LIVE-STOCK AND HUMAN BEINGS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXI, Issue 193, 17 July 1941, Page 5

LIVE-STOCK AND HUMAN BEINGS.

(Contributed.) In wartime, a seriousness envelops the community in striking contrast to the way of life in peacetime when selfishness and untliouglitfulness prevail. Thoughts turn to what might have been had we been less selfish and had applied ourselves to the problems which statistics warned us of years ago. From time to time it has been pointed out that our birthrate has shown no improvement; our present population is littlo over a million notwithstanding that the nation is over 100 years old. Vast sums of money are spent annually in improving the quality of our live-stock, yet although the human life is far more valuable particularly in wartime nothing like the amount of money lias been spent on building up a strong nation. Our medical examinations for military purposes have shown that there is room for considerable improvement in that direction.! If disease takes toll of live-stock Dio 1 Government compensates the farmer! for bis loss, realising that the financial! stability of the nation depends on | production. | Our rural areas abound ipth stock ■ unsurpassed in quality in'any part of j Die world. If the health of an animal is necessary to tho stability of Die coun-' try, surely the health of the people in the Dominion is of paramount importI anco and essential to the national security of the State. AA'hat tho Dominion needs most is to raise the standard of health with a stimulation of the ; birthrate essential to our national sejcurity.