EVILS OF OVERCROWDING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15830, 29 January 1915, Page 4

EVILS OF OVERCROWDING.

MR. MYERS ON SLUMDOM. ,

FACTS FROM OLD COUNTRY.:;;;-.

Speaking on the subject of slums yesterday, at the opening of Myers Park, Mr. A." M. Myers, M.P., said that some fe* years ago figures had been taken cot "showing that the British Navy required 5000 boys annually in time of peace, hot could not get this number—up to the necessary standard — without rejecting about 50,000 lads every year. So far *» the army was concerned, Mr. Myers.said he had seen it stated that on one occasion soldiers were urgently required in the City of Manchester, and that, although ILOW men offered to enlist, 8000 were rejected', at once. Fortunately, the Mother Coantrr was waking up: the cry everywhere wasj,;.•;, that the slum must go, and the evils of _i overcrowding must be exterminated.; i Already results were forthcoming to prove- ~ •; that the advantages of town and country . need not be separated, and that a larg* increase in population need not be ace*", panied by physical deterioration. , ? Mr. Myers quoted some statistics shoeing that in the garden city of Bournevflie the average height of a boy of 11 J"* 818 ■- was 4ft 9in.'while in the neighbouring i citv .of Birmingham boys of this . *jj* i averaged only 4ft 2in. The Bwnoeviß* boy weighed on the average 4st 13lb, DC the Birmingham boy turned the scale * 3st 111b. The same difference had been - disclosed at Port Sunlight garden cfe where hoys of 14 in the schools b*d weighed ioßlb on the average. while _.f the Liverpool County schools boys of Wis <- ace averaged only 711b. In the g~ ■- citv of Letehworth. the infantile deal* rate was 58.5 per 1000; "> * large English towns this rate averaged 145 f& 1000. ... Die infantile death rate in New Zealand was 56 per 1000 tor the same period, while in the I ity of Auckland, mih /z ill natural advantages, this rate n» reached 63 per 1000. These figures proved that by adequate foresight the growth 0population in our towns could be provided for, and every opportunity conld *7 given for steadily cultivating *™ strengthening the national fibre.