Five Per Cent. Below Level To Maintain Population New York, May 13.
The growth of big cities has caused a decline in the American birth rate so sharp that it now is five per cent. below the rate necessary to main-lain the present population, Dr. Frederick Osborn, American Museum of Natural History anthropologist, told the Academy of Medicine here.
Dr. Osborn said a sharp reversal has set in after a period of great increase in the populations of both America and Europe. He asserted the decline may bring about a major shift in American history. He presented the following reproduction rate figures for this country based on 100 per cent. necessary for population replacement:
For the whole country, 95 per cent, cities over 100,000-75 per cent. cities of 25,000 to 100,000-88 per cent, towns of about 10,000-97 per cent, rural villages, 137 per cent, farms, 169 per cent. Racial, social and economic factors, he said, played a large part in the decline.
Dr. Osborn advocated extension of birth control to equalize the birth rate, combined with encouragement of agencies that will increase births among competent parents.—United Press.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.