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Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume X, Issue 17, 3 January 1920, Page 4

The other day something was said in these columns with regard to. the threatened extinction of the British “middle class. Another contribution to the discussion is now to hand in the shape of an article by a medical, correspondent of the London “Times.” He says that ■ a falling birth-rate has been compensated ler by falling death-rate among the working and industrial classes, in which, notoriously, the annual gain and loss were very high 30 years ago. But that state of matters does not prevail in the middle ‘ classes of the. country. Their birth-rate is falling rapidly; their death-rate, never very high, is not falling and cannot fall rapidly. Thus the middle classes are sinking injhe matter Of population. We are witnessing what can be described without 6xaggeratioA as the death of the middle classes. Statistics as between classes ate not available. But the testimony of medical men forms a safe guide. That testimony is heaNdly in favour of the idea that during the past ten years, and especially during the past three yeart, middle class births have, beep a rapidly diminishing quantity. The family of four or five has beconie the family of two or three, and is in process of becoming a family of one. A great number of young couples now openly declare that they do not intend to have, more than one child, and many decide to have no children at all. Every medical man is able to Corroborate these facts, anef many medical men are consulted on the question of birth prevention.

But, the same correspondent goes on to say, the mischief does not stop there by any means. The marriage rate has also fallen. In .1917 it was 13.8 per I,O(X> of the population at all ages. Tins rate was the lowest hitherto recorded in this country, being 1.1 below that of : 1916 and 2.6 below the average rate of the quinquennium 1911-15. Early in the war, 1915, a maximum was reached at 19.4 per 1,000. It is comr mon knowledge that marriages, ana especially middle-class marriages, are being postponed at present on account of housing and food difficulties, and there can be no doubt teat many men are avoiding marriage altogether because of the. severe financial strain which it imposes. The world is in gay mood; the attractions of domestic life on a salary barely enough for. two are mui. conspicuous. As a bachelor, a man may ifidulge his tastes, preserve iu» freedom* of action; and can afford to amuse’himself with his friends. He shrinks from the alternative of sterh hard work, frugal living, a minimum of.pleasure as that worn m understood in our cities, and a maximum of anxiety. Moreover, the age question has to be considered. The proportion'of bachelors , marrying during 1911-14 was about 39 per cent. In 1886-90 it was 50 per veui» It was 37.6 in 1917.. The proportion of bachelors marrying at ages oyer 35 has also increased notably during 1916 and 1917. Of spinsters marrying during the later eighties about 63 per cent were under 25; of those married during the last few years only 55 per cent were unaer 25. The proportion in 1917 was 54.8. The war of course has proved a disturbing factor in all statistics but it is not to be doubted that Among the middle classes marriages are becoming not only fewer in number bdt later in respect of the age of the contracting parties.