DECLINING BIRTHS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24431, 17 October 1940, Page 6

DECLINING BIRTHS

MOST SERIOUS PROBLEM SPECIAL MINISTRY SUGGESTED FINAL SOLUTION SPIRITUAL The view that a special Ministry of State should be established with the object of giving every encouragement to a return to the four and five children family was expressed by Professor C. E. Hercus, dean of the Otago Medical School, in an address delivered at the annual meeting of the Dunedin branch of the Plunket Society yesterday. Dr Hercus reviewed population and birth-rate trends in New Zealand in recent yeax’s. and declared that the present position of the declining birthrate was the most serious problem apart from the war that the Dominion had to face.

Everywhere he had gone during his x’ecent tour abroad. Dr Hercus said, he had been impressed by the importance with which the health of the mother and child was regarded. It was little use having splendid institutions to safeguard the mother and child, however, if the children were not being born, and there was nothing so arresting in the whole of New Zealand’s social history as the tremendous fall in the birth-rate since the 1870’s and. latterly, since 1918, although there had been a very slight rise in the oast year. That did not tell the whole story however, for it had to be remembered that, in addition, there would be fewer women going into the child-bearing period in 15 years' time unless the position was aided by migration. But England’s birth-rate was also declining, and. moreover, the people showed no desire to migrate.

Maoris’ Healthy Increase

“ There must be a substantial increase in the birth-rate even to keep us where we are.” Dr Hercus added. “ The Maoris are improving their birth-rate in spite of terrible ipfantile mortality, and. even with the many adverse influences to which they are subject, their natural rate of increase is healthy. That suggests that, admirable though the efforts of the Plunket Society are. even if you did the impossible and saved every baby, you wculd still not have touched the fundamentals of the problem. I am asking for four and five children—not one and two—and unless we get it we are up against the biggest problem New Zealand has ever faced.” There was nothing biologically in New Zealand against a healthy population growth, Dr Kercus said, vet in 1886 there were 2000 more children in the primary schools cf Otago than there were to-day. The modern' way of living—flats, high cost of living, etc. —conspired against an increasing population, and one extreme disadvantage was that a great many New Zealand mothers were seriously overworked in the domestic field. No society was better equipped than the Plunket Society, then, to raise the status of the domestic worker, and he hoped a time would come when there would be a body of women similar to Plunket nurses going about the homes helping mothers in their domestic duties and generally giving the domestic worker a better standing in the community. He thought the State should be prepared to subsidise the domestic worker in the same way as it subsidised the doctor and the Plunket nurse.

Duty to Posterity

“ I suggest, however,” Dr Hercus concluded, “ that the final solution lies in the recognition of spiritual values in the widest meaning of the term. There must be a restoration of the social prestige of the large family, of joy in parenthood, of pride of race, and an understanding that we have a great responsibility to carry cn the torch to the next generation, which should have the right to be healthy and productive,” Dr Hercus was accorded a hearty vote of thanks on jhe motion of Sir Percy Sargcod.

DAILY INTERCESSION Blessed are they that are perfect in the way, who walk in the'fear of the Lord. Blessed are they that keep His testimonies, that seek Him with the whole heart. (Psalm cxix: 1-2.) Almighty God, Who dost look down in fatherly love upon all who sxiffer; we beseech Thee to hear our humble prayers for the wounded and sick. Give to each one Thy help, in spirit and in body, according to his need: sanctify him, cheer him, and, if it be Thy Will, restore him. And iji Thy redeeminp love have mercy on those who fall. All this we ask through the mediation of Thy Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.