DOMINION'S POPULATION

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 1, 24 September 1937, Page 5

DOMINION'S POPULATION

-Preaa Aaaociatiou.)

Concern Reflected in House

QUESTION BY MEMBER

(By Telegrapli-

WELLINGTON, This Day. Information of any intention the Government might have to deal wltn the population problem of the Dominion was sought in notice of a question asked in the House of Eepresentaives yesterday by Mr T. H. McGomba (Govern* • ment, Lyttelton) on bphalf of several Government membera. Mr McCombs asked tho Prime Minieter, the Et. Hon. M. J. Savage, whether he had noticed the disquieting statement about the falling-off in the rate of population mcrease in New Zealand, as outlined in tho report on the 1936 population census, and whether the Government wOuld devise means for improving the natural rate of incrcase within the Dominion. A note to the question quoted the report as describing the position of the New Zealand population as highly critical and as stating that. according to the method devised by Dr. B. B. Kuczynski, it appeared that New Zealand 's population had reached a stage where it was no longer replacing itself. The members who associated themselves with Mr McCombs in the question ineluded the Speaker, Hon. W. E. Barnard, Messrs W.'j. Lyon (Government, Waitemata), A. G. . Hullquist (Government, Bay of Plen ty)j and J. B F. Cotterill (Government, Wanganui).