Manawatu Herald. SATURDAY, JUNE 28. 1919. AUSTRALIA'S POPULATION.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 1996, 28 June 1919, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. SATURDAY, JUNE 28. 1919. AUSTRALIA'S POPULATION.

THE atlaiument by the Commonwealth of Australia of a population of 5,000,000 was celebrated recently by the Millions Chili, of Sydney. The Commonwealth Statisticiau (Mr G. H. Knihhs), said that if the population of Australia continues to increase at the present rate, there avouW lie, in the year 2,000, only 18,821,000 persons in the Commonwealth. This statement should arrest the attention of anyone who cared at all for Australia’s destiny. It was selfevident, said Mr Knihhs, that a handful of live millions, one part in 3-10 parts of the world's population, could not determine the economic policy of (he other 330 parts. However much I hey might desire in Australia to raise social conditions to a higher plane than had characterised (he past, it would lie national suicide to forget that the only safe course was ihe path of competency and strenuousness. If the world’s population of. say, 1,700,000,000 in 1019, increased only one per ml. per annum, its population- would have Increased two and a-quarter times when the year 2,000 was reached. Thus it would then he 3,841,000,000. Australia’s little population of 18,000,000 would still ho a negligible quantity. Sucli a fact was very significant, and showed the necessity for re-examining their position among tho nations. No one who had seen much of the world’s activities could fail to realise that for an isolated country like Australia there was great danger —

a danger of failing to attend to advance elsewhere, a danger of too readily resting upon past achievements.