The Evening Star WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1936. MIGRATION AND THE BIRTH RATE.

Evening Star, Issue 22463, 7 October 1936, Page 10

The Evening Star WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1936. MIGRATION AND THE BIRTH RATE.

A new and rather startling note has entered into discussions on migration problems. For years past the majority of New Zealanders and likewise their Australian neighbours have probably been under the impression that once economic conditions returned to normal the way to a resumption of a healthy immigration policy would automatically be opened up. It may even have been anticipated in some quarters that the dominions’ Governments had but to make a welcoming gesture in order to attract to the Antipodes thousands of grateful new settlers. But it is becoming rapidly more apparent that the solution of the closer settlement problem is not to be as easy as all that. The point has often been stressed that immigrants with enough capital to enable them to fend for themselves over the first difficult years in their new home will always be gladly received. However, we must consider the probability that people in the United Kingdom with money, much or little, may not be so willing to migrate to the dominions as we are to welcome them. After all, why should they be? As far as New Zealand is concerned there has been a certain amount of disillusionment in regard to the benefits to be derived from migration, and, although this is not altogether the Dominion’s fault (the economic depression took its toll), memories of unfortunate experiences to which some publicity has been given will not be quickly forgotten. This was a point touched on by Mr Mansfield, of London, when, at yesterday’s sitting of the congress of the Empire Chambers of Commerce, he condemned the kind of migration that resulted only in weeping and returning to London to parade posters in front of the dominions’ official headquarters there. Further evidence of the prevailing trend was supplied by Mr Martin, of Wellington, who stated that for the last four years the excess of departures from New Zealand as against arrivals was 2,813 annually, whereas prior to the stoppage of migration we were receiving 10,041 more people over departures every year. This is scarcely indicative of complete satisfaction with life in New Zealand. A still more serious problem, however, is that in which the future of migration becomes linked up with the birth rate. In Great Britain the birth rate is declining; in New Zealand the birth rate is declining. The position in the Mother Country has been summarised in a leading article which appeared in the ‘ Morning Post,’ London, and significant extracts of which are published in this issue in the form of a cable message. Drawing attention to the new light that is being shed on the whole problem, the ‘ Morning Post ’ states that in a very few years, so far from having a surplus population, Great Britain herself will be suffering from a decline in population. The newspaper puts the pertinent question: “ Can Britain afford to suffer additional diminution through migration, lest her man power and resources become dangerously weak?” And it goes on to say; “ Clearly the solution is more babies.” There is food for much thought in these words. It is perfectly true that the dominions of the Empire can be filled up with British stock only out of a continuing surplus, and if there is no surplus being produced either in Britain or in her possessions overseas, the problem will grow acute, if not actually dangerous. Statistics prove that New Zealand has not been playing a full part in building up her population; Between the years 1876 and 1880 the birth rate was 41.2 per 1,000 of population. Between 1886 and 1890 it was 31.1 per 1,000. The decline has been steady ever since, until last year the rate was only 16.1. It is disturbing, to say the least, that, despite the general increase in population, fewer children are being born in this country to-day than 25 years ago. Out of a total population of 500,000 in 1882, moreover, there were 19,009 births, whereas last year, out of a population of 1,500,000, the number of births increased to only 23,965. Except perhaps over recent years, economic stringency cannot be the reason for this alarming state of affairs. To put the matter bluntly, the chief contributory cause of the steady decline in the birth rate has been the increasing disinclination of young married couples to shoulder the full responsibility of parenthood. The outcome may be grave. Indeed, it will be grave. At the present time the Empire is being accused by more populous nations of possessing what is called a “ land hunger.” Covetous foreign eyes are being directed at our great unsettled spaces, and, in the absence of our own inability to fill them, it is becoming difficult to frame the complete rejoinder. At yesterday’s sitting of the congress of the Empire Chambers of Commerce, Lord Elibank said that the blood of Britain was not so unmixed, and he made a point that the dominions might find it in their interests, as America had done, to open their doors to a certain proportion of foreign European blood. Lord Elibank’s remarks may be disturbing, but they are justified. It seems to bo a case of more British babies or more foreign immigrants.