TOO MANY PEOPLE
Regarding “So Many Americans . . . How Shall We Feed Them?”, reviews by Philip Shabecoff and Marc Lappe (Nov. 27):
Over-population is a serious world-wide problem. However in the case of the United States, which has a population density one-quarter of Europe, it is not the apocalyptic disaster as suggested by the book “How Many Americans.” We had slums and inner-city decay when the population was 150 million. We neglected the problem then and we have been neglecting the problem ever since; and as usual we find scapegoats for the problem--this time it is immigration.
NORMAN F. BATES, DANA POINT
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Overpopulation is a popular subject these days and worthy of front-page prominence in Book Review. The pieces convinced me that biologist Garrett Hardin had worked his way to the bottom line of this subject 20 years earlier. He asked the simple but profound question: “How can we control population without recourse to repugnant measures?”
I look forward to reviews of books that answer Prof. Hardin’s loaded question.
WILLARD OLNEY, HESPERIA
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