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15
Municipal Creches.
At the meeting of the County Council held on 25th July, the
scheme for establishing municipal créches was withdrawn.
Milk Depôts (London) Bill.
The Committee had under consideration the Milk Depots
(London) Bill, which provides that Metropolitan Borough Councils
may establish and maintain Milk Depots.
In December, 1903, the Council referred it to the Committee to
consider the desirability of making the necessary arrangements for
establishing a municipal milk supply for the Borough, on lines
similar to those at present in operation at Battersea and St. Helen's,
and the Committee submitted a full report on the subject, and
informed the Couucil that in the present state of the law the
Council had no power to establish a sterilized humanized Milk
Depôt.
The Committee were of opinion the powers sought to be conferred
by the Bill are desirable with a view to the reduction of infantile
mortality, and recommended the Council that the Milk Depots
(London) Bill be approved, and the members representing the
Borough in Parliament urged to support the meaauie.
The object of this Bill, presented by Mr. T. Lough, and supported
by Sir Charles Dilke among others, is to legalise action already
taken by some of the Metropolitan Borough Councils, and to
authorise the others to take similar action, in establishing depots
for the sale of pure and sterilized milk for the use of infants. In
the memorandum prefixed to the Bill it is stated that the expenditure
involved is very small; but that ''in the absence of legal
power to carry on their depots the expenditure is surcharged by
the Local Government Board auditor. The Board has, however,