Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-09-11
FUTURE PROBLEM
|NFOOD SUPPLY
EnqIish Professor Points Out
New Field of Endeavor
for Geographers.
SEES TAX ON RESOURCES
OF WORLD IN CENTURY
Equalization in the Distribution of
Population Must Begin in Near
Future, He Says.


1.-THE day OF striking geographical ex-
plorations passed with the finding of
the earth's two poles; the geographer of
the future will have as his field the
vital questions Of supplying and dis
tributing food and clothes to the world
In the opinion of H. N. Dickson, presi-
dent OF section of the British Associa-
ton for the Advancement of Science. Mr..
Dickson so asserted in an address de-
livered today before the association.
Foremost of these questions, Mr.. Dick
son believes. will be that of growing
wheat enough for the worlds bread. A
host of problems OF the future are mar
shaled behind this, among them being
the questions of obtaining power and
energy sufficient to operate the needed
increase in factories. the fuel question
and the distribution of population.
within a century, he estimates, the re-
sources of the world will be taxed to
their full capacity.
Mr.. Dickson is professor of geography
at University College, Edinburgh; pres-
dent of the Royal Meteorological Society
and a recognized authority and writer on
meteorological and geographical topics.
Problem of Accommodation.
Civilized man Is, or ought to. be, be-
ginning to realize Mr.. Dickson said,
that in reducing more and more Of the
surface of the earth to what he considers
habitable condition he is making SO
much progress and making it so rapidly
that the problem Of finding suitable &C
commodation for his increasing numbers
must become urgent within few genera
tons. We are getting into the position of
the merchant whose trade is constantly
expanding and who foreSees that his
premises will shortly be too small for him.
In our case removal to more commodious
premises elsewhere seems impossible-We
are not likely to find a means of migrat-
ing to another planet-so we are driven to
consider means of rebuilding on the old
site and thus making the best of what we
have that our business may not suffer-
In the type of civilization with,
which we are most familiar there are
two fundamental elements, supplies of
food energy and supplies of mechani-
because of geographical conditions,
these do not necessarily Cor even in
generaD occur together there is
third essential factor, the line of
transport"
Mr.. Dickson referred to the wheat
increase in population.
IF prophecies based on population
statistics are trustworthy" Mr.. Dick
son declared, "the crisis will be upon
us before the end of the century, After
that we must either depend upon some
substitute to reduce the consumption
per head or we must take to intensive
farming OF the most strenuous sort"
Takes Up Coal Supply. .
As to the worlds coal supply Mr..
Dickson said that the largest fields
would last barely three centuries even
at the present rate of consumption.
OF other fields. yet undiscovered, he
could. of course, make no reckoning.
There must begin in the near future"
Mr.. Dickson continued, "a great equaliza-
ton In the distribution of population. This
equalization will arise from a number. of.
causes, among them being intensive cul-
tivatiOn of the soil and more uniform
distribution of manufactures.
What is wanted" he concluded. ..is
that we should seriously address our
selves to stock-taking Of our resources.
we should vigorously proceed with the
collection and discussion of geographical
data OF all kinds SO that the major nat
ural distributions shall be adequately
known. Eventually we shall find that
country planning will become as i'm
portant as town planning In the mean
time geographical knowledge will yield
scientific results of much significance
about such matters as distribution of
population and industries and the degree
or adjustment to new conditions which
occurs or is possible in different regions
and among different peoples"