H.--31

European countries show still higher mortality of infants than the principal Australian States: England and Wales, 162 (under one year) to every 1,000 births; France, 152; Italy, 167 : Hungary, 214. Sweden (98) and Norway (91) are notable exceptions. The principal causes of mortality in children under one year for New Zealand are given, with the number of deaths for five years from such causes. Premature birth stands first in order of importance, marasmus or debility coming next.*

New Zealand. — Deaths under One Year. Principal Causes.

A table is added to show that higher mortality obtains in the large towns than in New Zealand as a whole and two States of Australia.

* The report of the Royal Commission on the decline of the birth-rate in New South Wales (1904), besides giving statistics of infantile mortality, describes the conditions that operate in producing such mortality. Recommendations are also made, and the subject of feeding and care of infants dealt with. The causes which operate in producing infantile mortality, both among legitimates and illegitimates in New South Wales, are enumerated as under: — 1. Premature birth; defective visibility consequent upon imperfections in the process of development ; disease acquired before birth; injured and impaired viability arising before or in process of birth. 2. Defective care of the new-born by ignorant or careless midwives. 3. Ill health of mothers, and consequent inability to provide the natural nutrition of infants and requisite nursing. 4. A want of knowledge of the proper modes of rearing infants (exemplified under seven heads). 5. Injurious quality of proprietary and other artificial foods, often recklessly advertised. 6. Injurious quality of milk under the conditions in which it is commonly supplied and used. 7. Injurious effects of chemical preservatives in milk, and in preparations of milk used as infantfood. 8. Insufficient public maternity-hospital accommodation for the parturient women among the poorer classes. 9. Insufficient public-hospital accommodation for the treatment of sick infants. 10. The prevalence of epidemic preventable diseases in infants. 11. The undue incidence of "summer diarrhoea," or acute gastro-intestinal catarrh. The causes tending to produce mortality in the illegitimate infants were found to be (in New South Wales): — 12. Maternal indifference, and the social and economic disabilities of the mothers. 13. Defective management of institutions and places where illegitimate infants are received. 14. Secret adoption of children for gain. 15. Separation of infants from their mothers. 16. Infanticide and foeticide of viable infants.

XVI

Principal Causes of Deaths of Infants. 1900. 1901. 1902. 1903. 1904. liasmatie diseases Marrhceal diseases 'remature birth ionvulsions ironchitis, pneumonia, pleurisy Enteritis 85 41 152 95 276 264 106 91 140 207 134 116 231 260 92 176 303 82 235 154 294 191 122 301 103 241 167 270 36 152 291 95 149 231 273 larasmus, &c. ...

Wellingi ;on and Si iburbs. Sydne; and Su; >urbs. Melboui ie and Si uburbs. Year. co M u pq CQ -*» a B CD o rH CO C8 to ~£ ftl'pq o S co O _ 43 » g a "-i 2 a o OH« 2ocH Ph CO jg E pq "3 43 o EH m ■9 § *i CD 111 Qaffl ». a o "mo » 2 3 o j< - «»; pq 2 1-1 c8 « £ otH - Ph H CO 43 a CB %i CD rH a -o.a ft opq 3 o ° Jo agn" •3 a *• »4 P-4 O e8 044H <D O OJ„ Ph rH 78 43 o tH .3.8 43^ « a co a ft CO u A® « 3 3-8 5 a ft 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1,187 1,243 1,326. 1,321 1,520 140 91 133 172 141 117-9 73-2 100-3 130-2 92-8 12,239 12,127 12,601 13,002 12,749 1,473 1,322 1,517 1,457 1,483 120-4 12,435 109-0 ! 12,067 120-4 ! 12,375 112-1 12,498 116-3 12,012 115-6 12,277 1,552 1,364 1,356 1,590 1,493 124-8 113-0 124-1 127-2 124-3 Means of five years 1,319 135 102-9 12,544 1,450 1,507 122-7