Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-06
THE TREND OF POPULATION
BY FREDERIC J. H4SKIN.

mate population is reached the num-
bers will be nearly balanced, with prob
ably few more women.
The adjustment between the sexes Is
due to the fact that in any new coun-
try the men go out first to conquer 1t.
Countries like Canada, Australia and
New Zealand will show an even greater
preponderance of men. 1t takes the
women several generations to begin
catching up. All the old countries Of
Europe have more women, while in the
very ancient lands of Asia the females
so greatly outnumber the males that,
in China for example, it has been the
custom to destroy girl children at birth
in an effort to maintain the balance.
Birth R-te Is Declining.
What prompts the statisticians to get
these limits to the growth of population
is study Of the birth rates in relation
to the death rates and other factors.
The American rate of increase has been
declining. The large family Of to Is
children Is rarely found save among
immigrants.
In Great Britain a practically un-
broken fall in birth rate has been noted
for years. 1t is only about two-thirds
of the pre-war rate.
Great Britain has been taking a CEN
sus decennially since 1901, having be-
gun the practice eleven years later than
the United States. 1t was necessary to
start a decennial census when the
American Republic was founded, be-
cause the genius of the form of gov
eminent lay in an enumeration of popu-
lation. In no other way could a just
representation be arrived at in the view
Of the founders.
In the decade between the British
census Of 1921 and that of 1881 there
were 6,930.000 births and 4,692, 900
deaths. Meantime there had been an
excess of emigration over immigration,
amounting TO l77,000. This gave a net
population increase Of only 2,06l 900.
which would have been the lowest
decennial increase in the history of the
British census had 1t not been for the
appalling number of deaths in the
World War in the 1911-1921 census pc
Rod. Further retardaton Is expected at
each succeeding census period
All this points to a saturation and
this in turn, points to fresh excursions
from these cvercrowded countries to
new worlds. One of the reasons whv
the older countries show more women
than men is that when they become Cd
and congested, the young men set forth
to find wider opportunity in lonelier
lands.
Australia, Canada. New Zealand.
South Africa. already are English
speaking lands but underpopulated. 1t
is most likely that the next great de-
velopments. such as the development
experienced in the United States. will
be noted there. The vast vacant
stretches Of Siberia becKon and Alaska
unquestionably is due for exploitation.
1t is fairly safe venture that the
young men who find jobs difficult to
obtain in the United States, England
and other aging countries can encoun-
ter opportunity in these newer lands
such as the opportunities encountered
here by John Jacob Astor, James J. Hill
and similar figures who grew up with
the country. There is plenty Of room on
the ground floor CT these new countries.
The statisticians do not mean that
after 1880 there will be a complete stop
page OF population, but only that births
and deaths will about balance each year
with no further substantial increases
1t is unthinkable. however, that in 1880
America will have recorded in its vital
statistics its last blessed event