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134
It might also be possible to recover the cost of the meals from
some of the parents. On this point, of course, only the members
of the Canteen Committee are justified to speak.
I do not know, and therefore I have no right to criticise, the
methods at present in vogue for the selection of children to be fed;
but it is possible that a stricter supervision of the lists might reveal
some cases who for various reasons might be taken off the lists.
In these, and possibly other ways which do not occur to me,
it seems it would be possible to feed both classes of children and
still keep within the limit of the halfpenny rate. I do not desire,
nor is it the intention of the Board of Education, to administer
the Provision of Meals Act on an exclusively medical basis.
Paragraphs 2 and 3.—The duty of advising as to the propriety
of keeping any child on the feeding list, and as to the feeding
of any child temporarily excluded from school on medical grounds,
could be carried out in co-operation with the Chief School Attendance
Officer by the latter bringing such children before me, with all
particulars of their cases, at the Town Hall.
Paragraphs 4, 5, 6 and 7 do not appear to me to require any
detailed comment.
Paragraph 8.—To enable me to form and to record a judgment
upon the effects of the proceedings taken under the Act it will be
necessary to weigh the children periodically.
In order to do this it will be necessary to provide weighing
machines, either at each school or at each feeding centre. At
present we have only two weighing machines; these are in constant
use, and could not be made available for the purpose.