Page:Indian Journal of Economics Volume 2.djvu/128

116 must vary inversely as es, oh other: that is to tries where the will be a high preventive check follows, therefore, say, in preventive check prevails very little desth-rs?e ? while prevails the death that in countries there in countries where the rate will be low. It with a high birth-rate there will be a rapid succession of short-lived beings to keep up the numbers, one generation being pushed out of existeneo before its time to make room for the nex?---s phenomenon painfully common ?11 over India.... The only remedy, there- fore, for poverty and other evil effects of .the principle of population is moral restraint or abstinence from improviden& marriages." The second chapter deals with Marriage and its relation to the growth of population. The custom of very early marriages in India, which is ascribed partly to religious injunction, is deplored. Its effect upon-fertility and upon the birth-rate is carefully analysed with the help of statistics, and the remedies for the evils thus disclosed are discussed, and the postponement of the age of marriage is recommended. Judging from the last Punjab Census Eeport the teachings of the social reform societies have had little or no praeticaJ result: st' any rate girls still marry at the same youthful age, ?md postponement of the age of marriage amongst men, whilst ben. eficisl, i& not? so important. The third chapter deals with the rate of natural incre8? of the population in India as compared with other countries; and the short expectation of life characteristic of India is ascribed to. the very high birth-rate which keeps the population st low economic level subject to every form of disease and misery and consequently death at an early age. The high birth-rate is aeeomp?i? by ? high desth-rstm, .consequently the rate of inoresse of the population is small and them is ? terrible Wastage of life. The fourt5 chapter is devoted to migration; and here again the author is interesting and sound, except for the surprising statement (page $5 )tha? in Bihar there are no large local industries. Yet in this Province, and ?he neighbouring Itsnigsnj coalfield, coal and mica mining, the iron and steel industry, and ?he railways already employ over quarter of million persons, and are rapidly expanding. The author is right, however, in estimating the possible relief from overseas emisrstion as negligible, and in regarding Assam as a promising field for absorbing surplus population