NEW ZEALAND'S SUICIDE.
"Race-suicide —in the shape of a dwindling birth-rate—is a somewhat ominous sign wherever it appears; but when it makes its appearance on new soil, and in a young and excepionally happy community, it is a very perplexing phenomenon,'' writes Dr. W. H. Fitchett in his magazine, Life. "New Zealand is suffering from a shrinking birthrate in an acute form. In 1887 the rate was 337 per 1,000; in 1896 it had fallen to 252; in 1901 to 244; in 1906 to 228; and in 1911 to 209.2. These figures need to be meditated over before their significance is realised. If anyone with an arithmetical turn worked out what the population of New Zealand would be to-day if the birth rate of 1878 had been maintained up to lrfll, the figures, it may be suspected, would be startling. ®Tliey would reveal an army of the unborn of tragical dimensions. New Zealand, like Australia, is eager for immigrants, and no other country in the world has better things to offer to intending immigrants. "Why does the birth rate of the Dominion shrink so fast and so persistently? The root of that evil is not political, or social, but moral—or rather immoral.''
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Bibliographic details
Manawatu Times, Volume LXV, Issue 1868, 12 March 1913, Page 2
Word Count
202NEW ZEALAND'S SUICIDE. Manawatu Times, Volume LXV, Issue 1868, 12 March 1913, Page 2
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