Hungry Children Stealing Food

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31771, 30 August 1968, Page 1

Hungry Children Stealing Food

(New Zealand Press Association)

NAPIER, August 29.

Hungry and undernourished children in Napier were stealing food at school, the Mayor of Napier (Mr P. Tait) said today. Unemployment could be a cause of a sudden outbreak of lunch thefts in Napier schools, he said.

Mr Tait has asked for a survey of the situation and proposes calling a meeting of welfare and church organisations, and the Social Security Department, in a bid to solve the problem. A Napier service organisation is supplying a crate of milk daily to the Maraenui School, where the incidence of food theft is reported to be worst

“But from preliminary investigations made this morning, it appears the problem may not be confined to this area alone,” Mr Tait said. “Isolated cases have been reported in other parts of Napier.”

Mr Tait, who is also chairman of the Hawke’s Bay Metropolitan Milk Board, has taken up the cause after the board's meeting last night received reports of undernourishment of Napier children from its inspector, Mr W G. Lamason. Mr Lamason reported that children were being sent to school without lunch and without money to buy lunch. Lunches brought by other children to the school bad to be locked away because hungry children were stealing food, Mr Lamason reported. In a spot check at one Napier school, Mr Lamason reported 13 children from .nine families having been

sent to school without lunches.