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37
Attendances of Children.
It was somewhat unfortunate that the nurseries were opened
at a time when measles, scarlet fever, whooping cough and chicken
pox were epidemic. In spite of the fact that the prime function of
these nurseries is to release married women for industry, there are
certain fundamental public health precautionary measures (e.g.,
exclusion of children with infectious or suspiciously infectious
illness; quarantine, etc.) which must be enforced in the public
interest even although their enforcement may keep the mothers at
home for a time.
Infectious disease and its prevention in a day nursery is a
serious problem requiring constant vigilant attention if the nursery
is to be kept from degenerating into a hotbed of infection.

Observation by Dr. Menzies.
The figures show that, of children (152) already removed from
the Nurseries by mothers, roughly one-third attended for less than
one week, and about two-thirds for less than two months.
This shows that, to arrange for the care of children in wartime
nurseries simply because the mother has expressed a desire
to go to work, without taking into consideration (a) whether the
child is likely to benefit from being in a nursery; and (b) whether
the mother is suitable to go to work; represents a waste of labour
from every point of view. The mother who is in need of money,
and these form the majority of women who are trying to work fulltime,
cannot be expected to make a wise decision for herself, for
her children or for industry. She considers the immediate cash
benefit, without realising what full-time work involves for herself