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138
The low acceptance rate of 25 per cent. does not suggest great enthusiasm
on the part of expectant mothers to avail themselves
of the facilities provided. The commonest reason for refusing the
offer was either that the school children in the family were not
entitled to school dinners, or that they refused to take school
dinners. One woman with eight children, whose husband was
earning an inadequate wage as a labourer in the building trade,
stated that her husband did not like the idea of his wife receiving
free meals. As she had three children under five years, it was
doubtful whether she would have been able to attend. Another
woman stated that her husband was too jealous to allow her
to have anything which he did not share. Even in the short
time in which the scheme has been in operation it has been noted
that a large family does not prevent a mother from attending—one
of the regular attenders had five children, two of whom were under
five years.
In preparing the menus an effort was made to supply a variety
of dishes, including articles of food which the average mother
attending the clinic either does not use at all, or uses in small
quantity. The most obvious examples are cheese and herring.
These foods are both cheap and nourishing and could be used
more in households where milk and meat are too costly. Cheese
has been introduced in a number of the menus in conjunction with
egg, fish (in sauce), potato or other vegetable. The only dish
which has been refused by the mothers was tripe and onions,
although one woman announced after two weeks that she would not
be coming any more because her husband did not consider the
food was what she ought to have—it was not nourishing enough.
In other words, she was disappointed not to be offered meat and
two vegetables every day. Later she decided to return and has
attended regularly.