CARE OF CHILD LIFE.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 80, 6 April 1926, Page 6

CARE OF CHILD LIFE.

At one time it was fashionable in

British statistical circles to comment on the appallingly low birth rate of the i'rench nation, and the family man used to rather pride himself on the number of mouths he fed—grumblingly, of course, but nevertheless he was rather proud of his brood. It is only a very few years ago since it was quite customary to talk about live when averaging families. Where will you find a family of five to-day? There is no use blinking the

fact that our birth-rate is decreasing far too quickly. If Xew Zealand had increased at the rate that was considered natural lifty years or so ago there would be no need for all this pother about immigration. With a normally healthy birth-rate Xew Zealand should in the

eighty-odd years of her existence have been independent of immigration in 1926. But the people have willed it otherwise.

Tn view of this depressing fall in our New Zealand birth-rate the wonderful success of the Dominion's policy of paying special attention to infant welfare is all the more important. .Strange as it may seem this good work is largely neutralising the lack of births. Of course, it is only a stop-pap, but still it is a stop-gap. Not only dops the wonderfully complete system of looking after the infant, help our weak birthrate, but it also naturally helps New Zealand to make a better showing in, the death-rate.

The number of infants under one year of aije whose deaths were registered during 1925 was 1125, this number being two less than the remarkably low figure for 1924 (1127). The ifantiie mortality rate per 1000 live births reached the phenomenally low figure of 39.5)6, thus establishing another new record. The previous best figure was 40.23, registered for 1924. It is interesting to compare New Zealand's remarkably low rate with thoso of some other countries. Norway comes next to us with 53, South Africa 74, England and Wales 75, Scot-

land 98, Germany 108, and Hungary 18G.

If Xew Zealand owes a debt of gratitude to one man it is Sir Truby King, the originator of the movement which gained, popularity as the "Plunket Society," but is now known by a wider and more expressive title. The indefatigable doctor has a reputation far outside the boundaries of his own country, and it is rather remarkable that some of the older countries of the world are now adopting the system which he so successfully introduced into New Zealand. Sir Truby King cares not a scrap for public applause, which is perhaps fortunate, as the public is such a forgetful person. He is quite content to see the amazingly successful strides the work has taken since that small beginning at the first ELaritane hospital in Dunedin.