THE BIRTH RATE AND UNEMPLOYMENT

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 563, 21 June 1933, Page 4

THE BIRTH RATE AND UNEMPLOYMENT

It is a little difficult to reconcile Herr Hitler's avowed intention of reducing German unemployment with his policy of restricting German women to the home and "the rearing of large families." It is an acknowledged fact that a rising birthrate and rising unemployment figures are as elosely related as cause and effect, and unless the versatile Nazi Chancellor can find means of employing these larger famiI lie's when they arrive at maturity, he appears likely to defeat his own ends as the champion of domesticity. There is a great deal to be said for Herr Hitler's contention that the unemployment situation could to some extent be relieved by thq encouragement of women to assume matrimonial ties rather than enter into competition with the male in the fields of employment.

But unfortunately, the encouragement of matrimonial bliss is not entirely an antidote and it^ is likely, in the vernacular, "to cut both ways." One of the chief reasoiis contributing to the falling birthrate and lower marriage rate in very many parts of the world is the fact that marriage and the rearing of a family has become ah economio lmpossibility. This is off-set> unfortunately, to some extent by the recognised fact that the birthrate inevitably increases in inverse proportion to the financial circumstances of those making themselves respon-

sible for the lammes. we thus f aced with the problem that many thousands of children are being born into the world to parehts who have neither the means nor the opportunity o support them or give them any sort of start in life. They are thus left largely to fend ±or themselves at a time when the

battle for the economic suirvival of the fittest is at its fiercest pitch. It is this which is building up and must continiie to build up the army of the unemployed and the unemployable. In j a recent article, the well-known English play wright, Mr. St. John Ervine developed the thesis that to-day is the worst possible time to commit the crime of being | young. Personally, said Mr. St. John Ervine, he was very glad that he had already had hisyouth in less tfoublous times and was not forcedyto face life as a young man in the post-war years. This is a disturbing but very true thought and one that, if he thought it worthy of cph- , sideration, might conceivably dampen Herr Hitier's afdour in the cause of a rising birth-rate.