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10
I am informed by the Education Officer that the
average number of necessitous school children provided
with meals of some kind (i.e., dinners, milk or cod
liver oil) during the year was 740. Of this number
586 consisted of milk, 122 of cod liver oil and 70
of dinners. This assistance is only granted while the
schools are open.
Economic enquiries made in connection with
applications for various Maternity and Child Welfare
services indicate that a very large portion of the population
is living at an extremely low level.
PUBLIC HEALTH EXPENDITURE.
During the financial year 1931-32, the cost of the
Public Health service was £27,698, or 5s. 8d. per head
of the population, equivalent to a rate of 1s. 1½d. in
the £. These figures differ from those in previous years
owing to the fact that there is now no specific Government
Grant for Public Health work, which in 1929-30
amounted to £6,262. The present block grant is not
earmarked to any particular service.
THE HEALTH SERVICES IN THE BOROUGH.
The Borough Council is recognised by statute as
the local health authority, but many important health
services are still outside its jurisdiction and indeed
health functions are exercised by an extraordinary
diversity of agencies. The number of these agencies
has been somewhat reduced by recent legislation, but
there seems much need for further simplification. Apart
from the London County Council and the Borough
Council, whose functions overlap at some points, health
functions are also exercised by the London Insurance
Committee and by general medical practitioners, midwives,
nurses, voluntary hospitals and a host of
charitable societies. The Medical Officer of Health is