BIRTH CONTROL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22121, 27 November 1933, Page 7

BIRTH CONTROL

CONFERENCE IN LONDON WESTERN CIVILISATION THREATENED (United Press Association.) (By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) LONDON, November 24. (Received Nov. 25, at 5 p.m.) “ With India’s increase of 34,000,000 of population in the last 10 years and Japan’s four babies a minute, it is time the red traffic light was turned Eastward,” cabled the president of the Birth Control Centre to the London conference which is discussing “ Birth control in Asia ” under the presidency of Lord Border. Professor Carr Saunders declared that birth control was the vital need of modern civilisation, but the problem was how the small-family habit could be harmonised with communal needs. If it was not harmonised, birth control would be disastrous. , The leading question was whether the human race could be trusted with birth control. There was a danger of contraception threatening Western civilisation.

Dr Dugsdale, a pioneer of the movement, said that over-population was tantamount to an excessive death rate and an abbreviation of life span, owing to insufficiency of necessities and comforts. It was significant that both th • birth rate and the death rate in Japan had increased since the era of industrialism. The limitation of the birth rate in India, China and Japan waS' essential to the world’s peace and tranquility. Mr Eguchi, the Japanese delegate, said that his countrymen were interested in birth control. It was easy for Westerners to scoff at Japan because of its low standard of living, but Japan would be only too glad if Britain had any scheme for bringing Japan’s standard of living to an equality with that of the West.