MORE MILK

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 9, 11 July 1934, Page 15

MORE MILK

CHILDREN'S HEALTH

FARMERS' UNION DISCUSSION

Solid approval was given at yesterday afternoon's session of the executive of the New Zealand Farmers' Union to a North Taranaki remit urging support to "an endeavour to institute some scheme whereby more milk can be introduced into public schools for the benefit of children at the lowest possible cost." . The proposal was not the result of Mr. Bernard Shaw's visit, said Mr. H. E. Blyde (Taranaki), the mover of the remit. There was no gainsaying that a tremendous amount of milk could be consumed with advantage to the community, both from, the point of view of the children and the amount of butterfat. In his view a suitable system could be organised without very much trouble-. The remit was seconded by Mr. W. J.. Poison, M.P., the president. He said lie was perfectly sure that if some plau could be arranged whereby more or less under-nourished children could be.provided with milk it wouia be an excellent thing for public health and it would help to use up the surplus milk. Ho believed there was a great deal in the proposal put forward by Mr. Bernard Shaw to provide free milk for schoolchildren and for those children of more or less poor people who could not afford reasonable supplies of decent milk for their children. After all it was a matter of degree. We had already swallowed a camel in regard to a number of things in this country. Why strain at a 'gnat in regard to free milk? 1 "I think theie is a ceitain need for | education in this paiticular thing," said Mi. 0 Mclntosh (Eangiora). He said he had noticed some statistics lecently which showed that New Zealand from a milk consuming point of view per head was about the lowest in the world. Ho had also noticed^ that a boiough school committee had Rejected the pro- ! posal on tho giound that some children might get milk that was- not pure. (Laughtei ) Mi. W. B Mathosou (Wellington) supported the ptoposal. Ho suggested that, li theie was something o^er from the unemployment taxation, Id of the Is in the pound tax could be devoted to the scheme It the unemployment funds wore not sufficient to meet the position, in his view Id' could bo added to tho Is tax. ' f

Mr. W. Horrobin (Ohariu) said he thought the main necessity was distribution In the main centres.. People were more or . less being debarred. by the high retail cost of milk.'

' Mr. Poison said he did riot think milk-consumption in New Zealand was the lowest in the world by any means, but it was much, lower than in some of the competing countries.