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19
The Infant Mortality Rate for 1945 is 38.56.
In presenting my Annual Report to you last year,
I made no comment on the spectacularly low infant
mortality rate of 28.35, because, whilst I looked upon
this as a welcome incident, I believed it to be purely
incidental. I further believe that the only figure worth
boasting about would be the figure over a five year
period which for the period ending in 1944 was 33.99.
This in my opinion was at this present stage of
knowledge and social development quite good.
This year, therefore, the presenting of an infant
mortality rate of 38.56 does not distress me although
it is more than 10 points higher than last year. Our
figure for the now last five years is 34.64 and this, I
believe to be a more reliable picture of the situation
than that given by the figure for one particular year.
In my Report last year, I set forth some of the
factors influencing this rate and this year I would like
to repeat myself, bringing the figures up-to-date:—
1. Education.
2. Nutrition.
3. Housing.