Race Suicide Threat To Empire

Northern Advocate, 21 February 1940, Page 6

Race Suicide Threat To Empire

[Special to “Northern Advocate”] AUCKLAND, This Day. The dangers of “race suicide” were outlined by Dr. Halliday Sutherland in a lecture to a large audience in the Town Hall last night. The lecturer made pointed reference to Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand. From the history of dead nations, it appeared that race suicide was the immediate, but not ultimate cause, of national decline, said Dr. Sutherland. One of the greatest delusions of today was the assumption that present Western civilisation was progressing and going from strength to strength. After quoting scientific and statistical evidence in support of nis principles, the lecturer said that if the present trend in Britain continued, the population in 1954 would be less than today by 5,000,000. Frightened of Problem. The economic and political consequences of the change were so terrible that public men were unwilling to tackle the questionUnless a vast awakening of national consciousness occurred, Britain’s power among the nations was certain to decline. Figures were quoted by Dr. Sutherland to show that the same tendency was at work in New Zealand. Unless the tide turned, the young British nations could not hope to hold their territory against conquest or peaceful penetration. He commended the German system of interest-free marriage loans, which in a few years had raised the natural increase by 40 per cent.; and the French plan for financing family allowances from the wages fund of industry. Above all, he said, it was necessary that the vast and complex forces governing human reproduction should no longer be sabotaged by artificial practices.