INFANT MORTALITY.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1681, 18 May 1904, Page 61

INFANT MORTALITY.

THE STATE AND THE FAMILY. ■i 1 ' Vimportant memorandum by THE PREMIER., ' The Premier forwards the following letter, with the accompanying memorandum on child life preservation, a copy of which is being sent to all newspapers in the colony: Prime Minister’s Office, Wellington, May 7. The Editor,— - / The decreasing Birth-rate, with its disastrous effects calls for in- / stant and serious consideration in conjunction with what is of paramount importance —the deathrate among infants in the colony. Thj latter is almost startling. A feeling that something ought to be done to prevent what now obtains and save life and sorrow has impelled me t > look into the matter with a view of applying . some remedy. Perhaps the conclusions I have arrived at, and which are new submitted, may be imperfect and may be extending the functions of the State further than many persons will support,but where affliction and sorrow can be prevented our best efforts are necessary. (Signed) . R. J. SEDDON. (ENCLOSURE.) The public mind in this colony and in Australia has been much exercised by what was disclosed in the report of the New South Wales Royal Commission on the falling - off of the natural increase. It is a very able report, and tbe evidence no doubt fully warranted the conclusions arrived at. From the information before me I am of opinion that in a lesser degree the same evil exists in New Zealand. Two years ago a measure was introduced • by me into the New Zealand Parliament against the indiscriminate use of preventatives, and I note that the Australian Royal Commission recommended the passing of such a law as imperative. It is not, however, with the falling-off of the natural'increase, its causes and remedies that I now specially desire to deal with. I am looking at the subject from another and more humane standpoint. Whilst bemoaning the low natural increase, common-sense dictates to me that we ought to do more for the preservation of infant-life in the colony. From a return that I had recently prepared, extending over a period of ten years, I find that during that time twenty sand children between the ages of one and five years have passed away for ever. It is probably a harsh thing to say, but it is nevertheless true, that under altered conditions a very large number of these infants could have been saved, and it is with this object in view that I and my colleagues have come to' the conclusion that an opportunity should be given to Parliament of dealing with the matter, and that if something should be done on the following lines the infant mortality in our fair land would be cousiderably reduced. (a) That an Act should be passed under which only those holding certificates should practise midwifery, and that we should have registered midwives as we have registered nurses; that those practising now, although not registered as qualified nurses, on receiving a certifi- ' cate from two duly qualified medical practitioners may be allowed to be registered as midwives; that the absolute prohibition of any but registered- midwives should come into force in 1906, thus allowing two years for nurses to qualify , , and become registered. In other details I would propose that we should follow the Imperial Act passed in the year 1902. (b) That in each centre there should be a number of qualified midwivea registered- for the purpose of attending to the wives of the pool- gratis, the fee fixed being paid by the State for all such attendances. , , (c) It is well known that there is nor a sufficient number of maternity homes established in the colony. The members of the Salvation Army, and other good men' and women, have done something to meet this necessity, but much morej however,- is required, and I urge that this should be done ‘by the State finding the necessary money for the erection of homes, to be kept entirely under State control, the management thereof vesting in committees; also, that grants should be given to the Salvation Army and other “bodies towards the erection and furnishing of maternity homes. With such homes as those above described concealment of birth and infanticide Would be reduced, and much misery and suffering obviated. . (d) Foundling hospitals.—ln many of our cottage homes, m-d amongst the poorly housed working-classes, sickness overtakes the younger children, and there is difficulty in getting them into the ordinary hospitals. Moreover, ofttimes - " medical aid is not called in until it is too late. To meet this, foundling hospitals should be established, the State providing the money for their erection and upkeep. The management could be handed over either to committees, trustees, or to ladies who would take a delight in performing this humane and philanthropic work. (e) Nursing at home—Not only children, hut mothers at times, suffer, from want of proper nursing, and too frequently deaths ensue which nyght have been averted had proper nurses been within the reach of the sufferers. Some of our religious bodies and societies have raised moneys and employ nurses to attend the needy belonging to their particular denominations, and the system is found to work very well so far as it goes. Great ■ praise is due to the churches and those - ■who have done something in this direction ; yet at the risk of adverse criticism and of the question being asked, r< What next will the State be asked to undertake V' I say that it would Bo profitable

to the State, that it is a duty that devolves upon it, and that even from an economic point of view if would pay the State to provide nurses for the poor. The only direct return that the masses receive at present is in the direction of free education. The- largest share of the revenue is derived from them, and if the State supplied them with nurses we should not be providing more than on humane and State grounds they might fairly claim. Already the principle is admitted by the fact that Parliament votes money as a subsidy for duly qualified medical men in sparsely settled districts.

