OUR BABIES

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 253, 13 July 1918, Page 3

OUR BABIES

FBr Htojiu.l

Published under thn auspices of Uio Eoyftl New Zealand Society for tho UoaltU of Women r.nd Children. It is wiser to put mi a lonce nt llio top of a prccipicu than to maintain an ambulance at the bottom."

ANNUAL MEETING OF THE NELSON BRANCH.

Mil. YOUNCI'S ADDHESS. One of the chief features of the annual mooting of this Kelson branch of the society was an address by Mr. Young, J). P. for Waikato, who journeyed nil the way lrom Hamilton to be present on the occasion.

Mr. loung'e address was most, comprehensive, and it wae very gratifying to find a. member of tho Legislature bo conversant with tho ideals, aims, and objects of the society, and so keenly appreciative of the national and patriotic importance of its mission. In the couree of his remarks Mr. i oung brought forward some figures which should be of great interest to the community I am sure that our readers will find the following summary of tho address a stimulus to further effort, in the cause of motherhood and babyhood. Mr. Young said thnt the motto of the society was "Help the mothers and Bave the babies," and that was the underlying principle of their whole work. Ho gavo a brief sketch of the history of tho society from the time it was.inaugurated eleven years ago through the efforts of Dr. Truby King, and he paid a warm tribute to the splondid body of women who, aotuated by the loftiest ideals, were throughout tho Dominion devoting themselves ta"*promulgating knowledge regarding tho sacred duties of motherhood and tho nurtuis and health of infante. After a referojics to the fact that the health of tho child is a matter for consideration, not only from tho time of birth, but from the time of conception, eayine that the child had a Tight to bo well born, ho proc-eded to show from the statistics given in the New Zealand Year Book that thero wae need of such a society.

Gtatietics. , In 1916 there wero born' 28.K9 children, and the total deaths wore 10,596, roughly an 18,000 natural increase of population. But no fewer than 1446 deaths were those of infante under 12 months of ace, which exceeded the total of deaths between the ages of one and 20 years. Theso wore remarkable figures. Through tho courtesy of Mr. Malcolm Prnser, the Government Statistician, he had received the figures for 1917, which hod not yet been published. In 1917 the total births were 28,239 and the total deaths '10,528, tho deaths of infante under one year beini? 1360 compared with a total between the ases of one and 20 of 1169. This rate of ipfnnt mortality eave causo for very grave thought. The Plunket Society was the only organisation working on practical, useful lines to snlv) the question of how this rate could be lowered and valuable lives saved. It was also to be noted that, taking tho birth-rate between 1852-86 as represented by the figure 100, the birth-rate in 1916-17 was represented by the figure 73. He had seen by that rooming's paper that tho Minister of Internal Affaire had said that if the birthrate had continued during tho 30 years interveninc as high as the average for the five years 1882-86. the nopulatjon would be 240.003 greater than it now is. The figures were astonishing.

What the State is Doing. Continuing. Mr. Young said that tho State was doing nothing at all 'on tho lines which the society pursued, but the SJato was recognising tho value of the society's work by'subsidising it in connection with tho expenditure on nurses' salaries. Ho emphasised the {act that every peun7 of State subsidy was expended on those salcrieu, the balance rcauired and the wholn goneral expenditure coming from voluntary subscriptions. Infantile mortality, ho said, was largely due to the ignorance of parents, and the society therefore largely existed to fight ignorance. Thero was prejudice also to contend with from people who should know better, but tirao was the euro for prejudice. The' particular objects of the society and. practical methods adopted to secure them were detailed as published in the society's literature, and to these Mr. Younc referred at some length.

i American Appreciation. Aβ evidence.'of the rvalue ami efficacy of tho society's work/and propaganda, bo exhibited a pamphlet by the United States Government (riving an excellent summary of the New Zealand Society's activities, and reco.amending similar organisations iu the cities of the Statee. Thiß pamphlet was distributed by the tens of thousands throughout tho United States of America, n.nd Mr. Younir read a letter by tho dirootor of this Children's BnroiUi, Washington, in which it was stated that the highest ambition of the department was to secure siicii a, low death-rate as would compare favourably with that of New Zealand.

A Patriotic .Work. ... t . In tho -warmer climates and in warm weather the infantile mortality was always greater .by comparison. Iu 1917 tlio rato of infantile mortality per thousand was in Auoklaud 60.9, Wellington 56, Christoluiroh. Wi and Dmicrtin 40.16. He considcro.i it. fair to take credit to the society for a consiiiorablo amount of tho lessened mortality. Continuing, ho said that with subsidy the society was spending over .€BOOO per annum in itfl beneficent work. There were very few salaried officers, find between 400 and 500 devoted women wero giving lime and Bervice. All sections of the community ivero being eorved. It was a mistake to aEsurnc that only, the uncultured ft-wl poor needed tho society's assistance; there was just as much ignorance with the cultured and rirh. The society <lid not, attempt tho treatment, of diseasn. That was properly left to the doctors-it ■wan their province. A matter of health or proper feediiii: wan quite a. different matter, and there was really no conflict, as was evidenced by the fact that in some districts medical mcu were members of the advisory hoards. Tho society was doing patriotic work of the highest degree; it, was neither charitable nor philanthrop:c, but essentially humanitarian. From this point of view he uveod a liberal support of the Bocioty financially, and a, wider interest in its aims and actual working. Mr. Young concluded by referring to tho annual report as evidence that the Nelson society was doing ?ootl work, and on resuming his scat he was heartily applauded.