THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. SATURDAY, JUNE 12, 1909. A SOCIAL PROBLEM.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14085, 12 June 1909, Page 4

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. SATURDAY, JUNE 12, 1909. A SOCIAL PROBLEM.

There are probably few questions that have attracted more attention of late years from persons interested in national progress and social betterment than those relating to the increase of population in all civilised countries. The marked diminution that has been apparent in the rate of increase has been attributed to many causes, some of them, it would seem, almost inseparable from advancing civilisation and the greater complexity of life in modern times, while others are almost certainly avoidable. Questions of what has caused the falling off in the birthrate in every country of Europe, however, are of much less immediate interest to us in this part of the world than those that deal with our own population. In new countries, like the Dominion and the Commonwealth, population, and especially that part of it which is recruited from the natural increase of the people already in the country, becomes a matter of primary importance. Immigration has an important place, indeed, in the policy of all new and undeveloped countries ; but the added population, that is the natural increase of our I own people, has an importance

which is second to none; anything which suggests an unhealthy condition of things in connection with this is entitled to be impartially considered, and, as far as possible, to be promptly dealt with. Public statements recently made by the City Coroner would seem to point to a danger, and to suggest a remedy. Mr. Gresham is in favour of urging upon the Government the establishment of foundling hospitals at centres of population throughout the Dominion. He bases his proposal on the alleged practice of " abandoning and putting away newly-born infants" which, he contends, " obtains throughout the Dominion." The words used, as well as the arguments urged, are, it may be remarked, liable to create an impression which is, at least, very exaggerated. Any person at a distance reading them would almost inevitably form an opinion by no means favourable to our people. A country in which —indeed, " throughout which"the practice "obtains" of "abandoning and putting away" newly-born infants, would naturally appear to a stranger by no means a desirable place; while its people, who are practically accused of indulging largely in heinous offences, would not be looked upon as desirable people. Allowance should, no doubt, be made for the position occupied by Mr. Gresham, which, naturally, renders him familiar with cases bad in themselves, and likely to impress the mind to an extent altogether out of proportion to their number.

As a matter of fact, the crime of infanticide is not, as far as recorded cases are a guide, more common in New Zealand than elsewhere in Eng-lish-speaking communities—indeed, it is, like most serious crimes, far less common than in most. It is, of course, possible to suppose that every case of infanticide which is proved is, as Mr. Gresham seems to think, a sort of representative case, from which we may suspect the existence of many cases that are never heard of. This would seem, to the ordinary observer to be a morbid view of the situation, and one that might be extended to cover almost any known class of crime in any community. The rare occurrence of the murder of adults among us does not, and ought not, as a matter of ordinary reason, to lead us to suspect' a dark background of crime, in which many possible murders of unknown victims remain hid. It is always unfortunate when a note of manifest exaggeration interferes with the candid consideration of any real evil existing in a community. There are sufficient, and more than sufficient, actual problems and manifest evils to be dealt with in every society without this; and, as a rule, its effect is not to increase the probability of the matter being taken seriously or dealt with effectually. What the City Coroner really had to say, from the records of his own experience, was important enough in itself. It is true that in this country, as in every country of which we have any knowledge, there are cases of criminal neglect, and even of the actual murder of young infants by their parents. The circumstances leading to such terrible and unnatural crimes are, of course, various, but, as a rule, they are such as may in many cases suggest some excuse for the terrible action, and if society would really get rid of such crimes it would seem to be certain that it. must, as far as possible, deal with the evil at its root.

The proposal made by the Coroner is that the Government should maintain foundling hospitals, to which the infants who might otherwise be sacrificed might be sent. He states that such hospitals have been found of real service in London, and this is undoubtedly true; though it may be suggested that nearly every one of the conditions differs in New Zealand from those in the great metropolis. It is hardly too much to say that in probably the vast majority of London cases the cause leading to infant murder is a real desperation as to continued existence on the part of the mother. In a country like New Zealand the desperation, if any such exists, on the part of a parent must in almost all cases be caused by shame and the fear of discovery, and not by any doubt as to the possibility of maintaining the infant. The distinction is a very important one, and has a bearing on the question of what measures can be x taken to combat the evil with success. The foundling hospitals of London and other great cities are the natural • refuge for an unhappy mother who sees no way of maintaining both herself and her infant; it is not the natural refuge of the parent whose one idea is concealment. There are, no doubt, cases in which such a public provision might be taken advantage of in any country, but it may be questioned how far it would avail in such a country as this to save life. This, however, is a matter for investigation, and it may be for cautious experiment, for the evil is undoubtedly one of a very terrible character. The root of the evil, however, is one that lies deeper than we can hope to reach by measures which, at the very best, are merely palliative, and only the improvement of the moral character of individuals can really penetrate to that root. Human life, however, is a sacred trust, and a most valuable possession, not only to parents, but to the State ; and it is well that attention should be called, as the | City Coroner has called it, to any--1 thing which endangers it.