Exit Australia. The Future of Australia's Population.
Melbourne. Australian National Secretariat of Catholic Action. (Circa 1942). Stock ID #216007 A fascinating wartime booklet authored by Catholic Action seminarian Charles Mayne, outlining the supposed imminent perils of depopulation in Australia and other Western nations - with particular reference to England and France. When referring to this item please quote stockid 216007.
64pp. Errata slip tipped in, first and last pages duplicated, leaves friable, original stapled wrappers chipped with loss, sellotape on reverse, otherwise a good copy. 18 x 12.5cm.
Within, the collapse of Ancient Greece and Rome are cited as the product of both depopulation and the incursion of foreign barbarians, in a not-so-subtle allusion to non-European migration to Australia. Rather than encourage immigration - which he views as a futile endeavour given that migrants would only be drawn from the dwindling populations of Northwestern Europe - the author recommends a vigorous policy of increasing the birth-rate, bizarrely referencing the programs of the hostile powers of Fascist Italy, Nazi Germany, and Vichy France as successful examples.
His outlined remedies include the suppression of abortion and contraception (in turn linking the latter to various physical and mental diseases), the stressing of early marriages, as well as a retinue of financial incentives to grow families - especially those in the middle class and rural areas. Curiously, a firm point in favour of equal pay between men and women is emphasised, though this appears to be a protective measure against women having greater financial independence than men, rather than any effort at building a more egalitarian society.
Price: $150.00 AU