AUSTRALIAN “LONELINESS”

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24825, 27 January 1942, Page 6

AUSTRALIAN “LONELINESS”

EFFECT OF THE CLOSED DOOR The New Zealand Baptist comments as follows in its current issue:— There are few countries more pathetic than Australia, The pathos lies in its emptiness, an emptiness which New Zealand in a lesser degree shares. With a beggarly birth rate and gates slammed in the face of the coloured races, the island continent, which could carry 200.000,000 people with ease, contains a bare 10,000,000. The forbidden immigrants could make the empty spaces blossom like the rose. But they are not suffered to come, save in merest driblets. No man who believes in the unity of the human race, who believes that in Christ are neither Mongol nor Teuton, can look without profound concern at “ the great Australian loneliness.” A book carrying that title should be read. Its pathos is incredibly great. And now the Jap. is at the gate, and the gate trembles at the thunder of his guns. It seems very plain that unless two things happen we in New Zealand and our kinsmen in Australia are served with a notice to open the closed doors. These two things are: (1) An inflow on a large scale of white immigrants; (2) a restored birth rate. Immigration on a scale commensurate to the space available is not probable. It would consist, if it came, of urban people unfit for the never-never country. Are the people of these southern lands to reverse the policy of birth control, which’ holds our population almost stagnant? We are told that 4000 abortions are perpetrated in New Zealand every year. The army of those refused birth over the last 50 years would hold Malaya with ease. The startling circumstance is the stony apathy of the Government. Since the McMillan report was issued, nothing has been done. The law has not sharpened its teeth against the abortionist. The vendors of contraceptives make fortunes out of the depletion of the national strength. No one says them nay. Busy about many things, the most needful thing is left undone. Something will happen.