BISHOP OF WILLOCHRA'S CHARGES

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 123, 25 May 1923, Page 5

BISHOP OF WILLOCHRA'S CHARGES

HRS. M'COMBS DEFENDS NEW

ZEALAND WOMEN

■CLERICAL STATEMENT CHAL-

LENGED.

(BT TELEGRAPH.—PRESS ASSOCIATION.)

CHRISTCHURCH, 24th May.

Mrs. E. R. M'Combs (wife of Mr. J. it' Combs, M.P.) has written as follows to i Archbishop Julius:—

"I was not present at the Church Congress yesterday when the Bishop of spoke on moral standards and made the astounding statement that 'of all-the young mothers in New Zealand ut least half had been unchaste.' The speaker based that statement on a report of the New Zealand Board of Health, which stated that 50 per cent, of the total of first births occurring within twelve months of marriage resulted from sexual contact prior to marriage. The striking but incomplete statement made by the board has evidently misled the Bishop of Willochra. The official facts compiled by the Government Statistician do not warrant the statement that 'of all the young mothers in New Zealand at least half have been unchaste.'

'.'The facts are as follow: Of the total of 9387 first births, 2429 were born within nine months of marriage. Some of these were born within a few days of the nine months, and 750 were born between the seventh and ninth months. The percentages given by the Government Statistician are: 'Of the total of 25,965 cases (births) no fewer than 9387, or 35 per cent., were firstborn and of these 52 per cent, were born within 12 months.' Fifty per cent, of the 52 per :ent. of first births within a year (not 50 per cent, of the total) were born cvithin nine months of marriage.

"The above figures are. for the year 1921. In order to make out a strong case the Committee of the Board of Health gave figures for the period 1913----21, and to the legitimate first births occurring within the first seven months of marriage it added all the illegitimate, whether first births or otherwise, and then arrived at the conclusion that '50 per cent, of the total. of first births occurring within twelve months of marriage result from 6oxual contact prior to marriage.' "But even then the 50 per cent, of the total births occurring within twelve months' of marriage cannot be construed into 50 per cent, of the total first births In 1921, only 17 per cent, of the total legitimate first births occurred within seven months of marriage.

"I am quite sure that the bishop was nisled by the partial statement contained Si the report of New Zealand Board of Health, and'did not wish to libel the women of New Zealand. However, lam bound to say that the bishop should, from his own knowledge of the world, have known that New Zealand women or Australian women are not as appallingly unchaste as his statements would imply. He should have investigated the facts for himself before uttering such an outlageotis statement about the chastity of ihc women of New Zealand.

"Whilst I appreciate every effort to rouse the moral conscience of the community, I caunot think that the., suggestion that a majority of women are unchaste is calculated to lift' the moral standard, especially when such statement is entirely incorrect. I trust, therefore, that you will publish this correction of a statement which I hope will \oi be circulated in Australia."