LOW BIRTH RATE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 3696, 27 September 1927, Page 2

LOW BIRTH RATE.

INTERESTING STATEMENT BY MINISTER OF HEALTH.

How of recent years maternal mortality has been decreasing was related by the Minister of Health (Hon. J. A. Young) when laying the foundation stone of the Maternity Home at Palmerston yesterday. The Minister also paid a glowing tribute to the work of the Plunket movement, and showed how the infantile death-rate had been reduced to an absolute minimum. . j

In 1922, said Mr. Young, the maternal mortality per thousand, live births was 5.14; in 1923, 5.11; in 1924, 5.00; in 1925, 4;G5; and in 1926, 4.25. This showed that steady progress had been made in maternity service. As Minister of Health he would not be satisfied, as long as he was in office, until the maternal death-rate was reduced to something under 3 per thousand births.

'While New Zealand was a healthy country, there was one fact which should not be lost sight of —that it had a most alarming low birth-rate, particularly for a country in the early stages of its development. The Government wanted to make it safe for women in maternity, and people should be shown that, if only for economic reasons, it was worth while to bring children into the world. In this respect it was the duty of those having charge of maternity homes so to assess their fees that it would be easy for a low-paid wage-earner to send his wife to such an institution, knowing that she would be well looked after in comfortable surroundings. Going on to deal with the question of infantile welfare, Mr. Young remarked that New Zealanders had every reason to be proud of the wonderful Plunket movement, which 20 years ago was brought into being by Sir Truby King. In 1907 the infantile death-rate was 88.8 per thousand births, while now, only 20 years later, it was .down to the remarkably low figure of 39.7 per thousand births. The Plunket movement was an exceptionally fine one, and it was easy to see the very great amount of excellent work it had accomplished. He pointed out that the Government was doing its bit to help the movement along, as it was going to pay out this year no less than £25,000 for the benefit of the Plunket movement. He urged all to give the movement all the support which it deserved, as it was a very great factor working towards the health and prosperity of the community.