THE CHINA MAIL JULY 1 1937
Fage 11
GOVT. TO QUESTION PARENTS On Delicate Problem Of British People's Fertility
TO COMBAT LOW BIRTH RATE "MENACE: TWO LINES OF INVESTIGATION
Parents in Great Britain are to face intimate inquiries by the Government on the problem of fertility. Announcing this a first measure in tackling the low birth-rate menace in the House of Commons, Sir Kingsley Wood; the Minister of Health, said:
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“I am now considering the best method that should be taken so that these particulars can be obtained with due regard to their confidential and personal nature.
He had talked of the talling birth-rate, and of the inadequacy of present statistics.
It is the lowest rate hitherto re- corded, and the number of deaths from tuberculosis which occurred in England and Wales declined to 28,268.
"The birth-rate, which stood in 1875 at 35.4 per 1,000 living," he said. “has fallen to 14.8 per There had been a steady decline 1,000. I am told that the in mortality from infectious dis- mothers of to-day have about eases. half the children. that their grandmothers had in their time.
FLU MAKING
There has also been an interest-
during the e year," the Minister went on, the provision of a method of producing influenza in animals has been of great value in affording ap- portunity for research.
"Existing birth-rate statistics ing development in medical science show the children born in pro- portion to the population as a whole. But fertility statistics must relate to the births of par- ticular parents and show what of parent and under what ditions they produced many few children.
-
con-
or
“If these facts were available, it would be possible to investigate much more adequately the condi- tions and circumstances which ap- pear to encourage or discourage the production of children.
"We know that in fifteen years the total number of children aged five and over in elementary schools may fall by as much as a million.
"Another factor of importance is that it is probable that our popula tion in the immediate future will contain a much larger proportion of older people.
TWO INQUIRIES
Two inquiries were going on one by the Registrar General, the Population Investi- other by the gation
voluntary
body
Committee,
Sir Kingsley Wood was speaking on the supply vote for the Ministry of Health:
Estimated mid-year population for 1936 in England and Wales was 40,889,000 an increase of 194,- 000 over the estimated mid-year population figure in 1935.
Sir Henry Chilton, the British Ambassador to Spain, whose duties are not rendered easier" by the existence of two authorities.
INFANTS SLAIN BEFORE BIRTH
Startling Report By Experts In Britain
Figures gathered in Birming- ham over. number of years show that one in every five in- fants is slain before, it is born.
This startling fact is only one of many revelations contained in a White Paper issued by the Ministry of Health, embracing the findings of experts, who have investigated every aspect of maternal and child mortality.
The experts have come to the conclusion that the killing of un- born bables. is increasing in every part of Britain and in every class of society there is a lengthening death roll of married mothers due to complications following abortions. They recom- mend that "flying squads" of specialists, doctors and nurses. be organised for all centres to help expectant mothers too poor or too ill to go to hospital.
Special Committee
The Cabinet is so impressed by
report that
ée under the ch
be establishe with abortion
One interesting
ribute
also to the
ss, the
the films, the
of radio the
commit ship of the Birkett,
mmediately to
in the child- tension of
of the timulus of
ing impact machines in
Total number of births was 605,- 292. the birth rate per 1,000 living being 14.8. That was 0.1 per 1,000 higher than the birth rate for 1935,
Tactories and traffic in the streets and 0.4 above that for 1933, the
to which the Bical reactions of lowest on record in this country.
men and womei st be adjusted **Total number of deaths was 495.-
members of the German Con- In this mechan age, inevitably have give rise to increased nervous ten- 764; the proved death rate per fessional Church, who were to
says the repor 1,000 higher than for 1935 and Q.7 attended the forthcoming World Oecu- sion,
menical Conferences absOxford and above that for 1930, lowest on re-Montreal, have been deprived of their cord.
passports by the secret
Greenwich Mean Time Is
Proved All Wrong
boy of the 3rd/10th Baloch Re- at St Thomas shot dead follow- by another se- arrest
cal-Bleak
got ahest
You think that when you have The moon has moved off been given Greenwich Mean Time you have the right time right on the dot? Well, you are wrong. Be- cause Greenwich Mean Time is wrong, Big Ben is wrong. All our
Estimates for 1937 were just over £22,000,000, he said. It was an inclocks are wrong. crease of nearly half a million over those of the current year,
For the first time a new item ap- peared in the estimates
£207,000 for grants under the new Midwives Act, which comes into operation in a few weeks' time.
culated course self. But when scientists settled down to think it out, they found it wasn't the moon that was wrong. It was our system of plotting its course byeur clocks.
TIDES BLOW UP THE EARTH
"We had not.
into
The Man in the Moon has proved it, and scientists have found that all their calculations based on time. are a good way from being accurate. the fact that Clocks are gradually running longer, and slow because the day is getting clocks by the longer. Almost imperceptibly it is are actuall true, but so certainly that it is Waterfield
millions of stated. only a matter of time
before a day, as years perhaps
"Careful we know it, will last forty-four days!
and Au when that happens old tooth-
lengthen The less men will die when they are two
the tides years old; no one will reach his
earth back third birthday.
axis.
Motherhood was safer and
- total maternal mortality rate
the lowest since 1922.
the was
Infant mortality was low
rate per 1,000 live
birth
figure in 1985,
slightly higher than the
The tubercular proved death continued to decline, and fell fr 718-per million in 1985 to 692 1986
omer
(æde:
up on its
rate
Babies will begin to walk eight days after they are born, and that "And that bright young son of yours will be until, cour batting for his school when he is not consist five (new) months
an
-.
Wet
Days
sore
lappening
will hours
RESPIROIDS
emiata.