MILK FOR PUPILS

Dominion, Volume 27, Issue 188, 8 May 1934, Page 7

MILK FOR PUPILS

Smith Family Scheme Imperilled £l2O A MONTH WANTED How Dairy Farmers May Benefit “If under-nourished children at the primary schools are to receive the milk ration as they did last winter we will have to have more money,” said the secretary of the Smith Family organisation to a “Dominion” reporter yesterday. “The position is, to be quite frank, that we have about £6O in hand at present for this purpose, and it costs £l2O a month to keep the ration going.” Then you only have enough in hand for half a month? “That is so—we have not started yet," said the secretary. “The,schools are now on holiday, and we will commence with the mijk ration as soon as they reopen on May 21.” Then you cannot supply milk through June? “Not unless we get more money!’’ Shilling a Month. r “It costs one shilling per mouth to provide a child with half a pint of milk per day on live days of the week,” he said. “Not only is It meat and drink to the under-nourished child, but there is another aspect to this milk question which should be noted and acted upon. “If every man, woman, and child In this country could bo induced to drink one pint of milk per day over and above the present consumption, it would not only mean a healthier and more virile people, but it would mean 4J millions sterling per annum in the pockets of the sadly-harassed dairy fanner.” Enlarging on this idea, the official said that New Zealand was ripe for a “drink .more milk” campaign. All through last summer there bad been a craze for iced milk in Melbourne, and what they called “milk bars” were far more numerous in the Victorian capital than any other variety of bar. Sydney was. now taking it up, and the cool • milk-shake was now considered to be the healthiest and most .satisfying thirst-quencher on the market. “This could be done,” he continued, "with more hope of permanent success now than at any other time, for if the New Zealand dairy-farmer is only getting 7Jd. per lb. for bls butter at Home, his milk cannot be yielding him more than 3d. per gallon. So that be would be very pleased to get 9d. a gallon for his milk in the city, and that would enable everyone to buy a fair-sized glass of milk for one penny, and still leave enough to ensure a small profit to the vendor. We know from our own experience that under the rationing scheme we are creating an appetite for milk. There were instances at first where children were timid' about driniking milk simply because it was strange to them. ■ They had never received it in the home, and therefore had to be induced and persuaded to taste, and drink it. Such is our boosted civilisation! However, the children did not take long to acquire the taste, and before the end of last winter every one" of them was eager for the daily drink.” * Report on Scheme. !. At this critical juncture in the history of the scheme, something about the Smith Family’s “Milk for School Children” effort is not.out of place. A report was prepared quite recently for the Minister of Health (Hon. J. A. Young). This went back to the meeting held on March 27 last year, when the Family set out to investigate the possibilities of a free milk ration for under-nourished school children. Following a meeting with Dr. Ada Paterson, and the members of the Headmasters’ Association, it was decided to go ahead with the scheme, the milk to be supplied by the Milk Suppliers’ Association to the municipal milk depot at a nominal rate. One hundred pounds was received from the Mayor’s Fund. £250 from an art union, and other money was raised by public appeals, which enabled the Family to carry on through the winter. Dr. Helen Bakewell, reporting on one school, had said that of the children who received milk. SO per cent, had gained in weight. 14 per cent, had remained stationary. and 6 per cent, had lost weight. Of the normally-nourished children, to whom no milk was given. 20 per cent, only gained in weight. 70 per cent, remained stationary, and 10 per cent, lost weight. Marked Improvement. One headmaster of a Wellington school stated in his report:—“l desire to say that a marked improvement in general appearance, interest in school work, and activity in the playground, have been evidenced since the introduction of the Sinith Family’s milk ration.”