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69
VII. That in view of the unsatisfactory conditions under which milk
is produced and distributed, the Conference being of opinion that
immediate amendment of the law is desirable, urges upon Parliament the
necessity of at once taking such steps as are necessary to effect this.
VIII. That the Conference re-affirm the resolution of the former
Conference, that the Midwives Act, 1902, be extended to Scotland and
Ireland.
IX. That the Conference continue as a Committee to give effect to the
foregoing Resolutions, with power to remit to an Executive Committee
to carry out the same.
With regard to Resolutions Nos. I., III., IV., VI. and VII.—
I. The Corporation has adopted the Notification of Births Act, see
p. 91.
III. The suggested extension of the provisions of the Infant Life
Protection Clauses was adopted in the Children Act, see p. 89.
IV. This suggested provision was embodied in the Licensing Bill of
last year.
VI. There can be no question that the unrestricted sale of soothing
syrups and similar preparations is a fruitful source of danger to infant
life. Proprietary food preparations for infants are in many cases quite
unfitted for infant use. It should be made an offence to sell either
medicines or food for infants that are not labelled with a notice declaring
the nature and constituents of such articles.
The view of the Right Hon. Lord Robert Cecil on this point may be quoted
here with advantage, as it shows very clearly the need for an alteration of the
law.
"It is forbidden to sell articles which are adulterated so as to be unfit for the use
"for which they are sold. That applies to ordinary articles of food, it applies to
"fertilisers and feeding stuffs; but there is one department to which, oddly enough,
"it does not apply, and that is the sale of food for infants. That is really a matter
"of enormous importance. I am told, and I believe on perfectly good authority,
"that there are a mass of these infants foods which are little better than concentrated
poison for the unhappy children who consume them. I do hope that if we
"are prepared, as we are in the House of Commons, to protect the cattle, and even
"to protect the fields which grow the food for the cattle, we might, at any rate, go
"as far as to say that infant food which is poisonous to infant life should not be
"sold in the markets of this country." (22nd November, 1907.)
VII. With regard to the unsatisfactory conditions under which milk
is produced and distributed, the Government is pledged to legislate for
an improved milk supply at an early date.