The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-11-29
Ever Increasing Childliness of Empire is Accentuated
 by Terrible Toll of War.


 foundation. on Oct. IS, of the ''Deutsche Gese1Ischaft fur BevoeI- kerungs Politik," roughly translated, the German Society for Population Increase the efforts of a relatively small body of men to check the de- crease that has been noticeable in the German birthrate for more than 40 years have at last won widespread recognition.
 It has taken the war, with it's ter- rible inroads on the pick of German manhood, to bring thousands to realization of the soundness of the of the empire is going backward, and that. after the war, Germany faces the retrogression that has been going on in France if something is not done.
 The new society, which informally has been in existence for three months, has mapped out very definite, ever-increasing childlessness of the population These plans include certain amount of legislation which apparently is approved by nearly all parties, and an educational program by medical and pedagogical circles. The legislation includes a revision of taxation schedules which shall place an equal burden upon the fam- fly man and the bachelor so that the latter will be Literally driven into matrimony." It includes mother hood premiums'' intended to counter act the economic difficulty of bringing children into the world, and the bur den of supporting them.
 Of great importance in the eyes of the founders of the new society, the plans Contemplate a regulation of disease so rigid that the present ten dency to sterilfty, admittedly greet,
 q l. when taken in conjunction with the inclination toward earlier marriage, which, it is hoped, can be brought about. The society counts on a cam paign to decrease the training period of trades and professions so that young men will become money earn CTS at an earlier time, and upon edu- cationa1 work by family physicians and teachers
 | Few of the rulers Of the various German states, large and small, but have expressed themselves thoroughly in accord with the ideals of the so- cfety's plans Emperor William and tho King of Bavaria especially are declared to be enthusiastically behind the project. Only the Social Demo- cratic party, of all the many parties in the Empire, has not gone on re- cord as in favor of most or all of the detailed plans, and only certain labor circles, who fear that increased population means lowered wages eventually, have not taken up cudgels in behalf of the society.
 The originator of the movement may be said to be Prof. Julius Wolf, one Of the most distinguished and widely known economists of Ger many, formerly of the faculty of the University of Breslau and now at the Technical High School of Berlin. He is president of the new organization.
 Russia's gigantic increase in popu- Iation, the trem endous fertility of its people, induced him many years ago to begin studying the population problem He devoted more and more time to it as he came to realize how France had gone backward. and how strong a tendency Germany showed to follow in the same footsteps. His ideas became increasingly radical as he found that Germany's bfrthrate had dropped from 40.7 per thousand in 1870 to s2S.5 in 1911, and was still Edecerasing.
 Gradually he has gathered around him a group of the. most eminent medical. scientific, and pedagogical men from every part of Germany, who form the nucleus of the new so- cfety. He has written much on the subject, but he has worked in other and more practical ways, and has in terested the legislative forces on which he feels he must reply to pro- ceed practically.
 The society proposes. first of all, a revision off direct taxation. If mar riage is to increase, it believes, bach elors must be literally driven into it." And to drive them into it,, they must be made to pay a tax equal to that paid by the man of an average family They now pay about the same direct tax, and their advantage comes in a smaller indirect tax-1ess for salt, sugar, beer, and other eata- bles and drinkables because they have less mouths to feed Therefore the matter must be capitalized by a higher direct tax, one which they shall feel as no indirect tax ever is felt
 In recognition however. that an in7 justice can easily be. worked if gem eral conditions, especially working conditions, remain the same as at present, the society looks forward to a. readjustnnent of the existing appren- ticeship and training periods through which workmen and professional men now have to go. This readjustment may have to be legislative, it may come voluntarily in many eases. In the one way or the other, the society holds, it must be made possible for the young man to earn 3, livelihood at an earlier age than heretofore, and hence to marry earlier.
 Prof Wolf is also 2 champion of the samotherhood pension systena' now in vogue in Australia. He would have the state offer 300 or 400 marks to the mother who gives birth to a fifth child and some other sum for each additional baby. He very frankly calls the system bribery" :" but believes it would be effective bribery, and that the money would be the deciding weight in the scales when the question should come up of whether another child could be af- forded or not.
 Prof. Wolf counts on the effective ness of a universal campaign by doc tors and teachers, ministers, and priests, for earlier marriages. though