THE FALLING BIRTH-RATE.
Sir.- I rend with interest the. it marks j rej>orted in the Hf.ru. cf June 7 by the I Hon. (». \\. Russell regarding the need for encouraging the birth-rate and imm:- j gration. I aril a back-blocks pioneer *-*-1 ; tier, and my home is 30 miles from the railway. Xn accommodation is made fur I maternity rases by the 10.-al hospital , board, or any arrangement made by any I society locally, so my wife had to go to \ town to a private maternity hospital. This j was the bill: —Coach fare outwards, I 12s 6d ; waiting at the home, two weeks ; at £1 lis 6d a week : doctor. £4 4s: three j weeks nursing and convalesce at. £3 3s a week : board and lodging for two ! Wren at. 10s a week each, for four 1 weeks; return coach fare. 12s 6d. These! items, without such extras as are rieces- 1 sary, produce a nice little total of £20 9s 6d. I am a " bush cocky'' trying to chop a j farm out of the bush and working on the! roads, or at any odd job that T can get. j and this sum represents more than I can j save in a, year, so that babies are un- ' douhtedly luxuries beyond the reach of mv > poor purse. An immigrat ion scheme is) all right, but ft baby scheme would be ' better—the homegrown article is always ' the best. Backblocks." I
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New Zealand Herald, Volume LV, Issue 16879, 18 June 1918, Page 7
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241THE FALLING BIRTH-RATE. New Zealand Herald, Volume LV, Issue 16879, 18 June 1918, Page 7
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