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187
(11) PROVISION OF MEALS, MILK AND COD
LIVER OIL AND MALT, ETC.
(a)' Meals.—Free meals are provided daily in necessitous
cases. During the year 1938, 115,171 free meals
were provided, and the following table shows the
numbers of free meals which have been provided during
the past five years:—
1934 113,I73
1935 112,125
1936 100,859
1937 102,077
1938 115,171
The Table on pages 183 to 186 summarises the
arrangements which exist where mid-day meals are
taken at schools.
Where nutrition plays a part in the health of the
school child, your medical officers carry out special
examinations and your school nurses carry out home
enquiries when the weight of the child drops appreciably
from one examination to another. In these cases
re-examination at each school medical inspection
automatically controls the supervision of each case.
It is in such circumstances that every endeavour is
made to ensure milk in school and when occasion arises
attendance at your feeding centres. Medical inspection
is carried regularly into these centres, where the daily
menus are inspected.
(b) Milk.—In addition to free meals as such, free
milk is given in certain cases and in this way 103,626
bottles of milk were distributed during 1938.
It would appear that the figure this year for free milk
has doubled itself, and this does perhaps require some
explanation.