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105
West Road.—Mother widow. Respectable woman, goes
out cleaning, but lately three of her regular places
have engaged servants, consequently short of work,
and difficulty in finding food. Has not yet applied
for parish relief, but was advised to do so.
I merely quote these as typical specimens of the condition
of things found. It is nearly always the same story—
father ill or out of work, or mother a widow. Of course,
in some instances the parents are in the condition they are
through their own errors; others have been forced into the
condition through circumstances outside their own control,
but whatever the cause, it does seem to me desirable
that this authority should see that the children are not
treated with cruelty; and to compel a child to use its brain
when its stomach is in such an empty condition almost
amounts to that.
In the Girls' school an attempt is made to give some of
these children nourishment. Bread and butter, with milk
or cocoa is given before school in the morning. I don't
wish in any way to speak slightingly of this assistance, in
fact, just the reverse. I should, however, like to point out
that it is quite inadequate. These children want something
before school, but they absolutely require a nourishing midday
meal. Now how is that to be obtained? There arc two
ways—(1) by voluntary help, (2) by the adoption of the
Education (Provision of Meals) Act, 1907. I suggest the
former. The amount required would not be large, as, of
course, in my remarks above I have merely dealt with the
worst school in this district, from this point of view. The
proportion of these children in most of the schools is nonexistent.
To feed them twice a day would probably cost
about 2id. per head per day. So that, supposing there were