View report page

34
SUPPLY OF EXTRA NOURISHMENT TO MOTHERS AND CHILDREN.
The distribution of extra nourishment to mothers and children is part of the Council's
Maternity and Child Welfare Scheme, but at the suggestion of the Ministry of Health the record
of the work done is given under the "Food Supply" section of this report and will be found on
page 42.

These grants have been sanctioned by the Minister of Health, with the result that 50 per cent.
will be refunded to the Council by the Government in all except the last mentioned, in respect of
which the Government's contribution is £50.
THE WORK OF THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO THE MATERNITY
AND CHILD WELFARE COMMITTEE.
This Committee was formally constituted by the Council in 1920, and is composed of two
representatives appointed by each of the seven Infant Welfare Centres with two appointed by the
Telford Road Baby Clinic.
Mrs. H. T. Carnegie, for the second year in succession, acted as Chairman. In November, on
re-election of the Committee by the Council, Lady Davison was appointed Chairman and Lady
Maurice Vice-Chairman for the ensuing year.
The primary object of the Advisory Committee was to secure the co-ordination of the work of
the various Welfare Centres and Baby Clinic and co-operation between these voluntary
organisations and the Borough Council.
There is no doubt that the formation of the Advisory Committee was the first sound step
towards real co-operative progress, and the existence of this body has been fully justified by the
successful manner in which difficult problems have been solved, and by the enthusiastic way in which
the various institutions work under its guidance.
During the year under review much valuable work has been accomplished. A scheme of record
keeping was worked out with much care, and, after being put into operation in Kensington, was
largely adopted by the Ministry of Health for use throughout England and Wales.
The high infantile death rate of the Borough, as shown in the statistics published in the Annual
Report for 1921, received very careful consideration, and a special sub-committee was appointed to
investigate the subject from the point of view of the Infant Welfare Centres.
As a result of their investigations and deliberations, a series of recommendations were
forwarded to the Council's Maternity and Child Welfare Committee; these dealt mainly with insanitary
houses and the collection of house refuse in the poorer quarters of the Borough.
In addition, a deputation waited on the Kensington Board of Guardians to call attention
to certain details of administration which, in the opinion of the Advisory Committee, would
influence mothers to seek earlier admission to the St. Mary Abbot's Hospital for their sick children,
so that they might receive in the early stages of illness that skilled medical and nursing attention
which would certainly reduce the number of infant deaths in the Borough.
Recommendations on many questions concerning child welfare have been forwarded to the
Maternity and Child Welfare Committee, and in addition a large amount of work dealing with the
routine administration of the Infant Welfare Centres was carried out during the year.
FOOD SUPPLY.
All premises in the Borough where food is sold or prepared for sale are regulated by Section 8
of the London County Council (General Powers) Act, 1908. Premises where milk is sold are
required to be kept in accordance with the Dairies, Cowsheds and Milkshops Order, 1885, and the
Regulations made thereunder by the Council. Unsound food is dealt with under Section 47 of
the Public Health (London) Act, 1891. Proceedings in cases of adulteration are instituted under
the Sale of Food and Drugs Acts.
Milk Supply.—The Dairies, Cowsheds and Milkshops Order, 1885, requires the Council to
keep a Register of persons from time to time carrying on the trade of dairymen or purveyors of
milk and provides that a person may not carry on the trade unless he is registered.
Under Section 5 of the London County Council (General Powers) Act, 1908, the Council are
authorised to remove from or refuse to enter upon the Register the name of any person selling or
proposing to sell milk on premises which are for any reason unsuitable for the purpose.