70 



place in direct ratio with the size of land holdings, increasing as these 

 increase and diminishing as they diminish in size. Because of our 

 system of land tenure in Italy thousands ot people from south of 

 Rome must emigrate. Our system of taxation for school purjjoses is 

 such that we must deny these people an education. I would' not for 

 a moment make any trouble for the League of Nations by asking for 

 room for colonies in other countries where a more generous people 

 may educate and feed the scampering hord.es which we ourselves could 

 easily feed and educate were we so minded. There is so much un- 

 occupied land in Italy today that wild wolves actually traverse estates 

 of excellent soil wliich is unemployed agriculturally and untaxed for 

 modern school purposes. What I wish to say is that we might change 

 our land tenure system if our politicianc would allow it. They are a 

 spirited lot however and would much prefer to beg first and then fight 

 for what is not given to Italy by other nations. Politicians as non 

 producers do not have to do any personal fighting in case of warfare 

 you know. They simply sacrifice the stock of producers which is at 

 their disposal." 



Professor East told Count Cippico that birth control would be 

 just about the right thing for settling Italy's over-population with its 

 political re-percussions. He would halt the entrance of thousands of 

 bright and fresh new minds into the world. It would be his idea to 

 conserve whatever food is now in sight. Never mind about the birth 

 of millions of dear little girls and boys who are to find in their midst 

 plenty of individuals who would grow to teach the rest how to live 

 better than we know how to live today. 



Agricultural data comprises the first group of essentials in popula- 

 tion studies. A second lot of essentials relates to method and cost of 

 distribution of food supplies. A third lot of essentials relates to the 

 rule that all cultivated plants and animals run out of their fund of 

 protoplasmic energy and breeding comes to a jDause. Man as a culti- 

 vated animal follows this same biologic law. 



Concerning the first group, Java, for example has only about 

 eight tenths of an acre of land per person in its population, yet in 

 Java there are rhinoceri, tigers and deer in abundance. When Dutch 

 capital runs its caterpillar tractors through the rich tropical soil of 

 Java and intensive cultivation of the sort with whicli Holland is 

 familiar is applied, we may assume that a food supply will burst 



