TOPICS OF THE TIMES.

Southland Times, Issue 22727, 1 November 1935, Page 6

TOPICS OF THE TIMES.

Bogeys of the Storm. Telegrams used to be synonymous with ill-tidings, says a writer in the Liverpool Post. Fortunately we have now gained enlightenment, and the fear has departed. It remains, though, in the case of another unknown quantity —thunder and lightning. Of course we do not conjure up the spectacle, as our remote ancestors did, of unseen gods expressing their anger, but the uneasy feeling lingers that lightning, especially if it is “forked,” is a potential killer. In due course this bogey of the storm will be dismissed in its turn, for it is gradually dawning upon the most obtuse intellect that the chances of being destroyed by lightning are literally about a million to one. Science is teaching everybody that not a single flash in a hundred reaches the earth, and those that do arrive usually travel there harmlessly by means of large trees or buildings. The best mindeasing way to think of lightning is as an electrical discharge seeking the earth. There are about 1800 thunderstorms in the world at any given moment, and every second there are about a hundred flashes of lightning, and yet the great majority of people neither hear nor see them. Judge for oneself this, therefore, how little danger there is in a thunderstorm.

Future of Royal Navy. The strength, numbers, size and composition of the future British Navy are at present being considered by foreign cabinets, writes Mr John Sanderson in the Navy. The programme has been submitted to them or to the dictators concerned by the British Government. On the other hand the British House of Commons and the country remains in ignorance of what these proposals may be. The reason for this unusual state of affairs has been explained by the Government to anxious inquirers. On the face of it, this reason is not invalid. It is stated that the figures disclosed to Germany and the other Powers are .hypothetical and that the programme is provisional and put forward as a basis of discussion only. And it is affirmed that their disclosure would prejudice the success of any naval conference which may be held later—probably before the end of this year. The object of the discussion and

the conference is, of course, to avoid or mitigate competitive naval building and so save money for Britain and the world. In spite of the apparent validity of this explanation there are many anxious minds. It was after similar discussions sixteen years ago that a programme was accepted which resulted in the reduction of the British Navy to a state of relative incapacity so that now, in times of as great danger as Europe and the world has ever known, our Navy is on all hands admitted to be, as it stands, quite inadequate for the duties it may shortly have to face. Lower Birth Rates. It is a remarkable thing that, although birth rates have been declinirig over a great part of the civilized world for more than half a century, no complete explanation has yet been discovered as to the cause of this phenomenon, remarks the Morning Post. One reason may no doubt be sought in the influence on feminine fertility of urban surroundings; but, as Sir Arnold Wilson pointed out at the British Association recently, rural districts, while generally showing a higher rate than the urban, are also participating in the decline. A more important reason is probably a lessened desire for children, which may perhaps be attributed to higher standards of living. / In the choice between a pram and a car, many people are apt to prefer the car. Yet we must be chary of generalizing too much as to the effect of economic conditions on the birthrate. It is almost certain that the rapid expansion of population during the earlier part of the last century was stimulated, by the immense economic opportunities, which were suddenly being opened up by scientific discovery. At the same time, there is abundant evidence that poverty is no barrier to a thriving birthrate. In our own country the poorer classes are notoriously more prolific than the richer, and countries with a low standard of living, such as Italy and Japan, have a higher birth rate than richer ones, like Great Britain and France. Thes facts would seem to substantiate the theory that material well-being militates against births; but the* evidence is neverthc-less inconclusive?, especially in view of the difficulty of distinguishing it from the operation of other relevant factors, such as birth control. ____________