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Show ideo from other editors From the Lincoln Times, Lincoln Lin-coln ton, N. C: Recent surveys have shown that the population of the world is increasing by some 43,000,000 citizens a year. The boom in world population began after World War II and is continuing contin-uing steadily. Because there are no longer many large areas of productive land open for migration, and because be-cause the world has shrunk and population increased daily, a problem prob-lem is to be faced, eventually, concerning con-cerning the feeding, clothing and housing of our steadily increasing population. Birth rates, of course, are the highest in uncter-developed countries, coun-tries, where people are never adequately ade-quately fed, clothed or sheltered. In fact, it is reported that more than half the people on earth today to-day are hungry. Unless scientific and technological technologi-cal improvements can keep pace, and then some, with the growing population, millions and millions of babies and young people will continue to go hungry, and the figure might even increase. This aggravates an already pressing population problem, especially in countries like China and India. All of which brings us around to the question of outer space. There are some who wonder why scientists scien-tists and de(ewe officials are making plans to travel to outer space. In time it may be that we will need the undeveloped lands or productive surface areas of some of the planets that surround us. From The Independent, Fuquay Springs, N. C: Too many government govern-ment officials display an alarming desire to conduct public business in private. The American Society of Newspaper Editors and other newspaper groups recently appealed ap-pealed for action which might make it more difficult for federal officials to ignore the right of the people to know. The Society has urged passage of a pending bill which would assure as-sure that a law passed by Congress Con-gress 169 years ago cannot be used to keep information secret today. As might be expected, the change is opposed by government departments. depart-ments. In a sense this is understandable. under-standable. The ability to decide what information should be made public is a kind of power, and officials offi-cials surrender power with reluctance. reluct-ance. No reasonable person will dispute dis-pute the necessity of keeping some information secret. When our national na-tional security is involved, most people are willing to suspend their right to know. |