Evening star., 1933-02-16
POPULATIONS SIZE
BECOMES PROBLEM
Ratio With Industry Sure to
Have Bearing on Living
Standards.
BY WILLIAM FIELDING oGBURN.
Research Director. Presidents Committee
on Recent Social Trends.
Write, for the Associated Press


Written for the Associated Press.
For the first time in history 1t is
practical question to ask how many peo-
pie we should have. In the past the
population increase from immigration,
but not from births, could be regulated.
1t is not yet clear that the size OF
our population can be dictated by pub
lie policy, yet the nations are tending
that way. England, Japan, Italy ana
France are actively developing popula-
ton policies.
But do we know how many people we
want?
If we do not have enough people we
cannot develop our industry and
natural resources. If we have too many
we may have unemployment and the
standard of living will be low or it will
be raised more slowly than it would If
there were fewer people.
What Large Population Means.
For the manufacturer a large popu-
lation means a market, for the real
estate owner higher value for land
For the imperiaist large population
probably means more power. For the
individual family the problem may be
that OF providing education and eco
nomic advantages. For the wage Garner
1t is likely to mean a lower standard OF
living
The increase of population in United
states is rapidly slowing down. BY
1875 we may have stationary popula-
tlon of, say, 165 100000, or even a de-
clining population.
Another important question is where
shall the people live? In congested or
unplanned cities or dispersed outward
from urban centers? How large should
our cities be? It has been thought that
people would solve these questions by
living where they found 1t most COM
Portable, since they were free to move.
But the answer Is not quite so simple
Regional and urban planning which
would lead to a better distribution is
greatly needed.
There also is a problem Of the quality
of population as truly as a problem of
quantity. On the physical side there
are Jack DempSeys, Babe Ruths and
Babe Didriksons, athletes of marvellous
physical equipment. On the other hand
there are the large number so physically
unfit that they were not permitted to
enter the Army.
On the mental side there are Elm
stems, Michaelsons and Justice Holmeses.
But also there are inmates of feeble
minded institutions. 1t matters good
deal from which of the groups our fu-
ture generations come.
Practical Question Involved.
It is partly a question Of research, be-
cause we do not know very much about
the inheritable traits d particular per-
son carries. But it Is also practical
question of controlling mating and pro-
creation.
Breeders of horses and cows can Sc
lect for mating much more effectively
than human beings are likely to do vol
unfairly, especially in the face OF SEN
timent and lack of knowledge.
But these facts in no way diminish
the importance of the problem Of the
quality of population especially since
medical progress and sanitation are
permitting SO many persons to live who
would not have survived under, say the
conditions of natural selection In the
Ice Ages in which our ancestors lived
Both the quantity and the quality OF
population are questions of immense
importance for human welfare.
Tomorrow: Getting More Of the Good
Things of Life" large proportion OF
the human race would place the task of
getting more of the good things OF life
Ogburn. The issue during the next five
years will be to prevent a lowering Of
the plane of life, and to maintain life
itself for the millions of unemployed
whose living standard has dropped pre-
cipitously, he asserts in his next article.