THE BRITISH RACE

New Zealand Herald, Volume 80, Issue 24747, 22 November 1943, Page 2

THE BRITISH RACE

POPULATION PROBLEMS

DOMINION'S POSITION

The question whether post-war Mew Zealand could look to British immigrants to increase its population was discussed on« Saturday by Sir Walter Layton, leader of a group of British newspaper proprietors who are making a short tour of New Zealand. Sir Walter, who is chairman of the News Chronicle and the Star, London, and a former editor of the Economist, is a recognised authority on economics and has served on many British and international financial and economic missions and committees. He was asked whetlioi Britain would he able and would desire to assist, any Dominion immigration •schemes in a substantial measure. "It is very desirable," said Sir Walter. "that New Zealand and Australia should increase their population. 1 feel that they both should carry an increase much larger than hundreds of thousands. No Large British Poo] "But the trouble with the British population is that it is stationary and will shortly be falling. It will have an increased number of old people and a decreased number of breadwinners, a condition that has not been helped by the war. In addition, from the economic standpoint it will be short of workers. "Politically, too, England will not want to denude herself of population. We have only just enough to meet the manpower requirements thrust upon us by the wnr, nnd have not boon able to meet them without strain. With the Dominions, we had to carry the brunt of the burden for a long period, and if we bad had a much smaller population it is questionable whether "we could have hung on. Need for a Strong England

"We believe there should be a strong England in Europe. We believe England has been and, must continue to be a wholesome influence in Europe, that we have helped her to civilisation and can help to load her to a more civilised future. We believe also that there would have been an even worse mess than there is now if there had been no Eng--1 n n (1.

"The conclusion, therefore, is that while there will be quite a number of British people who will be thinking after the war in terms of settling overseas, they will not he measured in millions or in hundreds of thousands." It followed from this. Sir Walter continued. that for those Empire countries which desired large post-war increases in their population there were only two solutions. One was by immigration from alien countries and the other was hy increase of their existing British populations. Future Responsibilities Sir Walter said he firmly believed that the world of the future would need a great increase in the people of British race. They had already given much to millions of people of other races and he held the view that they could and must continue to help the world. Having regard for the population increases of other races, only temporarily checked by the slaughters of war. this obviously demanded increased British populations. With their large unsettled spaces and manv other contributing advantages. Sir Walter concluded. New Zealand and Australia seemed to people such as he to be ideal areas for increasing their British populations by raising their birth rate. The effect of what he had said was that New Zealand could not expect much help from Britain if slip wished to expand her population by any very considerable extent and that, if alien immigrants should be unacceptable to her, any increase in her population lav in her own hands.