BIRTH STATISTICS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18873, 28 May 1923, Page 9

BIRTH STATISTICS.

BOARD OF HEALTH RESOLUTION. “TOO SWEEPING AN INFERENCE.” (Peb United Pbem Association.) ( WELLINGTON,. May 25. The Board of Health, at its meeting, considered a recent public reference to the figures given in the report of its committee on venereal disease*, and indicative of promiscuous sexual intercourse in the dominion. The following resolution was passed: 'The board, having consulted the Government Statistician, irom which its figures were originally obtained, confirms the statements made in the committee’s report in the section under •■occurrence of promiscuous sexual intercourse.” This section affirmed that evidence showed promiscuity to be very prevalent, and not confined to any particular social strata. Ihis was strikingly demonstrated in' 1 table A. of the appendix, which showed that,, during the period 1915-21, there were 10,841 illegitimate births and 53,738 legitimate first births within one year of marriage. If to the illegitimate births were added the total humber of live births occurring within the first seven months, of marriage (namely. 12,235),' which might safely be considered to have been conceived before marriage, a total of 25,076 births in which conception took place ex-marital ly was obtained. In other words, more than 50 per cent, of the total first births occurring within 12 months of marriage resulted from sexual contact prior to marriage. The board points out that out of a total of 44,579 births registered, 23,076 were conceived prior to marriage. The board regrets that too sweeping an inference had ! beeii drawn from these figures. The commilttee was immediately concerned with rousing the public conscience as to the prevalence of promiscuous intercourse as a cause of the dissemination of venereal disease. 'The committee was not considering the question of the chastity of women generally, arid it was quite improper for anyone to use the committee's observations as a reflection on New Zealand woman. The percentage of ox-marital conceptions to all first births was approximately k 5 per cent.

“It must be common knowledge,” says a report by the Government Statistician, “that the majority of first births occur within the first year of marriage. The committee’s words in the report, ‘within 18 months of marriage,’ should therefore have guarded against anyone saying ‘that of women becoming mothers for the first time each year, more than half had been unchaste.’ ” BOARD OF HEALTH REPORT. SLIGHT INACCURACIES. (Pbb United Pbess Association.) WELLINGTON, May 27. - There are slight inaccuracies in the. extract from the report of the Government Statistician quoted in a statement published by the Board of Health, although they do not affect the general tenor of what was stated as percentages of extra-marital _ conceptions to the total number of first births. These were given a® 25 per cent., but should have been 28 per cent. The other is in relation to the proportion of first births taking place after 12 months’ marriage. The report stated that this proportion was actually a majority. This should have been 48 per cent. . v"