FEWER BOTTLE BABIES

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17143, 27 December 1929, Page 11

FEWER BOTTLE BABIES

A JUDGE'S EULOGY IMPROVEMENT IN 20 YEARS The, bfiby show at the Mardi Gras carnival at the Ghilders road reserve yesterday was ,a., .wonderful advertisement for the Plunket Society in tiio opinion of the judge, Dr. \V. A. Bowie. Out of the total entry of 72 babies, he commented, there were only tlireo that had heen fed on the bottle, this position, being vastly different from what was. the case 20 years ago in the district, which aboilt tWo-third(!> of the total entries were bottle fed. Yesterday's baby show produced a fine class, and there was not a single poor specimen iri the whol£ shbw, this fact being one of which Poverty Bay may well feel proUd; in fact, Dr. B6wie remarked that lie had not seen a better collection of babies anywlierc. Kixplaining the. points on which judging Was carried out, Dr. Bowie said that When there was little between the entrants, as was the case- yesterday, it was necessary to go into detail, such as the texture of hair, skin and teeth, while'the firmness of flesh, bone structure and the. condition of the qyes were also important. When a number of entrants were approaching a level of perfection, minor details: had to be considered. Chafing! would disqualify a baby in the final count, as would cradlecap, however slight, and also circumcision, for where! nil operation had been performed the baby could not be judged perfect. The babies in the show were magnificent examples of New Zealand babyhood, which was acknowledged 'as the finest in the world.