THE WORLD’S POPULATION.

Manawatu Herald, Volume LI, Issue 4541, 9 December 1930, Page 1

THE WORLD’S POPULATION.

'Several a spools of Ilio world’s population and its distribution were dismissed 'by Professor A. M. Carr-Sannders in a lecture at the eentenai’v celebrations of the Koval Geographical Society, lie said that owing to the decline of the birthrate in all the countries of Northern and Western Europe, the situation was now such that, if fertility and mortality rates were stabilised at their 'present levels, the population would before many years begin to decline. In other words, there was no longer in those countries a replacement birth-rate, and, while mortality rales rapidly decreased, the birth-rate continued to fall. The position in Southern and Eastern Europe had not yet been examined with the same care, but. the tendencies were in tile same direction, except in Russia and one. or two small Baltic Slates. That meant that, Russia excluded, any surplus that might now exist in Europe was temporary. Therefore, the problem of disposing of the surplus and relieving pressure in Europe was limited in amount and in time. The new count lies were experiencing a fall in their birth-rates similar to those occurring in Northern and Western Europe. The. United States, for example, bad now only a replacement birth-rate. The. signs of the times were that, the new countries were not going to till up through the natural increase of their present inhabitants, and that they would be able to take immigrants from Europe to an extent that would go far to relieve such pressure as ( xistod, though it was by no means certain that they would be willing. If international understanding's could be reached on the subject of migration the future of the white races was bright, so far as that was concerned. The same coaid not be said of the non-European races, which were not controlling their birth-rates. There was serious over-population in large areas occupied tby these people, but- that did not constitute a. world danger, because the pressure led, not to movements with force and will behind them, hut to internal weakness. The effect was disastrous to those who suffered front it, but it affected the rest of the world only indirectly.