THE BIRTHRATE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 4 August 1928, Page 6

THE BIRTHRATE

DISTURBING FIGURES LOWEST YET RECORDED*; REPORT BY DIRECTOR.GENERAL OF HEALTH \ _____ PRAISE FOR HOSPITAL BOARDS, (By Telegraph) (From "The Mail's" Parliamentary Reporter). 'i; WELLINGTON, 3rd August. The Annual Report of the Director:-. General of Health states that the lowest birth rate yet recorded in New Zealand was that of the year ended 31st March, 1928. The actual "rate was. 20.29 per. 1000 which was regarded as unsatisfactory. The Director said it was a matter for grave concern and he had no sympathy with the advocates of birth-con-trol, who appeared* to be : overjoyed by the fact that fewer children were being born in a country so favoured as New Zealand. A new'born infant was NewZealand's best immigrant. The increase of deaths, from .puerperal septicaemia was somewhrtt disturbing. • A table in the report shows that New Zealand stands fourteenth among the countries of the world as death from,puerperal causes is concerned. The lowest in the world was Denmark with 2.26. New Zealand's rate was still relatively high ' ' ■ Infant deaths have bum reduced to 1080 in the first year of.life, and of these 540 occurred in the first week of , life. The actual number of deaths of mothers in association [\ with childbirth WaS 136. .'' '• .''• •;-;' . •" " :, ■'... "I am very proud of our Nelwt Zealand hospitals and the work,of the! hospital' boards controlling "them," - states . tlie Director-General of Health. "Without the help of these boards it would have been impossible to build and otherwise extend the hospitals we now have; but there is a reason in all things arid personally T am' appalled at our hospital expenditure actual and proposed, espe- : j cially in certain districts, '■ but I do" not blame the' boards entirely for this. If it were possible for boards in the Dor minion to visit the Old Land and other countries they would come back to 'this" 'country very pleased and very proud, rot only of our hospitals but of our public institutions' as a whole. They would think, I am sure, that for a population of barely one and a-half mil-., lion souls, we have done not so. badly but extremely well,'and all that, in about the lifetime of some of. our very, aged pioneers." ■ • " ... ',