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we are constantly in receipt of information which would
be most difficult for the Central Authority to obtain.
(b) That any person retaining or receiving for hire
or reward for a period of more than 48 hours one or
more infants under the age of five should be controlled
by the Act.
In regard to children who are only temporarily placed
out, sometimes for one or more days a week, during their
mothers' absence at work, there is, in my opinion, an urgent
necessity for the establishment in the poorer parts of the
Borough of a creche. The establishment of such institutions
would prove a considerable boon to many of the poorer mothers,
and undoubtedly of great benefit to the infants, who would
receive care and attention amid cleanly and healthy
surroundings.
Period for Registration of Births.—Considerable advantage
would accrue if the existing period of 42 days within
which the registration of a birth is permissible were reduced
to 14 days.
Storage of Food in the Home.—It seems extraordinary
that poorer homes are, almost without exception, without any
accommodation for the proper storage of food. One sees the
infant's milk stored in all kinds of vessels, placed frequently
upon the mantelpiece in the kitchen or the copper in the scullery,
inviting contamination from every point. The marvel is that
so many children escape infantile diarrhœa during the summer
months considering the way in which their food is contaminated
for want of proper storage.
Homes Visited where Infant Deaths occurred.—Of the
338 homes in which deaths of infants were recorded, sanitary