FALLING BIRTH-RATE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 6, Issue 86, 2 July 1943, Page 3

FALLING BIRTH-RATE

DISCUSSION OF PROBLEM

RESOLUTION BY FARMERS

The allied questions of birlli rate, immigration and social education were embraced in a Waikato remit that came before the annual Auc'kland conference of tire New Zealand Farmers' Union on May 27. The motion read: "As children arc not only the best but the cheapest immigrants, and liuman> beings arc the greatest, asset of any land, and as the future population of New Zealand by New Zealand-bom is not assured, this conference urgently requests immediate investigation of the. economic, social and commercial reasons for the decline in the birth rate. Investigation to be of the reason for the increased cost of maternity; the maintenance, including housing, clothing and feeding, and the. health preservation of children and their education on lines that will lead to good citizenship and mental, physical and moral wellbeing. That the necessary steps should be taken to put the standard of living of large families on at least a parity with that of childless families; vigorous education of the public by all means available as to the importance of. children to parents, to the community and to the nation as a whole; the responsibilities of marriage; the honour and respect due to parenthood and the dignity of the matrimonial state."

Mr A. E. Bryant, Mho moved the remit, referred, to the importance of arresting the decline in the Dominion birth, rate, which, last year,, showed a fall of 1422 as compared with the previous year, while the deaths showed an excess of 1211. The fall in the birth rate represented a serious prospect of diminution in the generation of younger and able-bodied section of the population. This; was a matter that had to be faced. He referred to the frequent' requests for married couples "without encumbrances" as. one hindrance to an improved. birth rate. More assistance should also be given on marketing days and on other occasions to the mothers of families, such as was provided by the day school nursery that had been established at Te Awamutu and which was doing excellent work.

Mr R. C. Clark (Paerata) wlio seconded the remit, endorsed the mover's remarks.. He referred to a certain meeting at which the need for an increased birth rate ay as ad-' voeated. Somebody took the trouble to ascertain the average size of the families of those present, and the ansAvcr an as "two." The. President. (Capt. Rushwortli) said he had been informed by a doctor with an extensive practice that the medical profession was agreed that as civilisation advanced people tended ot become, less fertile!, the cau.se, of course, being largely the differences in the method of living. Of course there were also physical factors which had an important bearing on the question. A delegate said that the limit, of seven children, to whom the Social Security benefits applied, did not help the birth rate. The. Government also proposed to limit the size of dwellings to be erected. This, of course, would affect the post-war, as well as the war period. The remit was approved.