Republican farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1810-1920, 1918-03-01
ASKED TO
SAVE 1866 LIVES
IN BABIES YEAR
Campaign to Prevent Deaths
of Infants to Start on His
toric Day, April 6.
EACH STATE LIABLE
FOR CERTAIN NUMBER
Celebration of Children's
Year Regarded AS Patrio-
tic Obligation.

Washington, Feb. 25-The Chill
oren's Bureau of the United States
department of Labor announced to-
day the number of lives each state is
asked to save in the campaign to save
Ioo,OGO babies and young children
during Children's Year beginning
april 8. Announcement of the pur-
pose to wage such a campaign was
maze some time ago by the Chill
orens. Bureau and the Child-Welfare
Department of the Womans Commit
Tee OF the Council of National De-
tense, and the response, which has
surpassed all expectations, indicates
that efforts to promote the health and
welfare of children are to be more
vigorous this year than ever before.
The saving of 100000 lives of chill
dren under five is only one part of the
dig program for the welfare of 80
100000 children under fifteen in the
country 1t is realized by all con-
cerned that the standards of child
protection must not be relaxed during
war time, and the United States is ex-
pected to profit by the experience of
other warning countries, where the
Importance of safeguarding childhood
is emphasized as never before
The campaign to save 100000 lives
of babies and young children in the
United States during the second year
of the war is to be inaugurated by a
national wal crhin1 nd
beginning April s, the anniversary of
the declaration of war by this coun-
try. In announcing the quotas the
Children's Bureau said:
In order that each state NAV feel
responsible for a definite number of
lives to be saved, quotas have been
assigned to the various states, the ap
portionment being made on the basis
of the population under five according
to the 1910 census. This, of course
cannot take account of the varying
death rates in the different states
| where death rates are known.
In about half the states of the
country, comprising nearly ene-thirc
| the population, the registration OF
deaths was not sufficiently complete
| to warrant their inclusion in the reg.
| istration area when the latest reports
were published. The registration o.
| births is seriously deficient in a still
larger number of states. For tina
! reason the apportionment of quotas
| of infant lives to be saved could no
| be made upon the basis of the infan'
mortality rate, which is based on the
number of deaths under one veal
| and the number of recorded births
Thus the only basis for the assign
| ment of quotas uniformly applicable
| to all the states is the population Al
| shown by the Federal census A.
the effort for the hundred Thousand
lives applies to the specially hazard
| GUS period of life under five years O.
| age, the quotas are calculated upor
the basis of the population under
five.
I'm making the apportfonment OF
| this basis it was realized that a hig-
mark is thus set for states in which
the death rate among young children
{ is already low. On the other hand
| the mark set may be low for sons
states where the child death rate i
excessively high. 1t does not appea
to be possible to avoid some situations
of this kind by any method Of ap
| pGrtionment that could be devise,
with the data now at hand If. tn,
| registration of births and deaths wer,
| complete in all the states. an appor
tionment that could be devised will
the data now at hand. If the regis
tration of births and deaths wer
complete in all the states, an appor
t:onment of quotas of the 100000 live
to be saved by the various state
| could be made upon a different ba
sis"
Plans for the celebration of Chill
dren's Year, of which the saving 0
100, 900 lives is one feature, are bein
developed by the Children's Burea,
in cooperation with the Child Wei
fare Department of the Woman
Committee of the Council of Nationa
Defense. The safeguarding and pro
lection of children is looked upon a
a patriotic duty in view of the I'm
avoidable wastage of human life in
cident to war. It is expected tina
| tHe e,oVV Ut LioTe local committee
of the Child-Welfare Department @
the Women's Committee will be abb
to carry the campaign to every. com
munity in the United States. Thi
is looked upon as essential to tn
success of the movement, for in tn
last analysis, every community mus
save it's own babies if they are to b
saved at all State and t'ederf
agencies, either official or voluntary
can make plans and offer suggestion
but each community must bear il
full share of responsibility in maxim
the campaign success.
The quota assigned to ConnecticJ
, is 1855.