BISHOP'S BLUNDER.

Timaru Herald, Volume XCVIII, Issue 18084, 29 May 1923, Page 6

BISHOP'S BLUNDER.

THE BIRTH STATISTICS,

FIGURES "SUFFICIENTLY ALARMING.T

* PRESS ASSOCIATION TELEGRAM WELLINGTON, Monday. ’The Bishop or wuiocura (Ur. unite), states: “wn-ii regard to the interpretation I put on tne statement; maue in tlie report of tne Committee of the Board of LLealtii i naturally regret tliat 1 made a seriously incorrect deduction as to wiiat tnat statement really meant, but tlie pleasure tnat 1 feel that tnings are not -so bad as tney seemed lar outweigns any personal mortmcation at being misled. At tne same time, I feel tnat tlie original statement of the committee was very liable to misunderstanding, and has, as a matter of fact, been very widely misunderstood. After all the corrections have been made, the statement made by the Board of Health that 28 per cent, of ail first births are extramartialiy conceived is sufficiently alarming, and demands the attention of all Oliristian people. It must not be forgotten that this 28 per cent, of all first births takes no account of the use of contraceptives by unmarried women —a point by*no means to be ignored.” The Hon. W. H. Triggs (chairman of the Venereal Diseases Committee), in a statement, referring to the Bishop • of Willochra’s charges regarding the chastity of women in New Zealand,-says it was not until the bishop, by a mistake very natural to one not accustomed to handling statistics, drew a too sweeping inference from the figures that there was any public discussion on this particular paragraph of the Committee’s report. Mr Triggs suggests that it was unfortunate that correspondents in the public Press on the subject seem far more anxious to comment on the arithmetical slip made by the bishop than to:help him to rouse the public conscience iu regard to au evil which is not only undermining the physical and 'moral health of the community, but threatening the very foundation of society. Let there be no mistake about the matter. He says it was almost impossible to . exaggerate the seriousness of the evil. The Committee, in compiling the statistics, did not pick out any particular year, but took a senes of years, which is generally recognised as the proper (course. It so happened, that the period they took (1913-21) covers the war period, and it was possible that some of the sexual laxity shown to exist may be attributed tp the excitement and unsettlement associated with the war; but, making every allowance, the condition of disclosed is such as to give the gravest concern to every lover of this young country who has any regard for its,social and moral welfare. Witness after witness--doctors, social workers and otheis testified to the growing laxity of young people and the evils . resulting therein‘order to eliminate the possibilities of exaggeration the comimttee asked for exact figures, and fOUII^ p iwrind 1913-21 there were W’?, , • . (ritimate births registered, and that put nf 33 738 legitimate births occurring of 33,(00 marriage there within one y ‘ 235 which occur"TJSktaK, fiS Sm months red within tn ■ therefore, may be marriage, an conceived safely considered to have o before maiua o e. .. t> e observed, yond dispute. It n comprise only moreover, that tl 2 tra _ marita i intermstances m by a living .issue, course Jf these facts it was Surely in the lute i y criminal, to futile. if, n , npr-centages or to charge quibble to the grave menace Set o, ; chastity of ILTomen of NeW | Zealand^