PROLONGING LIFE.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLIII, Issue XLIII, 4 January 1924, Page 5

PROLONGING LIFE.

A USELESS ACHIEVEMENT,

DEATH BATE LOW ENOUGH,

-«T OABLB—PBXSB ABBOtnA-riON—COPYBIGM LONDON, Jan. 2. A counterblast to the triumphant acclamations of science that it has been successful in combatting disease and prolonging life, was delivered by Mr J. Alford in his presidential address to the Institute of Sanitary Engineers. Mr Alford declared that a further reduction in the death rate, though likely, was undesirable, as Inhere did not appear to be any evidence that the lengthening of the average life resulted in a corresponding extension of the period of communal usefulness if the productive period did not increase correspondingly with the national.

"The burden of the mm-proauetive is increasing," he added, "and there is obviously a limit to the burden we are able to carry in this respect. If it becomes too heavy the nation will go down before another less encumbered, and, perhaps, less intelligent nation. This is one way whereby civilisation may suffer a set-back."