________________
1914).
JAINA GAZETTE.
337
It is a matter of deep regret that no atiention is paid by the leaders of our community to remedy such tremendous excess in the number of infantile deatus. In this connection tliere is much possibility of the figures of Infant Bortality being not altogether reliable owing to the error of uncertainty of calculations as there are dificulties, (a) in the way of registration of birthis occurring in the city consequent on parental ignorance or neglect, varying with tlie class of people inhabiting the different sections, (b) owing to the prevailing custom of sending prospective mothers home to their native districts for confinement, resulting in an excess of infants in the city orer the births actually occurred and registered in it, and (c) on account of the inilation of infantile deail-rate due to out-born infants dying in the city. Apart from this there remains much to be done to curtail such an excessive number of deatlıs in the early stages of infant life.
3. I regret to state that the separate figures of our own coinmunity prior to 1911 are not available as Jains were included among Hindus; but hope that the present statistics will serve the useful purpose of arousing the leaders of the Jain community to do their duty. I hope that the time will come when each and every individual of our community will learn to understand the importance and advantage of living in Sanitary buildings, and the necessity of having our owu Hospitals and Sanitoriumis.
4. Lastly, I beg to draw the kind attention of our Benevolent Babu Saheb, who has got sereral chawls near Grant Rvad, who had also advertised to give preference to Jain residents to make enquiries as to what are their dificulties ind how they can be met with, by al pointing a Committee of Jains, to see why the Jains themselves are not taking advant:ge of the opportunity made available for them.
NAROTADI B. SHAH, Hony. Asstt. Secretary to 3/uni Shri
Mohanlılji Jain Central Library, Bumlay. Bombay, 13th December, 1914. Shree Sudharmaswami Gyanbhandar-Umara, Surat
www.umaragyanbhandar.com
