PEOPLING THE EMPIRE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIV, 16 June 1930, Page 2

PEOPLING THE EMPIRE

VIEWS OF AN ECONOMIST BRITAIN LOSING THE POWER LONDON, Ist June. '•There is only om; effective means of possessing land. That is by peopling it," write" Sir Loo Chiozza Money, the well-known economist.

•Ml U idle to ignore the fact that in ISSI Australia hail a population of 2.i1">0,0n0. After a lapse of nearly half a century, it has hardly more than doubled that small figure.

••hi the same lime the population of the United States rose to nearly 122,000,000, and that of Argentina to nearly 12,000,000."

After discussing the decline of the British birthrate, Sir Leo says: "The natural increase will presently be replaced l>y a yearly and\ increasing natural decrease. Britain is losing her power to peo'ple the Empire. Australia's natural increase is 70,000 a year — a trilling number, which is only too likely to fall.

"The white population of the Empire overseas is 21,000,000, of whom 5,.'{28,000 are of non-British descent."

At the end of 1020, jvliieh is less than half a century after 1881, Australia's population was approaching 7,000,000.