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the cases of midwives and students of hospitals, the reasons generally given were
that the students or midwives, had only been recently appointed, and were not
aware of the Act, or that the notification had accidently been omitted.
In all cases where the births had not been notified, Miss Orange informed
the mothers that it was the duty of the father, and of any person in attendance on
the mother at the time of, or within six hours after the birth, to notify the same.
The mothers always replied that their husbands were ignorant of the Act.
(3) Modified Milk for Infants.
In my Annual Report for 1906 I gave a detailed report respecting this
matter and the arrangements made with the Express Dairy Company, who have
various depots in and near the Borough to supply modified milk for infants of the
working classes at the reduced rate of 4d. per day on production of a certificate
from me. During the year 52 new certificates were issued, of which 1 was not
used. Including 18 children who were taking the milk at the beginning of the
year 1911, the milk was used by 69 children during the year, in comparison with
59 during the previous year. In the majority of cases the infants thrived well on
the milk, in 3 cases however the milk was not suitable. In a number of cases the
use of the milk was after various periods and for various reasons discontinued;
in 9 cases on account of the mothers leaving the Borough.
There were 5 deaths of infants who had been taking prepared milk during
the year. One died from broncho-pneumonia, aged 8 months. This child had
taken the milk from two months old and made good progress until it had measles
followed by pneumonia.
One was much wasted when it began the milk at three months old, but died
at six months from gangrene of the back and toxtemia.
3 died from diarrhoea, 2 of them being twins. In each of the cases of the
twins, 1 was brought up on the breast and the other twin on prepared milk, and
in both cases although the parents were very poor and the homes were in a very
dirty and neglected state, the twins that were fed on the breast survived. In
both cases the other twins improved very much on the prepared milk. The twin
of one mother died at six months old after having left off prepared milk for about
a month before that. The twin of the other mother had reached the age of 11
m nths when it also died from diarrhoea and neglect.
The Mayor, Councillor Walter Hazell, J.P., has for a number of years very
kindly assisted poor parents who cannot afford to pay the whole amount. Of the
69 children who were taking prepared milk during the year, the parents of as
many as 53 children were so assisted. In the great majority of cases, viz., 42,
half the amount, 2d. per day was paid by the Mayor; in 1 case 3d., and in 10
cases Id. per day was paid.
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