EMPTY CRADLES

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXX, 9 October 1936, Page 5

EMPTY CRADLES

EMPIRE’S DECLINING POPULATION SOME STARTLING FIGURES (United Press Association—By Electric 'Telegraph—Copyright) LONDON, Bth October. Commissioner Lamb, of the Salvation Army, in a letter to the “Morning Post” points out that that delightful State, Queensland, with untold natural resources has, after 67 years of separate existence, a population of less than a million and a male excess population of 47,000. “How can we possibly hope to develop the Empire in such circumstances?” he adds. “Females exceed males in Britain by two million.” The Daily Mail, emphasising the empty cradles of the western world instances that reliable statisticians expect that at the present fertility the English population will begin falling in 1941. It will be reduced to 38,500,000 by 1951 and 19,000,000 by 1975. If the fertility rate lessens Britain will only have a population of 4,500,000 a century hence.

' There are similar tendencies in France and Germany. Even Hitler’s effort to increase the birth-rate only produced more first-year babies. Russia is the most important exception to the world-wide decline. Japan will probably increase until 1956, when her population will be 80,000,000 Thereafter there will be a decline as her people are marrying later and declining marriage.

The “Mail” adds: “It will not be easy to restore the British birthrate as the case ‘cradle versus comfort’ will involve changing housing schemes wherein garages have displaced nurseries. There must also be a revised outlook in regard to marriage.”