Manawatu Evening Standard. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 1917. "SAVE THE BABIES!"

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLII, Issue 10122, 1 November 1917, Page 4

Manawatu Evening Standard. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 1917. "SAVE THE BABIES!"

I The women of Palmerston North .should , not neglect the opportunity of keeping pace with the movement initiated by the N.Z. IMunket Society for the bet--1 terment of maternity conditions and ■ the feeding; management, and preser- ! vation of infant life. A "Baby Saving Campaign" is in lull swing in other parts of the Dominion—notably at Wellington and Mastorton—and it behoves Palmerston North not to stand coldly aloof, but to come into lino with other towns and cities and hold a similar campaign here. Such of Pal- , morston's women as aspire to lead the , remainder in morality agitations will, no doubt, feel it their duty to bo equally energetic in the campaign to save the babies, since every infant whoso life is preserved now will prove a great asset in the future wealth of the British Empire. Had the ladies who took upon themselves the business of thwarting the Health authorities, in their desire to deal efficiently with the Scarlet Scourge, devoted even a portion of the time and attention they expended in that direction, to the affairs of the Plunket Society, Palmerston would today be actively engaged in a "Save-tho-Babies" campaign. This is the week set apart by the Plunket Society for its ".National Campaign" for the preservation of infant life. It has been organised a.s a "Save the Babies" week with a two-fold purpose: "(1) To give tlie lathers and mothers of the community an opportunity of learning the most important facts with regard to the care of the baby, and (2) to bring lo the community a knowledge of the I acts regarding the needless deaths of its babies and a realisation of the ways in which it must protect them." During the year 1915, fifty-seven out. of every thousand male children born in New Zealand died before reaching the age of twelve months and forty-two out of every thousand female children, the mortality thus being one in every eighteen males and one ill every twenty-four females. The actual death rate per thousand for the two sexes was 50.05. But ten years previously—in 1905—it was 77.'2'2 per thousand, and the reports of the Public Health officers, and of the Plunket Society, indicate that, since the formation of the latter and its agents and nurses have been at work under Dr. Truby King, the mortality rate of infants of twelve months and under has fallen from 67.89 (the 1909 record) to the figure previously quoted, viz., 50.05, with an average for the five years 1911-15 of 53.63. Surely, in disseminating the principles and educating the public along the lines of the Plunket Society, there is ample scope for the energetic souls amongst our Palmerston North women, who desir« to dn something in the interests of tin com m unity

TO HELP FINANCE THE WAR. The Australian Jockey Club has hit upon a happy method of helping the fianances of the war in connection with its race meetings. Since a very considerable section of the people arc not prepared to give up attending race meetings during the war, it occurred to the committee of the A.J.C. that they might substitute War Loan Certificates lor the prize money won by horse-owners racing at their meetings. In connection with its recent llandwick meeting war loan certificates were paid over in place of tho usual prize moneys and, as a result, the war funds benefited to the extent of several thousand pounds. The Sydney Daily Telegraph speaks of it as "a commendable innovation," and says: "This is not an enforced tax. There is no compulsion on any one to run racehorses. And anyone, who can afford to do so should be well able to do without the cash that O'.ay or may not bo, won with them.' ft 'points out that "in any case tho prize-winners arc only required to accept negotiable interest-bearing securities," and suggests that the same principle could, be extended in other directions. It might certainly be applied in connection with race-meeetings in this country, and possibly A. and P. exhibitions'also. "Why should not the -Maiiawatu Racing Club, For instance, apply it in connection with future meetings held during the war. and thus set the example to other clubs throughout the Dominion. Sometime between this and March tho Government will have to put its additional twelve million lotvn on the market. The money will necessarily take some getting, and it would be a big help to the Government if tho several racing clubs that are holding meetings during the next few months were to decide that War Bonds or War Loan Certificates, should be substituted for the usual prize moneys, or. alternatively, that a certain proportion of the stakes should be paid ovt>r in War Bonds or Certificates, «ind Ihe balance ill cash. The principle could also be applied to A. and P. Shows, by awarding War Loan Certificates, where the prize moneys amount to CI or more. No hardship would be inflicted upon the exhibitors, because they are under no obligation to compete, and, in nine eases out of ten (possibly in ninety-nine cases out of one hundred), the honour of securing a prize is the first consideration, the money prize being quite a secondary matter with the exhibitor. Between race meetings, and A. and P. Shows. some hundreds of thousands of pounds must be disbursed annually in New Zealand. Why not, for the period the war lasts, and while such meetings and exhibitions continue, invest the prize moneys in War Bonds and "War Loan Certificates, and let such bonds and certificates take tho place of the usual cash prizes? Both Racing Clubs and A. and P, Associations would then feel that they were doing something to help win the war, and that, even from the "winning the war" standpoint they were justifying their existence."