BY E. M. JOHNSTON, F.L.S. 57 



raised the deatli rate higher than the birth rate, and uot 

 because of any material tendency to a decline in the birth rate. 



While there are different stages of civilisation in existence, 

 over-population is a relative term applicable to the particular 

 country, and not an absolute quantity to be determined by 

 an absolute number of persons to a given area as most 

 erroneously indicated by Mr. George. This is clear to any 

 one who studies the civilisation and the sanitary state of 

 different countries. 



When peoples who have attained to the same state of 

 civilisation are so situated that the struggle for existence is 

 made lighter for a given community by local causes, 

 such as may be seen in the comparison between the 

 Australian colonies and the older countries of Europe — 

 then, the increased prosperity, the diminution of com- 

 petition for labour, the increased health due to the 

 smaller density of population, and other advantages — 

 climate not being too unequal — would show such an 

 improvement in the actual rate of increase from natural 

 causes alone that their effect is significant and instructive. 

 Thus, although the actual rate of increase in the colonies, 

 during many years, is equal to about 20'05 per 

 1,000 (not including the effects of immigration) or 

 about 10 per 1,000 above the rate of Europe, nevertheless, 

 its average birth rate is only about 1-5 per 1,000 higher. This 

 again, foi'cibly proves that the higher rate of actual increase 

 to population is due mainly to favom*able circumstances 

 lowering checks C, or deaths JFrom preventible causes. These 

 illustrations by exjilicit reference to actual facts entirely 

 overthrow the arguments of Mr. George, which solely 

 confine attention to one of the two great factors in the 

 problem relating to the causes of the increase, stationariness, 

 or decline in the population of different countries. Malthus 

 was not so visionary as to expect the entire elimination 

 of any of the factors. He only hoped to regulate population 

 in relation to means of subsistence, by the substitution of an 

 increased power of check M., in place of the terrible check 

 C He conceived that as man grew in knowledge and 

 dignity, he might be able by degrees to lower the terrible 

 influence of C, thus favouring the state P a ; the latter being 

 prevented from again re-introducing the evil effects of C by 

 the substitution of influences increasing the power of the 

 superior central check M. If the check C now ruthlessly in 

 operation be removed altogether or reduced to a minimum — a 

 most desirable thing for its own sake — it is certain that the 

 geometrical increase of I would produce a maximum effect as 

 D a, and this would sooner or later, if unchecked, over-populate 

 the whole earth. No matter in what degree the final stage 



