LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
INCREASE THE POPULATION * Sir,—ln reply to the letter by "Junius j,. 1919" in The Dominion of February 6 w on the above subject, I do not think that the majority of the papulation live too (.] fast. Only a small fraction are able to y enjoy motors and aeroplanes. The rest, JV I am afraid, find it too, hard to live, that E( is to say that most of v.s in this beautiful j] country, in spite of our hutuane laws, €( find a difficulty in paying our way. And that is in a nutshell i.o doubt the reason ]r there are not more babies brought into ! j] the world. A thoughtful man or woman | e thinks first of all if their offspring ar- j likely to be healthy and strong, and £, secondly how they can be provided with v food and clothes. As soon us we can assure a young s couple that in case of sickness or death \, the State will*, care for their dear ones, r not parsimoniously but generously and c lovingly, and that the larger.the family r the happier the parents will be, we shall „ then have no need to fear a falling birth- e rate. . „ o Now, to refer to what "Junius pro- „ poses as a remedy: "To tax all who do hot fi marry after 25." lam not going ijk try p to ridicule his proposal;' somellffl_ of l: this sort will no doubt in lime he Tried. B But wc must remember that there is a } proportion of the population whom wo r must discourage and r.ot encourago to { havo children. Those suffering from c hereditary diseases, for instance. "Junius" r writes:—"A married couple with no child- 6 r'en would pay the same tax as they would c pay if single." This evidently needs , correction, because in c.nother part of his letter there is this truth: "We cannot get away from the fact that we are subject to the' same laws .regarding the propagation of the species as all the rest of the animal kingdom, and one who has been breeding and studying animals for years knows that like begets like" j In my opinion wo might encourage all i to marrv, but wo should certainly not j tax those who, knowing there is a here- f ditary disease in the family, do not wish . to nass.it ou. One of the pet sayings ( of "the late President Eoo?evelt was „ "Keep vouv cradles full," but long before f his death he qualified this by adding, of , healthy children." So I trust Junius , will admit it will be better not to en- ] courage the unfit to reproduce, so as to ( closo our asylums and prisons as soon . as possible. The Into-member ioi-Wei- , lington Central (Mr. F. M. B. Fisher) gave . an instance to the House of a- way or increasing t.he population which is not- . to be commended. A man was sent to the asylum, was allowed out nine timet.- . each time 'his wife had a clnl<-and .u] i the , end the man and his n;ne childen were in tho asvlum. This is no doubt an xtilme cl, but still it show*, the.good old-fashioned British v.ay-I cannot aj humane way-of douching, .-Um,0.1c., February 8. HELP THE MOTHER. Sir-I have read with attention the letter of "Junius 1919" under he above head ng I think it is written by a "mere man" as the benefits he suggests .am™" of increasing -tho birthrate would appeal more to "father" than to ""ftrel'medical attendance, (b) Freo education, ic) Edict from taxation for pari .*A H.o uMial fee for medical at- ; tontcf : hS especiallv as there i Vtf te^^oS2f fa tells us • how excellent the free education is. (c\ Perhaps the last clause might be 1 helpful but one docs not like the idea I of! ustng one's children as a means of i avoiding one's taxes. , , - It is I feel sure, largely the fact that there s no help of a practical nature "ven to a mother, and even the bravest ■ and most patriotic spirit quails atthe thought of cooking, washing, noning, ■ 5, making (and in some ■ ca«s 1 milking) at a time when one s spirit, an "a Ith are not up to "concert pitch; : then in a weakened state facing cooking, ; nm" washing, more irony* mo«, makin", and more mending, after losing most o one's night's rest. lam aware that • the textbook infant only.watas at very L convenient hours, and only cries for e™ But I think the human baby I efoeks somewhat erratic, and the real > mother, whose heart is in fe ni»king ' of a good c tiffin- and even that outl ? shioned thing a good of ner ■ child, has mental anxieties to add to her ■ physical exertions. T , > I thank "Junius" for the letter, it r is w" when it is brought before tho » community how serious, a thing such a 3 low birthrate as ours is; and men the t consequent fall in the infant death- » aedo s not justify us n forgetting. .' that we cannot claim a fall in the deathr rale of children .from one year old to i four during the past ten years. e Do you not think a determination to t give help to mothers in the daily round a nigh help the birthrate? .1 do. Not i lo act or educate them, just to help i them, and give them tamo to educate f themselves.-! am, etc., m
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Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 117, 11 February 1919, Page 6
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913LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 117, 11 February 1919, Page 6
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