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33
would be responsible to the local authorities. The local authorities
would still require the present short stay accommodation of
the Voluntary Associations, especially in the pre-natal period,
and in view of their long experience of this type of work it would
appear to be an advantage to arrange with them to administer
the hostel and admit the cases from the contributory hostel
authorities. This method would have the additional advantage
that the appointment of the special social worker would not be
necessary. The local Welfare Authorities might exercise some
control on the administration by having a representative on the
Committee.
The Voluntary Associations appear to have very little capital
and the cost of establishing a hostel would fall almost entirely on
the local authorities, with grants on an agreed basis to be made
to the association and the financial position to be reviewed at
the end of twelve months' working.
Small grants of £25 to £50 by individual local authorities
appear to be of little practical value in obtaining further hostel
accommodation, and until this need is met, the Voluntary
Associations would be able to achieve little more than they are
already doing.
The Committee resolved that the report be circulated to the
autonomous Maternity and Child Welfare Authorities for their
observations.
Unfortunately the flying bomb attacks prevented the meeting
of the conference taking place before the end of 1944.
On February 2, 1945, a conference of the interested local
authorities took place at Mitcham. Owing to the difficulty of
obtaining suitable accommodation it was agreed by the conference
that the Merton and Wimbledon Moral Welfare Association
should be approached to ascertain whether the association
would be prepared to re-establish their Home in Gap Road,
Wimbledon, if the financial backing of the interested local
authorities was obtained. The Home at Gap Road had been
badly damaged by enemy action, but was capable of repair at a
reasonable cost. Representatives of the conference held various