The Chronicle PUBLISHED DAILY. LEVIN. FRIDAY, SEPT. 19, 1913. PRESERVATION OF INFANT LIFE.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 19 September 1913, Page 2

The Chronicle PUBLISHED DAILY. LEVIN. FRIDAY, SEPT. 19, 1913. PRESERVATION OF INFANT LIFE.

Im'A.vtjlk mortality is llie subject of a series of exhaustive tables, copies of wliicli are contained in some advance sheets of the NewZealand Year Book received at The Chronicle office this week. The figures show that fiftyeight out of every thousand male children horn, and forty-five of every thousand females, are found to have died before attaining file age of one year. The mortality was thus one in seventeen of male children and one in twenty-two of females in New Zealand. It will be seen from the figures that the chances of living during the first year of age are greater for female than ifor male infants. Thus, in proportion to the number of children of each sex born in 1012 there were during the year 100 deaths of males to 70 deaths of females under 1 month of age: 1.00 deaths of males to 82 deaths of females from 1 to -S months of age; 100 deaths of males to (>8 deaths of females from •'] to (i months of age; 100 deaths of males to 78 deaths of females from (i to 12 months of age; 100 deaths of males to 78 deaths of females under 12 months of age. Dealing with results for ten years, the deaths of infants under one year are in the large proportion of three-fourths of the total deaths under five, as might be expected, the first year being the ienderest period. Although L (>, 7 0 infants under one year were lost to the Dominion by death during the decade, and, including these, 21,3-30 children under five. More satisfactory results were experienced for New Zealand than for New South Wales, Victoria, or the 'Australian Commonwealth in the matter of the preservation of infant life. Dealing with the averages of five years, in New Zealand only 08.40 infants under one year are found to die out of every 1,000 born, against 70.34 in New South Wales, 75.12 in Victoria, and 74.74 111 the Commonwealth as a whole. The tables giving the rates of infantile mortality in various countries and cities show that as regards the preservation of infant life far better conditions obtain in i\cw Zealand than elsewhere.