29

H.—3l

Although 16,679 infants (under one year) were lost to the Dominion by death during the decade, and, including these, 21,363 children under five, the third table shows much more satisfactory results for New Zealand than for New South Wales or Victoria in the matter of the preservation of infant life. Dealing with averages of five years, in New Zealand only 73 infants under one year are found to die out of every 1,000 born, against 91 in New South Wales and 94 in Victoria.

European countries show still higher average mortality of infants than the principal Australian States: England and Wales, 132 (under one year) to every 1,000 births; France, 136; Italy, 166; Hungary, 205. Sweden (99) and Norway (81) have exceptionally krw rates. The principal causes of mortality in children under one year for New Zealand are given, with the numbers of deaths for five years from such causes. Premature birth stands first in order of importance, marasmus or debility coming next. Here it is seen how much mortality is attributed to these causes according to the medical certificates. As to the conditions which operate, the Registrar-General cannot deal with the question.*

Deaths under One Year. — Principal Causes.

* 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 viability 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. 11l 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 infant-food. 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 disease 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.

'roporl ilOll Oi l()ili is of Infants under 1,000 Births. ear oi .ge to every Year. New Zealand. j New South Wales. Victoria. .902 .903 .904 .905 .906 82-9 81-1 71-0 67-5 62-1 109-7 110-4 82-4 80-6 74-5 108-6 106-4 77-6 83-3 92-9 Means of five years ... 72-9 I 91-5 93-8

Principal Causes of Dtaths of Infants. 1903. 1904. 1905. 1906. 1907. Miasmatic diseases Diarrhoeal diseases Premature birth Convulsions Bronchitis, pneumonia, pleurisy Enteritis Marasmus, &c. ... 191 122 301 103 241 167 270 36 152 291 95 149 231 273 20 92 360 96 208 193 258 43 65 337 90 170 167 267 238 235 359 84 269 322 304