DECLINING POPULATION

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 24, 12 February 1937, Page 15

DECLINING POPULATION

Position in Britain Forecast 200 Years Hence ULTiMATE EXTiNCTION (Received 12, 8.45 a.m.) LONDON, Feb, 10. The population of Bngland will be only 20,000^000 a century hence and 5,000,000 in 200 years, said Sir William Beveridge, Director of the London School of Economics, at Sheffield. Hfe explained that though the population today Was iUcreasing slowly it WoUld sbme years hence begin to fall by a qtiarter in each generation and ultimately become e^tinct. The thfeAten&d decline couid be slowed dowh somewhat thrdugh a decline in ihf&nt mortality and incffeaSed marTiages, but the only Way of stopping it was for parents to have more children. Sif William Beveridge pniphesied that the queation of family allo wances woiiid sdoii be in the forefront. of .the dOCial policy. x • The Commons discussed the birth Tafis on the motion of Mr j. E. H. Cartlahd tfrho expressed the opinion that tlie decline in population would possibly ehdanger the mainteUance of the I&tpire hhd urged a Govefninent inquiry. Mr B. A. Pilkington suggestfed abachelor tax and said he learned With horror that there Were 200 bachelor members of the Commohs. Cries of "Shame!"

f It was a situation," he said, ".that inemberS shonld remedy." (Laughter). j Mr D. Sands averrfed that the de- , uline in the birthrate was most inarked ; m the sparcely populated Dominions, No i oue whnted a larger population for «■*** f'ddder, but it must be obvious . that an Fmpir'e Whose population was j ieclining was a Vnlnerable mark. He | th Ought the birthrate would iacrease if i tne danger of war were eliminated. Captain A. U. M, HudSon, on behalf of the Government, accepted the motion ftnd said the actual birthrate of the past ten years slywed a slight fise.