Small Hope

The baby situation in Britain is bad. Statisticians say the birth rate must stop diving or by 1980 the United Kingdom will be a land of old-age pensioners. Not much can be done about more marriages and more offspring until the war is over and men come back from the forces and women from the services and factories. But for those families bravely having babies, Britons are grumble-mumbling that something could and should be done to reduce these difficulties.

> In 1942, 15,000 midwives delivered two-thirds of Britain's 775,000 babies. Though there are 60,000 midwives training now, most of them will go into war work or into general nursing for better conditions and pay.

> There are 15,000 maternity beds in British hospitals and maternity homes. Even with the reduced birth rate, the beds are in such demand that mothers cannot stay the usual 14 days, are usually ejected after ten.

> Babies are given 60 clothing coupons. At least 24 of these go for diapers, and the remainder are often worthless because shops have no babies' vests or shoes.

>Baby foods are usually obtainable, but druggists have to watch for adult customers who buy baby foods to supplement their own skimpy milk ration.

>There is a shortage of special shapes of rubber nipples.

>Though 775,000 babies were born last year, only 300,000 prams (baby carriages) were made. Here British parents won their first victory: after a wave of protest, Board of Trade President Hugh Dalton agreed to permit 325,000 prams to be manufactured this year.

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