INCREASING THE BIRTH-RATE

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2966, 3 January 1917, Page 6

INCREASING THE BIRTH-RATE

CONCESSIONS TO THE FAMILY MAN. Sir,—Our Government has done much good wort, but there is muck more to bo done, particularly iu regard to increasing the growth of our population. As it is now, the daily increasing high rate of living makes it hard for the married men, who are surely doing their "bit" in. bringing tip a family, as well as their freer brothers who are ablo to enlist. There .are many concessions that might be granted to family men. One is that they might bo allowed to take children up to ten years of age freo on. the trains during the holiday season, when it is so necessary for the children living in towns to get a change. I believe racehorses are carried free on trains. Surely children are much more important these days than racehorses. Each child born in A'etr Zealand is worth several hundred pounds to the country; so it would pay the Government to exempt married men from as much taxation as possible. This could bo done without any loss by extra taxation onunmai , -. ricd men and married men without families over enlisting age. These people are better able to pay than married men -with families to feed, clothe, and educate these hard times. In Germany there are about s, million babies born every year," "and if we aro to conquer a nation increasing at that rate wo must help and encourage our people to marry and bring up families, even going as far as to give a good bonus to the mothers of every baby born for the nest ton or twenty years. No country can. prosper that Las a declining birth-rate. This the Government should do all they can to stop, by helping the married men with children.—l am, etc., 'A PAEENT.