AUSTRALIAN MORALITY. 



477 



I 



the records of crime, there has been a substantial improvement in 

 the moral condition of Australia. The limits of this paper preclude 

 any attempt at an estimation as to how far this improvement has 

 been due to such factors as the spread of education, more extensive 

 knowledge of penology, or the general amelioration of social con- 

 ditions during the last fifty years. 



III. The Birth Rate and Morality. — A review of Australian 

 natality statistics will shew that since 1861 the birth-rate in all 

 the States has considerably declined. The following table sets out 

 the crude birth rate in each State and in the Commonwealth at 

 decennial intervals from 1861 to 1901, and for each year of the 

 quinquennium 1905 to 1909, single years being given for the last 

 mentioned period in order to shew that the limit of decline has 

 apparently not yet been reached. 



Crude Birth Rate in the Commonwealth, 1861-1909. 



Births per 1000 of Mean Population in the years 

 1861. 1871. 1881. 1891. 1901. 1905. 1906. 1907. 19081 



41-6 39-7 38-2 348 278 268 271 272 26-9 



43-5 37-2 31-3 336 25 8 248 252 253 247 



45-6 43-9 380 37" 1 285 289 263 270 27 



43-3 380 381 334 251 237 236 240 246 



37-4 301 34-2 35- 1 303 303 300 294 293 



35-7 301 337 336 286 29 3 298 29-5 309 



state. 



New South Wales 

 Victoria 

 Queensland . . 

 South Australia 

 Western Australia 

 Tasmania 



1909. 



27-3 

 24-6 

 27-5 

 24-6 

 28- 1 

 29-9 



Commonwealth 



42-3 380 35-3 345 271 261 26-4 266 263 264 



Before attempting any explanation of the causes and the moral 

 aspect of the decline in the birth rate of Australia, it will perhaps 

 be advisable to examine the natality statistics of other countries. 

 The rates for the more important countries of the world for which 

 records are available will be found in the appended table. The 

 figures refer to the period 1897-1907. 



Birth Rates per 1000 of the Population of Various Countries. 



Country. 



United Kingdom 



France 



German Empire 



Holland 



Belgium 



Denmark 



Sweden 



Switzerland 



Spain . . 



Italy .. 



Hungars- 



J apan 



