692 PROCEEDINGS OF SECTIO^t I. 



Legislative. 



The measures requiring additional or fuither legislation in this 

 State of Qeensland are : — 



(1) Earlier notification and registration of births ; the amend- 



ment of '■ The RegiMration of Births and Deaths Act of 

 1855"; 



(2) Amendment of "The Infant Life Protection Act of 1905"; 



(3) A Bill for the sale and control of infant foodstuffs and 



quack nostrums ; 



(4) A Midwives Act; and 



(5) The increase of the powers of Local Authorities in I'egard 



to the milk supply. 



Administrative. 

 Under this head may be considered — 



(1) The establishment of infant milk depots (Municipal or 



otherwise) for the supply of a pure and specially modified 

 milk for the feeding of infants; 



(2) The teaching of infant feeding and nursing in schools; 



(3) The appointment of qualified wonien with special reference 



to the hygiene and feeding of infants; 



(4) The bounty system; and 



(5) The establishment of Creches. 



Educative. 



(1) Distribution of circulars giving hints and advice as to the 



care and feeding of infants; 



(2) The proper care of poor women during and immediately 



after puerperium ; 



(3) Infant life insurance ; 



(4) The inexperience and neglect of mothers ; 



(5) Women as sanitaiy reformers ; 



(6) Industrial conditions and social position of women ; and 



(7) The relation between the birth-rate and infantile mortality. 



Under the present Registration of Births and Deaths Act of 1855, 

 of Queensland, births are required to be registered within 60 days of 

 their occurrence, while still-births are not required to be registered 

 at all. 



Sixty days is a long time, and many infants could die during 

 that period for want of skilled attention or advice. 



Probably the registrar is not unfrequently asked to register the 

 birth and death at the one time. 



For statistical purposes it is, perhaps, well enough to secure the 

 returns within 60 days, but for preventive purposes it is quite 

 useless, as by the time the authorities are notified the child has 

 already passed through a critical period of its existence, even if it 

 be not already dead. 



The English authorities have had a similar experience, and the 

 National Conference on Infantile Mortality of 1906 passed a resolution 

 to the effect that all births and still-births should be notified within 



