BIRTH CONTROL

Hokitika Guardian, 27 November 1933, Page 5

BIRTH CONTROL

“WORLD ESSENTIAL”

DANGER OF OVER-POPULATION.

{United Press Association— By Electrio

Telegraph—Copyright!

LONDON, November 24.

"With India’s increase of thirty-

four millions in population in the last ten years, and Japan’s birthrate .or four babies a minute, it i s time that a red traffic light were turned eastward.” The foregoing was cabled by tlie president of a birth control centre in London to a conference that was discussing birth control in As.ia under ! the presidency of Lord Horder. Professor Can-Sannders declared • "Birth control is a vital need of modern civilisation, but the problem was as to how a habit of having a small family could be harmonised with communal needs. If it was not, birth control would be disastrous. The leading question wa s whether tire human race could be trusted with birth control.

There was, he said, the danger of contraception threatening their western civilisation.

Doctor Dugsdale, a pioneer in the birth control movement, said that overpopulation was tantamount to an excessive death rate and an abbreviation of tho IVe span, owing to an insufficiency of necessities and of comforts. It was significant that both the birth rate and the death rate in Japan bad increased .since the era of industrialism there. He said that limitation of birth rate in India, in China and in Japan was essential for the world’s peace and

tranquility. Mr Eguchi, a Japanese delegate, said that hi.s countrymen were interested in birth control. It was easy for Westerners to scoff at Japan because of a low standard of living, but Japan would only be too glad jf Britain had any scheme for bringing Japan’s standard of living to equality with that of the west.