MILK IN ENGLAND

Evening Post, Volume CXXI, Issue 78, 1 April 1936, Page 3

MILK IN ENGLAND

SCHOOLGIRLS REFUSE IT

Appeals for a national food policy were the keynote of a lively-debate jDn the renewal of the British milk 'subsidy recently, says the "Daily Telegraph." ■ . : ■ " Members of all parties in the House of Commons, taking milk as their text, asked for the development of measures, to increase food consumption and improve nutrition.. ■ In his reply the. Minister, for Agriculture (Mr. Elliot) suggested that no ad hoc method for this purpose would be practicable. They must look to reform;of the general price structure leading to .a lowering of levels. As an example of success in making "products available to all," he pointed to the cheapness of butter, by which British consumption had been raised from 15 to 25 pounds per head . per annum. - The milk subsidy, .which, by a majority ,of 213 to 140, was extended for a further period of eighteen months, includes provision for the supply of cheap milk to school children.' The Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture* (Mr. 'Ramsbotham) told the House that' the scheme was still experimental;^and had.in.it the germs of far-reaching development. Before it was introduced 900,000 children were taking milk at school. Now there were 2,750,000. - Claiming that this was most successful work, he remained unsatisfied, because .2,800,000 still drank no school milk. ■ - He proceeded to show remarkabla differences' of consumption in different areas, tending to the general conclusion that country children receive the smallest quantity. In country areas, Mr. Eamsbotham remarked dryly, milk was often most difficult to out that the elder children seemed to give up milk, Mr. Ramsbotham quoted the explanation that "the older girls think it interferes with slimming." . ' /"NONSENSE." .;:/,,- Miss Wilkinson, in a vehement interjection, denounced this as "sheer unadulterated nonsense." ..Later on she argued the point, and Mr. Ramsbotham assured her that he took his quotation from Ahe opinions of headmistresses in L.C.C. schools, but sh« remained indignantly incredulous. The Socialist spokesman was Mr. T. Johnston, and'he argued with much ability for schemes to bring about a further increase in milk consumption. One-tenth of the population, according to admitted' statistics, were: undernourished^ It was'impossible to deal with food- surpluses by limitation or subsidy. If we raised the standard of milk consumption among the poor to that of good working class homes we should not merely abolish the surplus, we should need 800,000 more cows. ' ■ Mr. Johnston summed up his case by asking for an extension of the school scheme to children under school age and to those in need in the depressed ar°as; A great national policy ot nutrition xvould ■ stabilise agriculture. The impression made by this speech was shown by the Minister-of Health (Si- Kingsley Wood) crossing the House at its conclusion for a conversation with Mr. Johnstott of f som« Sir F. Acland told.the House of investigations in South Wales and Northumberland, which showed that one pint of milk a day, on the average, was divided among twenty-five worKmaintained that the subsidy was justified by the necessity of providing a market for the surplus of milk over liquid ; consumption, wnica was indispensable to'the maintenance of regular supply winter and summer With the appeal that the hospitals should be enabled-to get milk _at a reduced price, he had the "utmost sympathy," but could make no general concession. ; ■" •■■ .' ~" Consideration of. this and all other changes was deferred till the introduction of the long-term policy which he hoped tor introduce nextsession.