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CHEMISTS' DEPUTATION TO N.S.W. GOVERNMENT If we persist in treading the same road as France, how can we hope to escape her fate? That was the note sounded by a deputation which recently placed before the N.S.W. Government certain information relating to Australia's declining birth-rate. The deputation was received by the Assistant Minister, Mr. C. C. Lazzarini, on behalf of the Premier. It represented the Catholic Chemists Guild of St. Francis Xavier, certain non-Catholic chemists, and the Australian Natives' Mr. 0. V. Leggo, presiAssociation. dent of the Drug Trade Defence Council, apologised for being unable, on account of illness, to speak on behalf of the non-Catholic chemists. The Catholic Chemists' Guild was represented by Mr. G. R. Bohun, Guild master; Rev. Father R. J. Murphy, S.J., and Messrs. Segrave, Carrick, O'Reilly, Spora, Hartman and Drew. The deputation was introduced by Mr. L. Cunningham, M.L.A. The case for the deputation was presented by Mr. Bohun, who said: On behalf of the members of this deputation, I thank you for the opportunity which you are giving us of presenting to the Government certain recommendations as a first step in arresting the declining birth-rate. At the outset we wish to state clearly that, as Catholics, we refuse on moral grounds to admit that the practice of contraception is ever justifiable and irrespective of the decision reached by the Government, the members of 'this guild have no intention of participating in the distribution of contraceptives. A Major Evil. In company with many other thinking people the members of this guild have been agitated by the very unhealthy condition of the population They believe figures of Australia. that a major contributing cause to this advertiswidespread the is condition ing, display, and sale of contraceptives. priviwas At a recent date this guild leged to state its case before the Council of the Pharmaceutical Society of New South Wales. This body, which represents the professional interests of some 1,200 chemists in New South Wales, endorsed the case submitted by this guild and affirmed that in the event of representations being made to the State Government it would give all possible support. The world crisis which is placing such a profound strain on the national
structure is forcing our attention to certain weaknesses which in the past we may have been unwilling to face. Whether we like it or not, we are forced to realise that society is a living organism, and like other living things, is subject to the law of nature. To survive it must obey the laws of self-preservation and self-propagation. This providing of children is the very life of society, and in striking at it birth -prevention propagandists are undermining the very existence of the State. We have shown that fertility is the very life of the nation. Even the birth-preventionists are constrained to admit, and it is an accepted medical fact, that the practice of contraception lowers fertility even to the extent of promoting sterility. Thus, Lord Dawson of Penn, physician to the late King and himself a modified contraceptionist, warns people not to practice birth -prevention before the birth the of the first child on account of danger of permanent sterility. Parenthood does more than provide children. It provides the very best training which the citizen can get. if person seeks in marriage purely material satisfaction whilst avoiding its responsibilities, we can fairly assume that a habit of mind so acquired will also be practised in the wider life of society. Population Figures. We can readily see that the love of
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country is a natural outgrowth of love of the home. Australia as a national individual organism lived for many years in harmony with natural law. From a small beginning its population has grown to 7,000,000. It is true that some of this increment has come liv immigration, but it is also true that most of it has come by natural increase.
During the past two decades particularly, the rate of natural increase has slowed down so considerably (17.44 per thousand in 1914 to 7.83 per thousand in 1938) that the computations of the late Sir Henry Gullet suggest that our population will never exceed 8,000,000. In a country capable of sustaining much greater numbers (estimates vary from 25 million to 100 million) this figure is far from satisfying. That it is inadequate is proved by the fact that at the moment we are unable Sc' develop our resources. In 1914 there were 137,983 births in Australia; in 1928, although the population had increased by two millions, the total births were only 120,415. In New South Wales there has been not only a decline in the second and later births (in 1894 51 per cent. of the children born represented a fifth or later child; in 1939 the size of this group had fallen to 21 per cent.); but there is also a most serious decline in first births. If we consider the number of children born to every 1000 women of child-bearing age, we find that there were 162 in 1891, 110 in 1921, and 74 in 1939.
In a recent report of Dr. H. G. Wallace, the Acting Director of Health, the statement was made that the medical profession had no evidence of a decline in human fertility, and he could only assume that the position was brought
In darkness softened by the glowing lamp Within the little chapel, Lord, I knelt, In mind revolving all the aspects of Joyfully The pain I was to suffer. I laid my little offering of grief Before Thee, yet not asking for relief. A moment!-and I felt for certain that
Thou hadst accepted me, and I would be Instead, dear Lord, A victim of Thy love. Anticipation faded into naught And Thou didst lay another cross upon My shoulders:-may Thy holy Will be done!
It was no cross of mine, but Thine it was, 0 God; That precious Load I bore the way Thy footsteps trod.
-J. B. D.
The Third Annual Plain Chant Festival, which began on Monday and has continued all this week, will be fully reported in next week's issue. Detailed lists of the awards will be published. This morning (Feast of the Guardian Angels), a Solemn High Mass was sung by the children of the Fremantle division of the Festival in St. Patrick's Church. To-morrow morning (Feast of the "Little Flower") over 2,500 children of the Perth division will sing a Solemn High Mass in St. Mary's Cathedral. To -morrow evening the closing concert will take place in Anzac House, at which all the winning choirs will sing, and all the prize -winners will receive their diplomas and awards. The second half of the programme will be provided by leading Perth artists. Proceeds will be for the Catholic Welfare Organisation.
about by the use of contraceptive measures. For Australia the size of the age group under 15 has diminished in size from 732,000 in 1933 to 690,000 in 1939. This trend is reflected, as we would expect, in the attendance of children at our State schools; in 1939 they contained 24,652 children less than in 1931. Missing Citizens. If the average birth rate for the period 1911/1921 had been maintained, there would have been 360,000 children more in Australia at the time of the In other words, 180,000 last censusboys and 180,000 girls were missing. If we assume that 20,000 men constitute a division, we realise that between the years 1922/1933 Australia had lost nine whole divisions of men to defend our shores. Not only have we lost actual numbers, but the population which we have is changing in composition, and growing older. As a result, a diminishing group of young people must work harder in order to support a growing group of old people who are no longer able to produce wealth, but only to consume it. This disturbance of balance must produce economic and political difficulties of a major order, as it has done in England, where it has been estimated that in 1975 nine young people will be contributing to the support of 26 old people. The loss we are suffering cannot be made good by immigration, for the stocks which we are prepared to accept are suffering from the same disability. Thus, Britain over the past ten years has taken more immigrants than all the Dominions combined. In the period 1930/1936 she received a total of 410,000. (Continued on Back Cover.)
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