ABSTRACT
‘The social and economic importance of the rural areas and the need to safeguard the welfare and living standards of people there have long been accepted as basic principles of social policy in this country. The detailed parish results of the 1961 Census are likely to produce a salutary shock, though even the Census hides the full story, for in parts of central and north Devon, for example, the present depopulation rate appears to be three or four times the average for the decade 1951 -61. The adventitious population of course enjoys the amenities provided in the countryside at less than economic cost, but is generally not only the least necessary group for a healthy rural economy, but also the least dependent upon public transport. Universal car ownership cannot be the solution—certainly not during the period which is the concern of the Ministry of Transport and of town and country planning authorities.
