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School for children who are recommended by the Medical Officers for a change
of air. We saw the children having their afternoon rest lying on trestles in a
wood.
"A swimming pool is also provided, and there are facilities for gymnastic
exercises in the open air, and we were impressed with the arrangements for
washing hands and feet in hot and cold water.
"The last two days of the tour were spent in the Westphalian Industrial
Area. We visited Essen and the Welfare Department of Krupps; also the
Housing Estate where each block has its own Kindergarten, swimming pool,
and facilities for gymnastics for adults and children.
"At Bottrop we were taken to the Sewage Works, which deals with all
sewage from this area. This is a coal mining district, and we were interested
to hear from the Medical Officer of Health that their unemployment problem
was as acute there as in England.
"We feel that this Tour has been of great educational value to all members
of the party, and we should like to express our gratitude to the Committee for
giving us this opportunity.
" We are, Ladies and Gentlemen,
" Your obedient Servants,
(Signed) " I. M. Heward.
" Mary Morrell."
SCHEMES IN PROGRESS AT THE END OF THE YEAR.
Day Nursery.
The Committee have been greatly impressed by the advantage derived by
children living under bad housing conditions from attendance at Day Nurseries,
and accordingly gave instructions for search to be made for a suitable site for a
Municipal Day Nursery. It is not easy to find accommodation of this kind in
Shoreditch, but eventually the Committee were successful and obtained two semidetached
houses, Nos. 77 and 79, in Queen's Road, the combined gardens of which
constitute a pleasant open space. At the end of the year plans were under
consideration for rebuilding these two houses and erecting shelters in the garden.
Laundry.
The amount of laundry work required by the Maternity and Child Welfare
Committee has been steadily increasing during recent years.
To deal with this it was decided to extend the small laundry in the basement of
the Welfare Centre by means of excavation. At the end of the year this work had
made considerable progress, and it is hoped that before many months have passed
the whole of the washing of the Health Department will be undertaken in these
extended premises.