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Now, as one who has engaged in private practice until
recently, and it is the private practitioner who is so intimate
with the home-life of the people, I have found that the better
class mothers of the working population put their children
to bed at the same time by the clock during the summer
time and darken the room, thus making every effort to get
the child to acquire the habit of going to sleep an hour
earlier, and generally, after a very short period, this is
successful. Also, these mothers allow their children to lie
longer in the morning, if possible; but on the whole, there
is probably a slight loss of sleep in these better-cared-for
children.
Now, in the poorer districts the children go to bed when
their parents do, and also get up at the same time in the
morning. With the earlier closing of public-houses, most
of these go to bed earlier now than formerly, and owing to
the shortened hours of labour a later start is made in the
morning; so I consider the number of hours of sleep obtained
by the children of the poorer class has in no way been curtailed
by the Summer Time Act. Also, it is the children of
this latter class who play during the daylight until late in
the streets and parks, and it appears possible that their
health has actually benefited by the extra hours out of
doors instead of inside, poor, overcrowded homes, where
they would not retire to bed until the same time as their
parents. On the whole there appears to be no evidence that
the Act has had any injurious effect on the children attending
public elementary schools in this Borough, and the suggestion
made by some teachers that a late start should be
made at the schools in the morning would avail nothing, as
it would not affect home conditions, and the matter is one
entirely of parental care.
The only legislation I should like to see would be that
children of school age be prohibited from attending indoor
places of amusement, such as theatres, picture houses, etc.,
after a certain hour in the evening; but I would not suggest
the closing of parks and recreation grounds for the reasons
stated above.
CO-ORDINATION.
Infant and Child Welfare.
The Medical Record Cards of those children who have
attended the Maternity and Child Welfare Centres are now
transferred to the School Medical Service when these children
attain the age of five.