30

H.—3l

A table is added to show the infant mortality in Wellington, and Melbourne.

The infantile mortality for a number of countries is given by the Registrar-General of England. Deaths of Children, under One Tear to 1,000 Births. Average Average „ Annual Rate « , Annual Rate Countr y- in 10 Years. Countr - v - in 10 Years. 1896-1905. 1896-1905. Chili .. .. .. .. 326 , Bulgaria .. .. .. 144 Russia .. .. .. 268 Western Australia .. .. 143 Austria .. .. .. 223 Switzerland .. .. .. 139 Roumania .. .. .. 218 Finland .. .. .. 135 Hungary .. .. .. 215 Denmark .. .. .. 126 Prussia .. .. .. 196 Scotland .. .. .. 125 Spain .. .. .. .. 178 New South Wales .. .. 105 Jamaica .. .. .. 174 Victoria .. .. .. 103 Ceylon .. .. .. 170 Ireland .. .. .. 102 Italy .. .. .. .. 168 South Australia .. .. 100 Servia .. .. .. .. 154 Queensland .. .. .. 99 Belgium .. .. .. 153 Sweden .. .. .. 97 Japan .. .. .. .. 153 Tasmania .. .. .. 94 France .. .. .. 149 Norway .. .. .. 88 England and Wales .. .. 147 New Zealand .. .. .. 77 Netherlands .. .. .. 144 Here, of European countries, Austria, which has a birth-rate of 35 to 38 per 1,000 of population, shows an infantile mortality of 223 per 1,000 births; while New Zealand, with a birth-rate of 27 per 1,000 of population, loses only 77 infants per 1,000 births. So that, whatever may be the faults of ignorance or wilfulness in this country, from a statistical point of view it would appear that far better conditions obtain than elsewhere. INFANT-LIFE PEOTBCTION. "The Infant Life Protection Act, 1907," repeals the statute of 1896. The Act renders it unlawful for any person to take charge of an infant under the age of six years, for the purpose of nursing or maintaining it apart from-its parents or guardians, for a longer period than seven consecutive days, unless such person is licensed as a foster-parent. Provision is made for the granting and revocation of licenses, and for the method of payment of maintenance-money. No payment is to be made to or received by a foster-parent except in pursuance of an agreement approved by the Secretary to the Education Department, and if default be made in payment under the agreement the amount due, or part thereof, may be paid by the Secretary, and shall be recoverable as a debt due to the Crown. When and so long as any money so recoverable remains unpaid, the Secretary shall have and may exercise the powers of a guardian until the child attains the age of fifteen years. Provision is also made for the inspection of fosterhomes, and in case of the removal or death of foster-children. The Act applies to any infant adopted under " The Adoption of Children Act, 1895," in the same manner and to the same extent as if no such adoption had taken place. The Department of Education is the authority by whom the Act is to be administered. In his sixty-seventh annual report the Registrar-General of England remarked " that a welldevised system of early notification of births, legalised and worked in conjunction with the present registration system on the one hand, and with sanitary administration on the other, might, along with other motive forces, serve as a most effective and lasting barrier with which to stem the tide of infant mortality." The Notification of Births Act was passed accordingly in England, and the New Zealand Legislature in 1907 introduced provisions for early notification when passing the Infant Life Protection Act of that year, allowing seventy-two hours after birth if in a city or borough, or twenty-one days in any other case.

Wellingi ;on and S Lburbs. Sydne; and Su iurbs. Melboun ie and S iburbs. Year. 2 I M C8 o Us ° a>8 pi "S "-<" 2 ce o ■sit oh § & aj g"S>H C4 .3 ■B 3 "3 HI 88-B « nM s o o en O a "5 o S o n a t4 owe m 3 o EH ■s _C8 a> £ O>H 1—I T—I e a Q II "S c p R 3 .902 .903 904 905 .906 1,321 1,520 1,479 1.715 1,753 172 141 141 165 126 130-2 92-8 95-3 96-2 71-88 13,002 12,749 13,215 13,769 13,984 1,457 1,483 1,300 1,230 1,176 112-1 116-3 98-4 89-3 84-10 12,498 12,012 11,886 11,944 12,373 1,590 1,493 1,102 1,133 1,404 127-2 124-3 92-7 • 94-8 113-47 cleans of five years 1,558 149 95-64 13,344 1,329 99-60 12,143 1,344 110-68