The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1911-09-08
THE BRITISH CENSUS.
It Shows the Population to be Increas-
ing, More and More Slowly,

The population of Great Britain for
the first time since the census of the
kingdom was taken has not. according
to the report of the registrar general,
maintained its rate of increase. DURING
the decade Just past this rate was 81
per cent. During the previous decade
it was 12.17 per cent.
Especially striking does this loss of
growth appear when contrasted with
that of Germany. for while Great
Britain actually increased in popula-
ton only about 3,275,000 in 10 years,
its greatest continental competitor IN
commerce is increasing at the rate OF
nearly 100000 year.
The two main apparent causes Tor
this failure to maintain the norman rate
of increase of population are the great
fall in the birth rate and the great in
crease in emigration. As was pointed
out in recent article in the Sun, the
bulk of this emigration has been di-
rected to other parts of the British do;
minion, so that it cannot be regarded
as lost to the empire.
HThe fact that the lowest rate of in
crease has been in purely agricultural
counties accounts partly for both the
falling birth rate and the increasing
rate of emigration says the, Queen.
F" AS everyone who has studied the dues-
ton knows, the British rural population
does not increase as it should for two
main reasons, the lowness of wages and
the scarcity of housing accommodation
The former is undoubtedly due to our
antiauated fiscal system. which admits
foreign produce free, but taxes heavily
the British means of production.
H'The latter is due to the fact that
the capital required for creating labor
ers cottages is so highly taxed that 1t
produces a much smaller return than
when employed in other methods. The
average rate of interest in agricultural
land, including farm buildings, cot,
tages, ETC., is only some 2 per cent, and
now that rates and taxes are constantly
rising. while rent does not increase pro-
portionately, landowners are becoming
less and less willing to sink their capt.
tai on such unremunerative terms, es-
peciallv when the security is continu-
ally falling one.
"Hitherto great landlords have been
willing to accept nominal return Tor
the capital expended on their estates
largely because of the sentimental IN,
terest attached to them-the pride of
possession, social status, family con
nection, personal knowledge of and SYM
pathy with the tenants, and so on. But
now that the actual burdens of land
lordism are outweighing its tangible ad-
vantages large owners are beginning to
sell off their landed estates, and the
new owners. chiefly farmers or small
holders, are so put to it to raise the
purchase money or find the interest on
their mortgages that they have scarcely
enough cash left to repair the laborers
cottages, let alone build new ones.
"Under these circumstances young
couples find it an ever. increasing diff
culty to marry and settle down in the
country One consequence is that young
men 90 to towns to increase the competi-
ton in the labor market. and another
is that both men and maids emigrate to
the United States or the British domin
ions. and so the country languishes for