OUR BABIES.

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 263, 2 August 1919, Page 5

OUR BABIES.

I'Bi HYGEIi.I

Published under the auspices of tho Royal New Zealand Society for the Health of Women and Children.

"It ib wiser to nut up a fence at the top of a precipico than to maintain au ambulance at the bottom."

BIRTHS AND DEATHS IN THE DOMINION IN 1918. Tho New Zealand vital statistics for the yenr 1918 call for serious attention from all lovers of their country. Tlic birth-rate is Uio lowest Ginee registration was instituted, and that fact makes it more than ever incumbent on us to see that every child is cireu the beat possible clmnce of life and bealth. . GOVEBHMNT STATISTICIAN'S BErOItT. The Government Statistician (lir. M-il-colm Frusor) says tho birth-rato and tho death-rate for 1918 were both abnormal— tho former owing to the war, and the latter owiwr to the influenza, epideinic, Tlie number of births rcirULercil durins 1918 was 25,867, the lowest, smca 1907. Tho birth-rate ivas 23.45 per ICCO, '.he lowest in tho historj- of registration in New Zeulandi The next lowest was 25.12 in 1C99. Tho number of deaths registered in 1913 -was 16,365. This ivas easily a record. beiUR 5768, or 50 per cent, over the tott.l for Wl6, which previously ranked hijrhest. The death-rate was KB<l per 100 C. Tina was Breatly above tho normal of 'recent years, but was exceeded on several occasions prior to 1875. The following table 6hows the numbers of births and of deaths during the last, ten years, the figures in narc-nthc-3CB showing the rates per 10' tO of mean population:— . , _' Births, Deaths. 1909 26.524 (27.29) 8,959 (9.25) 1910 25,984 (25.17) 9,639 (9.71) 1911 26,354 125.97! 9,534 (9.33) 1912 27,503 (26.48) 9,214 (8.871 1913 27,935 (26.14) 10,119 (9.47) 1914 23.338 (25.99) ' 10,148 (9.31) 1915 27,850 (25.33) 9.9GS (9.06) 1016 -28,509 (25.94) ■ 10,596 (9.64) 1917 28,182 (25.64) 10,528 (9.58 1918 ...... 25,857 (23,45) 16,564 (14.84) BRITISH STATISTICS. Beaderß will ue iiiteresttu in ' the following notes oy i/r, Xruby .King on tno lintloii figures lor 1918:•'acorns VJtiH hionmo the births for inglanu an-J. iv ales nave always exceeded Ui* .deaths, the fall of the birth-rate m tue last quarter of the year to only. twoliiirds of the death-rate is very sinking. "However, two instinct factors nave obviously been involved-vis., the steadily falling birth-rate and tho phenomenal ri6e in ac-uths at all ages «ue to mlluenz*. , "The latter marks the ravages ot i temporary passing epidemic, but the decline of the birtn-rato has been steaay auu persistent for the last forty years. ■ and iB one of the most ominous feature* of our modern civilisation. "How many middto-aged people rcalisu that since they were in their teens the EuElisu birth-rate Jiaa actuaUy fallen to only a, ban of what it was previously? "in 187/ there were 36 Dirtha per 1000 of population in this country. "By 1897 tho births had lallon to 30, by 1907 to 26.5, before tho war to 24, and last year to only 18, being below tno average pre-war rato lor irdiicel

ARRESTING FIGURES. Births in garter ending December 31 IMS ..- 101,110 in 'earns period M1.21U Excess of deaths 'i9.W The birth-rate in 1318 was the lowest on Teoord. THJ DANGER OP DELAY. What prospect, it may be asked,, is there of an upivard rooouua now mat lue war is over? . •• jm-.ua uie'l-uuuiation question is taken in nana seriuiisjy auu uou.ii m a masterly lamiion wiuiout lurtner uoia-y, Jjb lendciioy wail continue in tut direction oi n lurtner lammr-off uotu as ituarda nuinuera and uuaiity. -nie uuostiuu is not merely one o£ bad housing, poverty, -vice, urmk, increased cost 01 living, a* m so oncn ussuiueu. ••Lacn of miowiwlgo ana iuuk oi propel facilities for tramum on. uio part oi motiitrß, ana the now problem of uumoers oi women seeuing outside work ana leaving tueir children insteau oi nursing tlieiu are • largely rosponaiole. -i'lus last is causing many deaths, and is EOIU2 10 toll very seriously against tne cuiiureu who survive. . "If ntness for national service coraeß to be testtu, twenty years nence on tne same standard as during tho war one can saiciy propuesy that tne babies of to-day wul lurmsh a mgher percentage, of young men unUt for military service .than is shown iu tne humiliating recoru ol tho last live years. If we are to save the situation, -parenthood must receive lur more consiueration than' hiUierto, and motherhood must bo placed on a. lar higher piano and giveu greater advantages.' INSTRUCTION TO MOTHERS. "Mothers ot all classes should receive every possible sympathy and eutouragenieni and be accorded the best instruction, besides heme given full facilities i for rearing their families in the simplest and best way, before we can expect to stay the decline eitner in the uuantity or Quality of our population ".Filially, we must tool; to thoso i;ho can : best afford to have larger families and who have the heat means of rearing their children iu the proper way to set a noble and patriotic example .to those who are not so well oil-especially the pearsonal example of breSSt-feediUG their ouoie3."