CHINA'S POPULATION

Hokitika Guardian, 2 May 1927, Page 3

CHINA'S POPULATION

HIGH DEATH-RATE. (By Science Service). China, with its swarming million:of people, its crowded streets and villages, lots a very low rate of population increase in recent years, largely because of the great proportion of deaths. This fact is shown by a new study of Chinese censuses since 17-11, made by a Chinese Government statistical!, Chang-hong Chen. In 1741, the Chinese people numbered only about 25 millions more than the United States population of to-day and in the 50 years following 17-11 the population more than doubled, advancing at the rate of 15 per 1000 people every year. In the next, half century, the population increase slowed down to less than five additions a year to each 1000 people. From 1840 down to 1023 the rate of addition has gone down In only .81 per thousand. This, Air Chang, says, is lower than the rate of population advance in any other country except France. “The rate of increase of nations of the while race since 1800 Ims been II jkt 1000,” he says. “This means that the rate of increase of the Chinese population in modern times has been not quite one-third as fast as that of other countries.”

Tho Chinese population reached the 400,000.000 mark hack in 1885, according to the census figures. Since that time it ha- advanced only to 138,870,(X)0, and the .statistician believes that this extraordinarily slow rate of advance is due to high death rates rather than to low birth rates. China does not need any large increase of population aL present, ho adds, but high death rates arc not healthy factors.

Census figures before 1741 in China were misleading. Mr Chang slmws, because the head count included only males between 10 and GO years, and it was taken with tho primary purpose of levelling taxes. These taxes were lower in sparsely settled communities. Hence, Chinese population figures were often strangely low. After 1.741 both males and females of till ages were counted, Mr Chang states.