The Times MONDAY, JUNE 28, 1943. Manawatu’s fighter Squadron

Manawatu Times, Volume 68, Issue 151, 28 June 1943, Page 4

The Times MONDAY, JUNE 28, 1943. Manawatu’s fighter Squadron

The arrangement whereby this district’s contributions to the third Liberty Loan will be devoted to the purchase of a Manawatu fighter plane squadron should evoke the keenest enthusiasm. It is a splendid conception to ally local enthusiasm with a great national patriotic objective. The district’s obligation to the third Liberty Loan is not one to be easily fulfilled. The Dominion goal is a high one: to raise £35,000,000 in about five weeks from a population of only 1,650,000 people, which on the average is £22 per inhabitant of the country, or about £BB per household. The Palmerston North postal district’s quota is close on £1,500,0CT0 of which approximately one third has been subscribed to date. Our people have the money and the power to meet this obligation, but it requires a most enthusiastic response. Now so far as this district is concerned a new and attractive incentive is provided.

The general, overall national appeal, based upon principles and appealing to New Zealanders through every section of the country, has been fully and well put forward. That has served steadily to give citizens a proper and complete understanding of what the loan is all about. But there was need for some such complementary appeal to the spirit and this has now been provided to all residents of the area of which Palmerston North is the centre.

Within a comparatively short period the people of this district may look forward to reading news of what “,their fighter squadron” has done. The basis of such appeal to local interest has been long recognised in Britain, as is evidenced by the local character there of so many famous fighting regiments. All know of such names as the Manchester's, the Scots Grey, the Irish Fusiliers or the Welsh Guards and a dozen others.

We can now look forward to the creation of a tradition for our Manawatu Fighter Squadron. This with individual planes named after various sections of the district —and most appropriately as far as possible with Maori names. Perhaps one day we may read that Takaro or Pahiatua has achieved a score of “six enemy planes shot down so far.”

With such an inspiration it would seem now assured that Manawatu will not alone achieve its quota to the Third Liberty Loan, but has every prospect of exceeding the minimum goal. Birthrate Problems

A notable address was given in this city last week by Dr. E. Marsden, Secretary of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, before delegates to the National Dairy Conference, entitled “Whither New Zealand?” Those who heard that address were impressed with the wish that the message it contained might have been brought home to every citizen in the land. There was one particular aspect of what might he called longterm importance. This concerns the population future for the Dominion. The speaker did not decry immigration, but he did voice an opinion to be concurred in by all that our own babies were the ideal immigrants. He brought forward another point which was that the birth-rate in this country had improved to a modest degree of recent years after having fallen over a very prolonged period. But lest this statement be taken to have any political implications, he made it clear that almost parallel trends were recorded throughout the world. Three aspects of the birth-rate were dealt with. The worldwide use of preventives was held to have only a passing bearing on reducing the birth-rate. And it was urged that the knowledge of these need not be viewed as threatening race suicide. Then lie dealt with the question of social conditions as they might affect the problem. As should be obvious to everyone, merely increasing a citizen’s income does not automatically increase the size of the family. In fact, the reverse will be generally found. Attention was then drawn to the third factor and the example of Nazi Germany was cited. This was that the spirit of the people was all important. And from all the evidence he had been able to glean, the speaker was convinced that the most notable achievement made to increasing the birth-rate had been that of Hitler in Germany during the four years prior to the outbreak of war where a2O per cent, increase in the birth-rate had been achieved. And the reason given was that the women of Germany had been brought to believe that it was their duty to give children to their nation.

New Zealand has an even greater need to increase its population than has any crowded European land. Has there not been here a failure to realise the divine mission of motherhood in what might be called almost an empty laud, yet one of richest promise for the Upbringing of families? And is not there a lesson in the example of an enemy country for those here who would see our population naturally increased? You cannot “buy babies’* by monetary grants, or enforce their creation by interference with a now socially-established factor of contraception. Our population will increase as it should only when there comes a deep—one might term it religious—belief that the bringing into the world and the upbringing of families to assure the future of our race is the most worthy objective of every yoUng woman in the land, and of every man who would marry.