MIGRATION PROBLEMS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 99, 29 March 1937, Page 8

MIGRATION PROBLEMS.

BRITAIN AND DOMINIONS. The Dominions cannot count on Britons to increase their populations at the rate required for safety. 'Will they have to admit foreign migrants? The question will confront the Im perial Conference, where striking statistics will show up the difficulties of population within the Empire. It is calculated that the Commonwealth to maintain the population increase of 2 per cent, per annum prevailing until 1930 would need 87,000 migrants a year. If immigration to the Dominions is to be mainly or entirely confined to British stock, the problem becomes bewildering. On a general basis similar to that given for the Commonwealth, the Dominions together would need a total outflow of 200,000 Britons a yea.r. The Round Table comments :—“Unless steps wore taken to deal with the British birth rate, such an outflow would be eugenically and economically disastrous. Not only -would it mean transferring the centre of British civilisation to another hemisphere; in a few generations it would transform the people of Britain into a race of pensioners.” T The same review quotes Dr. Deybourne as not unreasonably foreseeing a decline of 12,000,000 in the population of Britain during the next 40 years. The number of persons under 4.> years of age would fall from 31.000,000 to 16,000.000 in 1976, white the number over 45 would rise from 13,000,000 l to 16,500,000.