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on three occasions, but at neither meeting was there a sufficient
number of members present to warrant the transaction
of any business.
The matter then stood over until the commencement of
the new Municipal year (November) when a new Sub-Committee
of the General Purposes Committee was constituted,
and on November 25th they recommended the adoption of the
Act by the Council, and that arrangements should be made
with the " Wimbledon Mothers' and Babies' Welcome
Society " to carry out its objects.
Up to the end of the year the formal resolution to adopt
the Act had not been submitted to the Council.
[Whilst this Report was in the press the Council, at their meeting on
February 3rd, passed a resolution to adopt the Notification of Births Act.]
Medical Inspection of School Children.—By Section 13 of
the Education (Administrative Provisions) Act, 1907, "the
duty to provide for the medical inspection of children immediately
before or at the time of or as soon as possible after
their admission to a public elementary school, and on such
other occasions as the Board of Education direct, and the
power to make such arrangements as may be sanctioned by
the Board of Education for attending to the health and
physical condition of the children educated in public
elementary schools," devolves upon the Local Authority.
In Memorandum Circular No. 576 issued by the Board
of Education, it states, inter alia, that " in non-county
boroughs which are Local Authorities for elementary education,
their Medical Officers of Health should be instructed to
advise the Education Committee, and should make him responsible
for the new work or for the supervision of such medical
assistance as is needed to carry it out. Where appointments
of school medical officers already exist, the Board do not suggest
that they should be disturbed, provided always that the
officers are competent and sufficient for the new duties, and
that the arrangements for supervision by the Medical Officer
of Health are satisfactory."
The Sub-Committee of the Education Committee
appointed to consider and report upon the above-mentioned
Memorandum reported in July that after December, 1908,
Dr. Hayward's services would not be available as Medical
Officer of the Education Committee, and submitted a scheme
for carrying out the medical inspection. This scheme and
other proposals on the same subject were not accepted by the
Education Committee.
In July I was asked to draw up a scheme in conjunction
with Dr. Hayward, it being pointed out that it was necessary
that the inspections should be commenced at the earliest possible
date to ensure the grants not being imperilled.
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