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Instruction Classes for mothers conducted by the Health
Visitors, field weekly, are popular and a most useful means of
educating mothers in the principles of mothercraft.
Council's Free Milk Scheme.—In April the Maternity and
Child Welfare Committee had under consideration the Ministry
of Health Circular 1519, in which emphasis was laid upon the
nutritive value of milk and certain other foods.
The Circular stated, inter alia, that the Minister of Health was
aware that practically all Maternity and Child Welfare Authorities
had made arrangements for the supply of milk to expectant and
nursing mothers and children under school age, while many also
supplied other foods, or cod liver oil, at their Centres, and some
had made arrangements for serving meals at places set apart for
that purpose. The Minister was, however, anxious that each
Authority should review its arrangements for this purpose in
order to ensure that this important matter was adequately dealt
with throughout the country.
The Circular further stated that some Authorities had made
it a rule to supply milk to expectant mothers only during the
last two or three months of pregnancy, while others had limited
the supply in every case to one pint a day. It had also been
found that certain authorities supplied milk for children onlv up
to the age of 18 months or two years.
In Circular 1072, dated 12th February, 1930, the Minister
expressly sanctioned the extension of the supply of milk under
the Maternity and Child Welfare Act to such an extent, and in
such manner, as each Local Authority thought desirable, and
he urged that in the interests of health of the mothers and
children it was not desirable to adopt any such limitations as are
mentioned above. On the contrary, the Minister considered that
the arrangements made by each Authority should enable sufficient
milk or other food to be provided whenever this provision was
necessary for the maintenance of the health of the mother or
young child.
In this connection, up to April, 1937, the Council's scheme
for the supply of milk to necessitous cases was as follows :—
Milk may be issued free to :
(a) Nursing mothers.
(b) Expectant mothers in the last three months of pregnancy.
(c) Children up to three years of age, and to children between
the ages of three and five years for medical reasons.
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