A VITAL NEED

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18255, 25 November 1933, Page 15

A VITAL NEED

BIRTH CONTROL FOR ASIA JAPAN INTERESTED CAN HUMAN RACE RE TRUSTED (Elec. Tel. Copyright—United Press Assn.) (Received November 25, 3.30 p.m.) LONDON, Nov. 24. “ With India’s increase of 3-1, 000,(>00 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 (he London conference discussing birth control lor Asia, under the presidency of Lord Horde..

Professor Carr Saunders declared that birth control was as a vital need of modern civilisation, but the problem was how the small-family habit could be harmonised with, communal needs. If it was not, birth control would be disastrous, ’tlie loading question was whether the human race could be trusted with birth control. There was a danger of contraception threatening Western civilisation.

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