View report page

15
INFANT WELFARE WORK.
MILK AND FOOD FOR MOTHERS AND CHILDREN.—For some years
past is has been the practice of the City Corporation to make an annual grant to
provide milk for necessitous nursing mothers and dried milk for necessitous mothers
who are unable to nurse their own children. This grant was not made as a direct
result of any public legislation, but was purely an ex gratia grant made by the
Corporation as a part of its policy of infant welfare supervision. This grant was
fixed at a total sum of £150 per annum.
When the Milk (Mothers and Children) Order came into operation in 1919 and
gave official authorisation to expenditure on these lines, the Corporation granted an
independent sum of £50 per annum in accordance with the powers given by the
Order. Later, as a result of experience gained it did not seem desirable that these
grants should be made independently of each other. The expenditure under both
headings was incurred in direct connection with Infant Welfare work, and was
moreover authorised by the Order to which I have already referred.
After consideration the Corporation decided that the two grants be merged,
and increased to £300 per annum, and that the charge in respect thereof be met
out of the grant made under the Milk (Mothers and Children) Order.
In the early part of April the Ministry of Health issued a Circular to Local
Authorities on the question of the supply of milk for expectant and nursing mothers,
and for infants. This Circular among other things drew attention to the heavy
expenditure incurred in the administration of this service, and stated that it had
been considered essential for the Ministry of Health to impose restrictions, and
insist on the observance of certain conditions in order that the grant in aid of the
expenditure incurred might be received by the responsible Local Authorities.
It was suggested that the benefits intended could be produced by an expenditure
considerably less than that which was being incurred.
In connection with the repayment of the grant from the Ministry it was pointed
out that schemes would have to be framed somewhat on the following lines :—
(1) SUPPLY OF MILK AT LESS THAN COST PRICE.—Such supplies may
only be made in necessitous cases to :—
(a) Nursing Mothers, and then only if they are actually suckling their
children.
(b) Expectant Mothers in the last three months of pregnancy, and
(c) Children up to three years of age and exceptionally to children
between three and five years of age.
(2) THE AMOUNT OF MILK SO SUPPLIED.—The amount of milk supplied
at less than cost price must not exceed one pint per day per person, except that
one pint and a half per day may be given to infants between three and eighteen
months, provided a special medical certificate is submitted to justify the supply.
Dried milk may be substituted for fresh milk, and the amount of such milk
should be such as would approximate to the quantity of fresh milk which would
have been given.
(3a) CONTROL OF FREE SUPPLIES.—The control should be by a special
Committee which may be a Sub-Committee of the Maternity and Child Welfare
Committee—in the City Corporation this is a Sub-Committee of the Sanitary
Committee, on which two ladies have been appointed. This Committee should
lay down a definite procedure for dealing with applications for milk and review all
applications for supply. It is suggested that each application should be considered
by at least one member of the Committee, preferably the Chairman, the Medical
Officer of Health, and a responsible financial officer before a supply is authorised.
The Committee should also meet at frequent intervals to review the cases authorised.
(b) In order to determine whether applicants are genuinely necessitous it
was suggested that a scale of income should be adopted suitable to the locality.
This of course would result in a hard and fast line being drawn, which perhaps
c 2