(f) The training of nurses. —If Parliament were to make provision, have we in the colony the necessary number of trained nurses, or are we training a sufficient number of nurses in our colony P I have no hesitation in saying that we are not: Under the existing conditions many young women who would take a delight in this work have no opportunity of being trained. The boards and trustees managing our hospitals only keep enough trained nurses to meet their own requirements, filling with probationers the places of those who get married or leave. What I propose and believe would be welcomed by the hospital trustees throughout the colony, ani what would give suitable and congenial employment to many young women, would be for the Government to arrange with the trustees of the various hospitals for them to allow a number of girls to be trained in the hospitals, the State paying for the board and lodging of these probationers. This would give those desirous of entering the nursing profession an opportunity of qualifying and becoming registered under the Act.. (g) Prevention of cruelty to children, and neglect of parents in cases of sickness.—When discussing this matter with the Rev Edmund Waugh I was astonished to find that in New Zealand we are much behind, and that it would be a step in the right direction if we were to follow on the lines laid down in the United Kingdom. These are working admirably, and. with the provision for infant-nnrsing hospitals there could be no excuse on the part of careless parents, who should be made amenable to the law if through their neglect the lives of their children were lost or became endangered. ■' (h) Frequently accidents occur and sickness is brought on owing to mothers going from home and leaving their younger children with their eight or ten-year-old sister, or through entrusting them to neighbours. In many cases it is necessary for daily bread that the mother should go from home, perhaps charing, washing, or working in some other way, and she is thus compelled to leave her infant with children of tender years, to get on as best they can under the circumstances narrated. This brings me to the question therefore of—

Day homes for infqnts.—ln some of the larger cities in the Old World there are homes in which a mother leaving home for the purpose of winning bread in such avocations as charing, washing, etc., for the day or half-day, can place an infant up to, say, three years old in a home, where it is attended by the nurses and properly looked after until the mother returns for it. The children are well fed during their temporary residence in these homes, and they are kept warm and clean. The mother’s anxiety is relieved, and the child is probably much better cared for than if it had been kept at home. I believe that in the city of Wellington a home of this kind has been established, and on making inquiries I find that there is not near enough accommodation for the number of children that are proposed for entry. The cost for the upkeep of homes of ‘ this kind is infinitesimal, when compared with the anxiety of the mother and the number of lives saved from sickness and accident arising from neglect. (i) Insurance of infants regulation.—■ In making proposals in respect to this matter lam guided more by the experiences of other countries than by what has occurred in onr own colony. I do not think that to any great extent there is a sacrifice of infant-life consequent on but I do not consider it would be out of place if we passed a law preventing the insurance of children of tender years for sums beyond that which would cover the cost of interment. It might be provided that no child under ten years could be insured for more than £5. (j) Maintaining illegitimate children. —lt should be rendered unlawful for any person, whether such person is the guardian, mother, or putative father, to commute the weekly or monthly amount necessary for the maintenance of such child. Ofttimes the mother or her parents give some other party a lump sum, or, in other words, capitalise the weekly allowance, thus relieving themselves of responsibility by banding the child over to another person, who agrees to look after it for the lump sum paid. The history of baby-farming in our own colony furnishes an answer to what happens. A good deal has been dome under the Industrial Schools Act, and the Destitute Children Act, but what I now suggest would strike at the root of the evil; and if the parties had to go before a Magistrate, and the child had to be registered under the Destitute Children Act, many lives would be saved.

I have briefly outlined that which is a new departure, and which I may be told should be left entirely to the benevolent and philanthropic. Such an objection may be applicable to older countries in certain cases; but we must deal with things as we find them. We have no leisured classes, and we have not many people of ample means, so the responsibility of saving these valuable lives falls on the State. The necessity for what I have described is admitted by all, and in these circumstances/ at the risk of gibes and sneers from those who ever resist and oppose the expansion of State functions, humanity, in my opinion, demands that we should do something in the direction that I have indicated, thus preserving life increasing our population, and proving’our claims to the higher civilisation. This scheme will of course meet with opposition, and some may be unkind enough to say that, if wanted before, it is a sure sign of impaired health new. Let them

say what they like; my heart prompts me in my present proposal. After going into our vital statistics in respect to this matter, I have come to the conclusion that something should be dome, or otherwise I should fail in my duty to the people of this colony. It is worth mentioning that, apart altogether from the humane side of the question which I have discussed, the capital value of every adult in this colony is <£3oo. Increased population is necessary to our welfare, and it is our duty to prevent sorrow and affliction. Too much money is spent in coffins, headstones and funeral expenses, and to bewail tne want of a proper natural increase is pure hypocrisy unless we do something substantial in the way of saving the infantlife that is born into the colony. SEDDON. Prime Minister’s Office, Wellington, May, 1904.