The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1915-03-17
French Savants Suggest that Gov
ernment Take Steps to Meet
the Problem Of Shrinking
Population
MINIMUM LOSS is
PLACED AT 100000
Situation Will Be Most Acute in
France Where Birthrate Has
Been Decreasing New
Laws Proposed
BY HENRY WOOD

Cunited Press Staff Correspondent
Paris, Feb. 27.-(By mail to New
York. THE Academy of Moral and
Political Sciences has just asked the
French government to take up at
once its most serious problem thar
will result from the war-that of the
population Of Europe.
The academy has pointed out that
when the war ends minimum of
100000 men at the very least will
have been killed. The crisis which
Europe will then face for its re-popu-
lation will be without parallel in the
worlds history.
The academy has already pledged to
the government its most profound anc
exhaustive study of the situation.
While it is the intention of the men,
bers eventually to take up the prob
lem in its application to all the coun-
tries stricken by the war, they for the
moment will confine their efforts to
'hC ploUiSh "o IL 10 plSStHteu IN
France
That France will be the country that
will face the most serious phase Of
the situation is already recognized
For years even before the war
Frances birth rate had decreased to
point where it was exceeded by the
deaths. Now with hundreds of thou
sands of her men most capable of re-
producing their kind being killed, the
situation is recognized to have been
aggravated to a degree where only the
most radical, unanimous and exhaus-
tive measures on the part not only OF
the French government but of the en-
tire French people are going to be
necessary in order to insure the con
tinuity of the French race
AS vet the academy has suggested
no measures to the government except
the immediate revision of all legisla-
tion ON the subject. The academy.
however, from the superficial glance
which it has already given to the sub
| ject, declares that the minimum motto
which France can adopt and hope to
prevent the gradual obliteration from
the face of the earth of the French
people is Three children for every
family" The condition entailed by
the war renders this an imperative
necessity
The academy also has asked the
! government to effect a complete
J change in the policy Of its laws on
this subject Instead Of enacting
measures with the end in view of fore
ing families to have children, it is
urged that the laws tend rather to
make its possible for parents to have
children by reducing the economic
burden of bringing them up.
AS the laws now stand. it is assert
ed that the larger mans family is
the more taxes, duties and other con-
tributions he is Obliged to pay to the
state The academy asks the reversal
of this.
1t asks also the immediate revival
of an old law which was suppressed
in 1885, It provided that every fam
lily with seven children had the right
to have at least one OF these brought
up at the expense Of the state. The
academy insists that even larger ap-
plication of this law would be justi-
fable under the present conditions.
The academy also asks that all en-
ployment under the government be
given on graded scale to the fathers
of the largest families Scholarships
and other help from the state is urged
on behalf of the children.
In making these suggestions to the
Il French government, the academy ad-
mits that these are uerely the first
! fruits Of the most superficial glance
over the situation. That situation.
however, is so serious that il declares
the government must begin at once
seizing upon every possible straw thar