United States than in Ireland. The British figures given relate to Great Britain and Ireland only. Outside the British Isles there are in the British Efmnire some 17.} million white people of, British and other origin In 1924 the British Empire, as a whole has about 66 million whites., in addition to some 380 millions of" coloured people. Many Frenchmen them pelves realise how serious the case has become. The French Government desires -to maintain an annual contingent of 250,000 army recruits, but, as things are going, the yield of recruits will have fallen to about 113.000 by 1936. lii 50 years’ time the French nation may number only 25 million people. Many proposals have been made to check the decline, and local authorities , have been encouraged by national’subsidies to grant bounties to families on the birth of every child after the second, with increased bounties as the familv enlarges. All families, whatever their station in life, are entitled to-"the bounties, in order to-show clearly that the sum. paid is not charitable relief, but a reward for fruitfulness. It does not appear, however, that the bounties have had any substantial , effect in. opposing the limitation of families in a, country where birth control has. become an established custom.