ANGLO-SAXONDOM AND BIRTHRATE.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3489, 18 May 1920, Page 5

ANGLO-SAXONDOM AND BIRTHRATE.

Some startling figures concerning tlie birthrate were quoted by Dr. Truby King, at the annual meeting of the Royal New Zealand Society for -the healtli of \Vomen and Children, held at Dunedin on Monday. After sketching the progress of the Society, the retardation its work had inevitably suffered in the great catastrophe of War, Dr. Truby King referred to the falling birthrate. in the Empire, which occurred here on similar lines to those traced in England, though in comparison with her we were doing Well. The most important part of the Society?‘s work was the training of mothers in their home duties and the nurture of their children; the tiaining of Women who would act as teachers themselves and spread their knowledge ‘of the babies born, but also gave the best prospect of increasing the size of farmilies by “endering the rearing of children as simple as possible, and making the home life agreeable and inspiring. The great necessity for the AngloRaxon race was large and healthy families; it had been well said by Judge Ulizipniaii that New Zealand was the natural nursery of the race in the Pacific. Nothing could be more startling. the doctor continued, than the investigation he had made with regard to the birth rates of the different nationalities within the United States. Picking out families that numbered five or more children he found that out of every 100 marriages among I."e0—l ple of the United States stock there‘ were but nine or ten that producedl tainilies of this size; in the case offi ‘the Scotch and English families in the‘ States the rate was under 20 per cent; ‘ in the case of French, German. or Italian residents there it fiias over 30 per rent: ‘and in the ease of Russians and Poles large ‘families were found in the p“oportion of from 50 per cent to!_m per Cent. No one could overlook the enormous significance of these figures. Dr. King described the diminishing birth-rate of Scotland as appalling, ;m<l insisted that the most earn-l est and strong measures were'required to combat a. tendency so ominous to the .»\nglo-Saxon race.