BIRTH RATE

Hokitika Guardian, 31 May 1929, Page 6

BIRTH RATE

STEA D! LY DECLINING

A 'DISQHKTINf; POSITION.

WELLI NOjON, UnvA’U. Snipe disquiet ing aspeefs ol I lie |» i‘‘ lsf>iit position, in Now Zealand with rcijjii 1 (o the'steadily declining birthrate wire idea I i with by the M i nisi or of Ileal!h (tiio lion A. .1. Staliworlhy) at the annual meeting ol the I’lunkei Society.

It was well known, he said, (hat earlv marriages conduced to an increase in Iho population, and it would seem as if our voting men. as well as yon no women, repaired help in this regard. In passing ho romarked that the modern girl had a now economii freedom, and instead of co-partnering in the iinest partnership on earth, partnership hot ween.man and wife, she whs competing very, largely in the labour market with her potential husband. who. perforce, in many instances had to swell the ranks of the unemployed.

|)r J. .fq. Elliott also contributed to the discussion. "I ill ink wo in Now Zeakuid being insular people.' he said “are rather prone to stress what is pl.easant and gloss over disturbing laetors. We are rightly proud of our low inl’anl mortality ami our low death rate. However, while wo may not have the lowest birthrate in the world it is one of (he lowest rates. Why do we plume ourselves in the face of this? The natural increase is getting loss niul less. Tn 1028 the birthrate was contemptible. “T think it is for a yomon’s organisation to invest ingle why it is that the more emancipated women become the lower is the birilmUo. Air Sodibm used to talk about keening Ihe cradles full, lie would he ridiculed now.” Dr Elliott won! on to speak of illegi-

innate births and the fact that a great proportion of marriages were forced. The low marriage rate, he .‘.aid, was influenced l>v the congress of sexes in various ways outside of tile marital state. He thought that certain types of literature. mostly by women authors, were largely responsible.