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96
PROVISION OF MEALS.
The teachers have continued to encourage the parents and
children to support the scheme of the National Milk Publicity
Council by which, at a cost of a penny a day to the parents, the
children can have one-third of a pint of milk daily. The arrangements
are simplicity itself. On the parents expressing their
willingness to pay for the milk the head-teacher sees that the milk
is supplied. The dairyman to whom the order is given by the
head-teacher delivers the requisite number of bottles of milk
(capacity one-third of a pint) in readiness for the mid-morning
interval. At the interval the bottles are distributed along with
straws through which the children partake of the milk slowly.
After use the bottles are collected by the dairyman and
the only labour entailed by the teacher is the collection of fivepence
a week from each child participating in the scheme. On all sides
there is appreciation of the benefit of the daily supply of milk to
the children and the benefit is not only in health but indirectly
in education.
When the scheme was begun in 1929 the total number of
children receiving milk in this way each day was 2,949. In March,
1931, the number was reduced to 2,245, possibly because the
novelty had somewhat worn off, but more recently the total
supplied each day has increased to 2,605.
The Education Committee in 1930 adopted this method for
supplying milk free of charge to necessitous children under Sections
82—85 of the Education Act, 1921, and at the end of the year
409 children were being so supplied.
The following tabular statement indicates the number of
children being supplied with milk free of charge and the cost:—