SAVING THE BABIES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21911, 21 September 1934, Page 19

SAVING THE BABIES

EFFORTS IN AUSTRALIA EMULATING NEW ZEALAND [from our own correspondent] SYDNEY. Sept. 13 According to the Commonwealth Statistician New Zealand still holds pride of place in the world with the lowest number of deaths of children under the age of one year, but conditions in Australia have so far improved that the Commonwealth is now second on the list —and it is justly proud of the fact. In child welfare Australia has followed very much in the lines of New Zealand, with splendid results. The work of saving infant life is being extended in all States and particularly in New South W 7 ales, and Australia hopes that some day not far distant it will displace the Dominion from its position at the head of the world table. The vital statistics for 1933, issued this week, show that the birth-rate was 16.78 per 1000 of Australia's population —the lowest ever recorded. The number of deaths of children under one year—4397 —was also the lowest on record Of every 1000 children born 40 die before they reach the age of one year, compared with New Zealand's 32, so that although the Australian figure has dropped in five years from 51 to 40, there is still room for improvement The statistics are crammed with interesting facts. During 1933 111,209 births were registered, compared with 110,933 in 1932. Though the Australian birth-rate is low, so is the death-rate, and the excess of births over deaths is relatively high. One mother in every 95 gave birth to twins or triplets, and there were 11 cases of triplets during the year. . In three cases a child born was the 18th of the marriage, in sip the 17th, and in 20 cases the 16th. However, there are not many large families these davs and the average family per mother is 2.89. There were 59,117 deaths registered in 1933, a rate of 8.92 per 1000, which, though higher than for the previous three years, was the fourth lowest ever recorded in Australia. Heart disease caused 20.3 per cent of the deaths, cancer 11.8 per cent, and pneumonia 6.7 per cent. Twenty-six centenarians died during the their ages ranging from 100 to 106 years. The most popular age for bridegrooms was 25 and for brides 21, but the most frequent combination was a bride of 21 and a bridegroom of 23. There was one bride, of 14 years and another of 88, while the ages of the bridegrooms ranged from 16 to 90. The population of 6,656,912, at the end of 1933, representecl a growth of 900,772 since 1923. Of this gain natural increase contributed 77) per cent and immigration the remainder, Australia's rate of increase in the past 10 years was 15 per 1000 per annum, equal to America's. The next highest rate was Asia, 10, which was the average fdi- the whole world. Marriages in Australia in 1933 totalled 46,595, the highest figure since 1929.