THE BIRTH-RATE

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVII, 27 September 1927, Page 6

THE BIRTH-RATE

“ALARMINGLY LOW"

MATERNITY HOME FEAS.

How of recent years maternal mortality has been decreasing was related by the Minister of Health (Hon. J. A. Young) when laying the foundation stone oi the Maternity Home at Palmerston yesterday. The Minister also paid a glowing tribute to the work of the Plunket movement, and showed how the infantile death-rate had been reduced to an absolute minimum.

In 1922.. said Mr. Young, the maternal mortality per thousand live births was 5.14; i.. 1523. 5.11; in 1924, 5.00; Hi 1925, 4.65; and in 1926, 4.25. Illis showed that steady progress had been made in maternity service. As Minister of Health he would not be satisfied, as long as fib was in office, until the maternal death-rate was reduced to something under 3 per thousand births.

While New Zealand was a healthy country, there was one fact which should not be lost sight of—that it had a most alarmingly low 'birth-rate, particularly for a country in the early stages of its development. The Government wanted to make it safe for women in maternity, and people should be shown that, if only for economic reasons, it was worth while to bring children into the world. In this respect it was the duty of those having charge of maternity homes so to assess their fees that it would he easy for a low-paid wage-earner to send his wife to such an institution, knowing that she would be v?ell looked after in comfortable surroundings.

Going on to deal with the question of infantile welfare, Mr. Young remarked that New Zealanders had every reason to be proud of the wonderful Plunket movement, which 20 years ago was brought into being by Sir Tmbv King. In 1907 the infantile death-rate was 88. 8 per thousand births. while now. only 20 years later ' it was down tn the remarkably low figure of 39.7 per thousand births. The Plunket movement was an exceptionally fine one. and it was easy to see the very gTr-ay, amount of excellent work it had accomplished. He pointed out that the Government was doing its bit to help the movement along, as it was going to nav nut, this year no less than €25.000 for the benefit of the movement. He urged all to give the movement all the support which ? deserved as it wa« a verv great factor working Inwards the health and nrosner’tv of the community.— (“Dominion.’'')