Professors Give Testimony on Moving Trends

Three Harvard professors are testifying on changes in the nation's population and their consequences before the Select Committee on Population of the United States House of Representatives.

William Alonse '54, Saltonstall Professor of Population Policy, is speaking today on geographic patterns of population growth and decline and recommending increased federal legislation based on more extensive demographic data and policy analysis.

Joe D. Wray, Visiting Professor of International Health and Maternal and Child Health, spoke May 25 on the effects of family size on the welfare of children. "I've found that often the bigger the family, the more the sickness, the worse the I.Q. and the less the nutrition," he said yesterday.

In discussing family trends, Wray cited research correlating lower scores on Scholastic Aptitude Tests with higher birth order. "Let the birth rate keep on slowing down," he said.

"It's bad to be young now. You would be earning a lot more money in relation to older people if you were born ten years ago or ten years from now," he added.

The testimony of the three professors is part of a three-week series of hearings on changes in U.S. population and their consequences. Following the hearings, the population committee will make specific recommendations to Congress on long-term policy changes, such as centralization of demographic data, the restructuring of schools, and care programs for the elderly, a spokesman for the committee said yesterday.

Stay Put

Migration towards rural and Southern areas will affect Harvard only indirectly, Alonso said yesterday. "Harvard is located in an urban area subject to decline," he said. Many childless couples are moving into urban areas now, so Alonso said he forsees many apartments and condominiums in cities, but not any population growth.

"But I don't see any likelihood that Harvard will lose half its faculty to the diversity of southern California," he added.

The spokesman added Alonso is expected to discuss specific areas where the population is increasing rapidly, such as Houston and Tucson. The test of Alonso's testimony, however, focuses more on national population trends and proposals for federal policy.