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New Zealand Tablet, Volume XIII, Issue 20, 11 September 1885, Page 7

Tue vital statistics of London sho.v a fearful morality among insuied infants. The books of the insurance companies sqow that the death late among infants who are insured is much greater than the general death ra 1 c for the same ages as published in the Government repoits. The latter include, of course, both insured and uninsured infants. If the two classes could be separated in the official reports so that they could be compared, ie is^believed that it would be shown that the mortality among the insured is 50 per cent. greater than that amontr the uninsured. These facts strengthen the suspicion l.ito the conviction that many infants are dihberately murdered foi the sake of the insurance on their lives. Insurance companies wlacli accept risks on infants' lms will insure none but healthy cmldieu, and cons-equ ntly the mortality among them bh mid naturally be less than among tiie general average of children. Some insurance companies seem to accept the conclusion that childmurder is the cause of this anomolous condition of affairs complacently, aud only seek to secure their own profits under the additioual risk by increasing their premiums. This operates as a hardship upon houest parents who insure their children's lives from worthy motives of prudence. Ihe note alarm has been sounded by the actual ie-> ot the more respect tble. insurance companies and echoed by many physicians. It has now been taken up by several medical and legal newspapers, which are imploring Parliament to devise some remedy for the growing and horrible crime.