A. O. POWYS 
253 
It is not my intention to deal with this subject from the ethical standpoint, 
but a thorough statistical analysis compels me to disagree not only with the 
conclusions of the Commission but the unscientific reasons in support thereof 
It is not necessary here to traverse the evidence given, but it will suffice to 
produce the actual facts as recorded at the census. It is clearly seen from 
the distribution of fertility as revealed in Table XV. that we are dealing with 
a naturally most fertile race. It may be reasonably argued that the distribution 
shown in that table refers only to marriages which were contracted at least fifteen 
years ago, and not to present marriages. But we can well judge of the effect 
of the alleged fifteen years' excessive restriction if we examine the women who 
were married from 15 to 20 years at the time of the census and who were then 
under 40 years of age. The results I find to be as follow : 
Size of Family Number of Families 
0 553 
1 637 
2 948 
3 1402 
4 1967 
5 2235 
Size of Family Number of Families 
6 2662 
7 2570 
8 2063 
9 1125 
10 539 
11 and over* 369 
Here it is seen that (allowing only 11 children to the 369 women who had 
11 and over) the mean family is 5"61 children and only 3'24< per cent, who had so 
far proved sterile, and consequently these figures utterly refute the Commission's 
conclusions. In view of these figures, we can assert that there cannot have been 
much restraint practised in New South Wales during the last fifteen years. 
I wish to emphasise this point in order that it may be recognised that the 
curves of fertility for various durations of marriage in New South Wales are 
as nearly as possible those free from restraint. That restraint is practised by 
certain sections of the community I am well aware, as also that it always has 
been so in some form or other, but in view of the figures which have been 
produced and those to be produced, I think it is altogether erroneous to assert 
that the practice is common to all sections of the community and to all parts 
of the State. 
Now let us ascertain the distribution for durations of marriage of less than 
15 years. I have taken tliose women who were under 20 years of age at marriage, 
and have divided the duration of marriage into three periods — from 4 to 5 years, 
from 5 to 10 years, and from 10 to 15 years — the ages at the census being under 
30 for the first two, and under 85 for the latter period. The statistics and 
percentages are shown in Table XVI. 
* The returns do not show the distribution beyond 10 children. 
