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page 4.
cease to function. The eight war-time nurseries
together with four admitting children 2/5 years at the L.C.C.
Rest Centres, provided accommodation for 597 children a day.
At the time of writing this report, however, the waiting list
for our nurseries is over 300. There has been considerable
argument as to the need and the value of nurseries for children
under 2 or 3 years of age. I would like to deal with only one
of the many arguments which has been put forth against such
provision, namely that the best place for a child of tender
years ia at home with its mother. This may be so, provided
that the mother has reasonable knowledge of the care of
children, sufficient money to provide for their welfare and
above all accommodation in which they can grow up to be healthy
citizens. This argument is not tenable for one moment where
life is lived by a large family in two or even three tenement
rooms. Whatever may be the pros and cons elsewhere, I have
no hesitation in stating that nurseries are essential in St.
Pancras now and until such time as we have dealt with our
housing problem. Whether children are healthier at home
with their parents than in a nursery, or not, is an argument
that may be of Importance elsewhere, but in St. Pancras it is
reasonable to expect that the health of a child whose mother
has to work and who lives in unsatisfactory housing conditions
will improve as a result of admission to a well run, well
staffed, nursery.
During the course of the year I have also had to
consider the plight of elderly persons unable to care for
themselves. StT Pancras contains a large number of these
persons living alone with but few, if any relatives or friends
to care for them or help them. It is possible to apply to a
magistrate for an order for their admission for three months
to an Institution. Unfortunately, if the order is not obeyed,
there is no power to enforce it except that anyone obstructing
the execution of the order is liable to a fine, a remedy which
is useless in the case of aged persons who have no means of
paying the fine and for whom imprisonment in default thereof,
is unthinkable. In future considerations of housing in the
borough attention should be paid to the proper care and
attention of these aged and infirm persons who although no
longer able to look after themselves, need care and attention
of a kind somewhat different from that provided in an Institution,
a care and attention which must be given without infringement
of liberty or their capacity to go out by themselves and to
visit those friends they still have.
The statistics I have placed before you in this report
show comparisons from 1939 onwards. Although our population
has diminished considerably there has been such an increase in.
the birth rate that the number of births during 1944 was only
273 less than in 1939 when the population was over 60,000 more.