Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1935-02-11
j. s. POPULATION
BECOMING STABLE.
Hoover Committee Survey
Reveals Urban CenterS
Continue Growth.

Greeley's dictum, GO West, young
man." is definitely dead, leisure time
play areas are riding to boom, and
no city in the United States has de-
clined in population once it has
reached the $50 900 mark.
These and other sociological facts
have been made public by commit
tee appointed four years ago by Presl- !
dent Hoover to study the trends OF
national life. A summary OF the
findings is issued by the chief stat
istician of the American Telephone |
& Telegraph Co.
Certain general tendencies are
traced in the movements OF popula-
ton that characterize present-day
America, according to the committees
report. First, while the distribution OF
people over the country is far from
uniform, it seems to be tending to
"stay put" in various geographic re-
gions Trends westward. southwark
or northward have subsidized.
Urban Population Growing. d
"The tendency of arrangement
within these large geographical areas
is definitely toward local concentra-
ton. AS high proportion of the total
population is now living in places of
$4,000 and over, as was found IN
places of $500 and over q decade ago. |
Almost as high a percentage is re-
corded at present in places OF $4,000
and over as was recorded in places OF
$500 and over in 1890. In short, pop
ulation is not merely moving into
urban centers; it is concentrating more
and more in larger urban aggrega-
tons"
An interesting feature brought to
light is the relatively high rates of
growth in the last decade OF cities
with less than $4,000 inhabitants.
This, the report indicates. is due to the
suburban movements Of the metropol-
itan populations. Although these
smaller cities may be incorporated as
separate political units, they are &C
tually fragments of the nearby metro
politan center. Large cities seldom
appear isolated They are almost al
ways surrounded by cluster OF small
er centers both economically and So
cially intertwined.
Some Cities Lost.
although the urban population as
q whole increased from 54,3O5,O0O 10
68.955.OO0 or 269 per cent, between
192O-1930, as compared with gain OF
1911 per cent for the total population
of the United States all cities did not
share equally in this increase"
AS matter of fact, there were some
instances of losses. 1t seems gener-
ally true, however, that as city in
creases in size, it tends toward greater
stability as population aggregate.
This apparently based on diversified
economic structure.
The rise of manufacturing indus
tries has usually been regarded as one
of the primary causes of population
concentration and city growth. In
recent years, however, the influence Of
manufacturing has been relatively de-
clining. On the other hand, there
has been an outstanding development
in commercial functions. Every large
city of 100000 and over shows a
higher proportion of its gainfully en-
ployed men and women engaged in
trades now than in 1920.
Service Occupations Gain.
A rising standard of living and
greater efficiency of industries has in
creased the types of commercial ac-
tivity and added to the volume of
commerce. Better facilities for trans
portation and communication have
transformed the general pattern of
commerce, accelerating the growth of
large-scale organization, thus making
for geographic concentration of many
commercial functions The general
tendency of commercial activities
wholesale, retail and finance--to be-
come more highly concentrated, is
probably. therefore, the chief explain
alton of recent tendencies in city
growth.
"Along with this has been the in
creased number of persons who are
engaged in service ccupations-per-
Sonal, domestic, professional and pub
lie. These increased approximately 81
per cent in the past decade. The ex-