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70
On the '26th February of this year the Prime Minister received a deputation
of Medical Officers and others who presented the resolutions referred to above,
passed at the Conference on Infantile Mortality. It may be interesting to quote
the observations thereon made by the President of the Local Government Board
on this occasion:—
"The President remarked on the fact that since the Conference had commenced
"its labours two years ago there had been, in 1908, 15,000 more children's lives
"saved to the State. That was a very cheering fact. At the Local Government
"Board he had set up a special department to inquire into the quality of foods,
"and the £2,000,000 worth of imports was claiming their attention at the moment.
"He had referred to the question of the quality and character of baby foods to two
"doctors at the Local Government Board. The deputation asked that all baby foods
"should be certified by a Government analyst, but the great difficulty in this
"connection was that food might be given to a child from one to five years of age
"which, if given to an infant between birth and five and six months of age, would
"mean death. It was a difficult subject, but he trusted a way out would be found.
"They were getting more help than they had hoped from the Notification of
"Tuberculosis Act, which came into operation this year. As they found infant
"mortality in the smallest houses where there was the largest number of children in
"one room, they trusted that two or three years' operation of the new Housing Bill,
"which must become law this year, would make some considerable alteration.
"Then, if the Milk Bill passed, as he hoped it would, the children of this country
"would certainly have something to thank the Government for."—("Daily
Telegraph," 26th February, 1909.)