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"At their discretion, to establish creches for the reception of young children during the
hours their mothers are employed in work away from home, and to make reasonable charges
for the accommodation, etc., provided, and the food of the children."
The Committee conclude that there would "be advantage in obtaining powers to enable
some local authority to provide and maintain creches," in which event "recommendation (44)
might advantageously be acted upon."
The subject of Creches is one which comes "under the purview of the Education and Public
Control Committees "of the County Council, as well as the Public Health Committee, who state
that the Education Committee reported (4th July, 1905) that they "offered no opinion as to the
desirableness of establishing creches, but that in the event of the Council deciding to establish them,
advantage might be taken of their existence by utilising them in connexion with the Council's
housewifery centres, and that they would be prepared to arrange for selected girls from these
centres to visit the creches—subject to the provision of proper facilities for demonstration to girls of
school-age as to the management of children." The subjoined recommendation, it may be
remembered, was made in a report, dated 7th July, 1905, by the Public Control Committee—
"That it be referred to the Parliamentary Committee to take the necessary steps for
promoting in the next session of Parliament, a Bill to enable the metropolitan borough
councils (1) to provide and maintain creches for the reception of young children, and to make
charges for the accommodation so provided and food for the children; and (2) to contribute
towards the maintenance of crèches established by voluntary effort."
The report was subsequently withdrawn, but the Public Health Committee "understand that
the Public Control Committee still have the matter under consideration." The Public Health
Committee acknowledge that there is "a demand for creche accommodation in London," and that
"if creches are not provided by representative bodies, a certain section of the population must
necessarily make shift for themselves, either by paying small sums to neighbours, or by resorting to
the creches provided by voluntary societies. Creches, "from a health point of view," are
characterised by the Public Health Committee as "undoubtedly, to some extent, an evil, in so far
as they may act to the discouragement of breast feeding, and by aggregating susceptible children to
spread infectious disease; but in the light of experience they must be looked upon as a necessary
evil; and under proper management the good they do may be made to outweigh the harm." The
conclusion arrived at is, that there would "be advantage in obtaining powers to enable some local
authority to provide and maintain creches"; and that "if creches are provided (the Committee's)
recommendation (44) might advantageously be acted upon," and the Public Health Committee
"understand that the Education Committee are prepared to co-operate in giving effect to the said
recommendation."
(11) Reports from Local Authorities.—The Committee recommend that such reports,
compiled "according to certain specified requirements," should be furnished to the central
authority, and thus "form a basis of comparison between different districts." The Local
Government Board already prescribe the form in which reports of medical officers of health are
to be made, and the Public Health Committee think that" if the Committee had had brought
to their notice the Memorandum of the Medical Officer of the Local Government Board
on Annual Reports, with its appended tables, they would have seen that the need of
system of reporting "according to specified requirements," was already fully appreciated by the
Board.
(17) Alcoholism.—The Committee emphasize the need of "bringing home to men and
women the fatal effects of alcohol on physical efficiency," and of training teachers to give
rational instructions in the laws of health, including the demonstration of the physical
evils caused by drinking. This recommendation has been referred by the County Council
to the Education and the Public Health Committees.
(21) Cooking Grates.—The Committee point out that "in tenement houses often only
one room in the whole house contains a grate of proper service for cooking, with the result
that a large number of tenements do not contain the requisite apparatus for the preparation
of food" —an undoubted fact, and a great evil, I would observe. The Public Health Committee
state that they "propose to deal with this point when submitting their recommendations
as to public health legislation to be sought in the session of 1907."
(22) Adulteration.—The Committee say "it would be highly expedient that the Local
Government Board should be authorised to fix a standard of purity for all foods and drinks,
in the same manner as standards for milk and butter have been fixed by the Board of
Agriculture."
(28) Milk Supply.—The Committee consider that the existing law as to the control of milk
supplies should be more completely enforced. The Public Health Committee explain the action
of the County Council with reference to the matter, and affirm the need of issuing a new Dairies
Order, in place of the Orders of 1885 and 1886, which "has long been apparent." They