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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (April 3, 1957)
EIGHT MSDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNE Wednesday, April S. 1957 Population Gains Said Wiping Out Economic Accomplishments Editor'! note: Following li the -1 the growing world population. Egypt, Pakistan, Mexico, Bra-J duction in death rate that took By LOUIS CASSELS UniUd Press Correspondent Washington (U.R) World population is growing at the "fastest rate in history." The population "explosion" al ready has wiped out many of the economic gains painfully achieved in underveloped coun tries since World War II. If it continues, many scientists be lieve that the spector of mass starvation soon will begin to stalk large areas of the earth. "The sped-up in world popula tion growth since 1945 is one of the most ominous developments of our time," said Robert C. Cook, director of the Population Reference Bureau. "It jeopar dizes the welfare of millions of people. It is as great a threat to mankind as the atomic bomb." Cook said in an interview that "the human race has less time than some people think" to cut the fuse of the "population bomb." "If present trends continue for 10 more years, some areas of the world will face disaster," he said. Not all experts agree with Cook about the imminence of the over-population danger. Some beleive that development of new food resources could pre vent widespread famine even if the world's population doubled. At the present rate of increase, it will do just that in less than half a century. But there is general agree ment among authorities that un controlled human fertility is a luxury which the world cannot much longer afford, particularly in the vast areas of Asia and Africa where two-thirds of the people already suffer from chronic hunger. The sharp jump in population growth which now is causing alarm in world capitals is, ironi cally, a by-product of the post war effort to raise living stand ards in underdeveloped areas. It did not result from an in cease in birth rates, which have tended to remain stable "or de cline slowly in most countries, but from a precipitate drop in the death rate as modern tech niques of sanitation and medical care were introduced. Ceylon is a classic example of what is happening. Comparative ly simple and inexpensive public health measures, such as DDT spraying to control malaria, have cut Ceylon's death rate virtually in half in the past 10 years. But the birth rate has remained at the traditiontal high level. Result: Ceylon's population, after centuries of comparative stability, is shooting upwards at the rate of three per cent a year. This means that Ceylon, which already has 30u people per square mile, will double in pop ulation by 1980. ! zil and British Guiana have been growing in population at a com parative rate. "Some of the most populous nations of Asia are now trying to achieve the same kind of re- Scientists May Curb Evaporation In Drought Areas Lawrence, Kan. U.P.) Scien tists may soon come up with a plan much like putting a lid on a bottle to aid the nation's drought-stricken regions by cut ting evaporation of water. The plan, called the monomo lecular film method, involves the use of a compound that will spread out over the surface of a lake, reservoir or pond some what as oil covers the surface of puddles of water on a street. Since most arid regions lose more water annually through evaporation than is used for ag riculture, irrigation, industry and in cities, the experts predict a great new water source when the process is perfected. Dr. Buell W. Beadle of the department of chemistry and chemical engineering at the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Tex., said the effi ciency of the film on large lakes is unknown. Experiments on large bodies of water are planned later this year. Beadle demonstrated the theory of the plan at a Univer sity of Kansas engineering con ference. The compound used to spread over the water is hexadecanol, which is floated on a lake in a raft cage. The compound re mains at a thickness of only one molecule but with the molecules so tightly packed together that evaporation is greatly reduced. Such compounds would be odorless, tasteless and harmless. The film spreads out from the solid material and stops when the surface is covered. Any break in the film caused by boats, fish, swimmers or even rain is covered immediately by more film generated from mate rial in the raft. Dr. Beadle said the first to benefit would be farmers and ranchers with small stock ponds and cities with small reservoirs. Experiments have shown the film reduces evaporation by as much as 45 to 60 per cent. Dr. Beadle said there remain problems to be solved before the film is practical. One is caused by bacteria in the water which tend to attack and destroy the film. place in Ceylon," Cook said. "If all of Asia should begin to multi ply at the same rate as Ceylon, the population of that one conti nent would grow to nearly five billions in 30 years. Expanding Rapidly The present population of the Earth is about 2.7 billion. It has been increasing since World War II at an average rate of 1.5 per cent a year. This is approxim ately double the rate of increase which prevailed during the pre ceding century. "This rate of growth means that the world has 100,000 new mouths to feed each time the sun rises," said Cook. "And most of them are in the countries least able to take on the added burd en. "In Asia, although total food production has increased consid erably, the actual food intake per capita is less today than it was before the war." If underdeveloped countries are industrialized, won't their birth rates tend to drop as their living standards rise? "This is the standard answer of those who think the popula tion problem will go away if we just ignore it," Cook said. "But it ovelooks the time element. It took over a century for this tran sition to take place in most of the Western countries. During that transition, the population of some countries doubled, that of others tripled. In many under developed countries today pop ulation is 'already so dense that a doubling or tripling would certainly outrun any conceivable increases in agricultural or in dustrial production." Possible Migration Could the problem be solved by a mass migration of people from overcrowded nations to sparsely settled regions of the world? Cook replied by citing a 1954 United Nations study which said: "There are