BABY WEEK AND RACIAL SUICIDE.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 November 1917, Page 7

BABY WEEK AND RACIAL SUICIDE.

To the Editor. Sir,—lt has-1)0011 interesting to read the ' speeches and articles appearing in the various papers lately with regard to baby week and racial suicide. It would bo an interesting return to know the average number of the families of the doctors, parsons and other married folk who have taken and are taking an active part in endeavoring to instruct people in the rearing of chiklron, and if I may use a munition factory phrase "get married folk to increase the baby output." By arriving at an opinion formed from general observation, the chief came of a declining birthrate appears to lie in' the economic conditions of life under which we who are laborers are living and the selfishness, love of amtißement, ease, and luxury which at present appears to be the sole end in life to the majority of those whose ino/ome is £2OO a year and over. If the doctors would speak as plainly as I have heard some they would tell us the cause of so many Infantile deaths in the first year of life lies not so much in neglect and ignorance on their parent's part, but in the fact that in the early stages of pregnancy the health of the unborn infant was. undermined by the fact that the little one was not wanted, and there had been endeavors to get rid of it. To those who have, only their daily wages gained by manual labor to depend upon there is no inducement to rear a family a? the mother for years practically becomes a slave, as there is no margin on the wages of the husband to pay help for the mother, and the money is not available without absolute hardship to p*»v a nurse and doctor to attend the mother during the time she is laid up. This was brought home to me very forcibly when I read of the case of suicide at Tufakina a week or two back, the cause assigned being, I have been informed, a judgment summons against the unfortunate man for failure to pay a debt, and as he was unable to comply with the order of the court it meant gaol. The victim was a friend of mine whom I had known for twenty-five years, and was a steady industrious man, free from vice and excesses, a good father and a kind husband. He had a family of nine children, of whom only two were.old enough to earn their own living, and another was expected. How could he, who was only working on the roads for his living, be reasonably expected to live and keep a family of nine and pay arrears caused by sickness? The unfortunate man preferred to take his life rather than the disgrace of going to gaol knowing at the same time when liis wages ceased his wife and little ones would be starving. He died truly a victim of man's inhumanity to man. The above case gives an opportunity to those who are so earnest, and rightly so, about rearing babies and racial suicide to approach the Government so that where there is a large, family and only one man's wage to support them to see that free doctors and nursing homes (are provided for the mother and monetary assistance besides. The Government wore.allowing' some time back £2O exemption on Incomes for each child up to five, but no exemption for over five and yet members of that same Government have the sanguinary cheek to go on the platform and bewail a low birthrate. Apologising for occupying so much of your valuable space, but, pleading in extenuation that if our birth-rate ckcreases and that of the fiermnns increases at the pre-war ratio per thousand, though we may conquer now Germany will win i n 'the years ,to come without recourse to arms'.—l am, etc., A LABORER.' Pukengahu, Nov. ti.