no longer any great 'new worlds' with vast areas of good farmland to be had for the labor of clearing and plowing it. Some lands are still available to immigrants in cer tain parts of the world South America and Australia for ex ample but they are generally less productive and more costly to develop." Moreover, the UN study point ed out, most of the countries which have spare land (including the United States) have slam med the door on mass immigra tion from Asia or Africa. "There is no use looking for bogus solutions," said Cook. "The problem is people having babies. Unless human sex mores can be changed quickly, too rapid population growth will growth will bring ever-growing misery." Next: The search for new birth control methods. . n'fViMiirfT"1 1 SNUGGLING THEIR SON are George and Nabejda Koz min, centers of an international custody struggle for their fourth child, Peter, months old, at Lake Villa, 111. "They want to return to their native Russia. Peter was born here. They were married in a displaced persons camp, where their other three sons were born. (International) PROSPECT Slides On Europe Shown GENIEL SPRUILL Prospect Clarence Neville, son of Mr. and Mrs. David Nev ille, who returned from Europe several months ago, visited at the Prospect school last Monday and showed the students of the sev enth grade his collection of col ored pictures. He also related various facts concerning Eur opean countries. ' Artie Holmes has returned home from California where he was called due to the illness of his mother. He reports that she is feeling better. He was accom panied by his little niece Gloria Holms of Rio Vista. A. P. S p r u i 1 1, of Seattle, Wash., spent the past week visit ing in Prospect at the home of his brother. Mrs. Deloy Gillespie under went surgery, Wednesday 27 at the Canyonville hospital. She is now convalescing at Tier home. Miss Wanda Moore has been absent from school for several days with poison 'oak. Also at home was her brother Larie who has tonsillitis Recent house guest at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Ray Gillespie were Mr. and Mrs. Eddie Math em and daughter Karen, and Mr. and Mrs. George Large and children Durwin, Ralph, Cas sie, and Sherry. John Hull returned to his home Wednesday after spending the past four months at Willing ton, Calif. Archie McKillop and Clarence and Mary Lue Neville traveled to the skiing resort, Hado, near Bend, Ore. last weekend. ' It was reported that Gene Wil liams who was injured several days ago had not received a broken nose as it was first reported. Your reporter has the large vein on the right hand severed with a piece of broken glass dur ing the week. Mr. and Mrs. Julius E. King and family of Silverdale, Wash., arrived recently at the home of his sister, Mrs. John H. Mallon of Central Point, to attend the wedding of Johnnie L. Mallon. On Saturday the Kings visited at the homes of Mr.' and Mrs. Russel B u r g e, Mr. and Mrs. Boyde Powers of Prospect and Mr. and Mrs. Robert Culver of Trail. Roger Powers of Enterprise, Ore., now employed at Rx s s Lumber co. at Prospect, will make his home with his brother and his family, Mr. and Mrs. Boyde Powers. Dinner guest at the home of the Rev. and Mrs. Forest Bards on Sunday were Mr. and Mrs. Lloyde Moore and children. Sunday visitors at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Culver of Trail were Mr. and Mrs. Boyde Powers and children. Mr. and Mrs. Bob White of Astoria, Ore. have returned to Prospect to make their home Mrs. White is the former Rose mary Robertson. Mr. and Mrs. T. J. Richey have received word from their son, Sgt. David Richey, who is serv ing with the Army Air Force at Reno, Nev. that he was recently married. Lloyde Acery of Prospect was involved in a one-car accident Saturday. Near the canal bridge on Red Blanket road. Wednesday, March 27, at the Prospect High school, a national physical education program was given by Eddie Motter, a blind gymnast. Masked Woman Signs Hollywood Contract Hollywood (U.R) A masked woman' signed a contract today with Columbia Pictures. Her identity will never be disclosed. Producer Bryan Foy will make a film, "I Broke a Dope Ring," based on her undercover work with a narcotics ring for the Orange county, Calif., sheriff's office. The woman was accepted as a member of a ring, and brought about conviction of more than 20 persons. London Labor Leaders Call Off Big Strike London (U.R) Labor leaders have decided to call off a strike of 1,700,000 shipbuilding and en gineering workers pending the result of a court of inquiry into wage increase demands. A' mass conference of execu tive representatives of 40 labor unions involved in the dispute decided to order their men back to work on Thursday, one day after the three-man court of in quiry starts its study. v Portland 0J.R)-The first day of a campaign to inoculate some 40,000 Portland school children against polio saw 2655 students at Benson and Lincoln high schools receive Salk vaccine Monday. .. Wh Lamnders Shlrta Bettr Dumot Domaitic laundry 1 The United States National Bank OF PORTLAND RESOURCES Cah on Hand and Due from Bank '. $ 146,168,428.14 United State Government Bond 250,185,391.67 Municipal and Other Bond 68,737,542.15 loan and Discount Net 330,154,438.89 Stock in Federal Reserve Bank 1,200,000.00 Bank Premise (Including Branehe) 12,168,499.94 Cutomer' Liability on Acceptance 85,074.00 lnteret Earned 3,545,450.01 Other Resource 293,671.41 ' . $ 812,538,496.21 LIABILITIES Capital.. 20,000,000.00 1 Surplus 20,000,000.00 Undivided Profit 20,827,056.50 60,827,056.50 Reserve for Interest, Taxes, ele 6,534,542.60 Acceptance 85,074.00 Dividend Declared 1,300,000.00 Depo.it. 733,818,188.41 Intere.t Collected Not Earned 4,1 99.253.24 Other Liabilitie. 5,774,381.46 $ 812,538,496.21 Thh itsftmtirf fecheVi 61 broflefwi In Oregon HEAD OFFICE: PORTLAND, OREGON MEDFORD BRANCH DIRECT BRANCH OF THE UNITED STATES NATIONAL BANK OF PORTIA ND OREGON'S OWN STATEWIDE BANK an i '' jj ' mwmnir'iiKnfmifA ;. "'y i, liiii mm ' ?S 7y 'A y-'? " t-U C KY The same fine brew LAGER ',Wa.!.'e IS ill i Only the label is new You'll like Lucky Lager all dressed up in a brand new label. A bright new look ... as pleasant and cheerful as Lucky Lager itself. All new on the outside . . . but inside -it's the same fine age-dated Lucky Lager that millions prefer. By the way, you'll be seeing both labels for a while, until the changeover is com plete. But in either case, the beer will be the same high quality Lucky Lager.
