SCHOOLS AND MILK

Evening Star, Issue 22084, 18 July 1935, Page 11

SCHOOLS AND MILK

THE NEED FDR WINTER RATION SOME COMMITTEES DILATORY Much has been said by health authorities about the nourishing effect of milk on children, and parents whose offspring participated last winter in the half-pint ration scheme during the morning school hours will no doubt testify to the truth of the experts’ opinions. Coming at 11 o’clock in the morning (the usual hour for the daily drink) the milk had a most beneficial influence on the health of the pupils, and it is a great pity that one or two of the schools which successfully experimented with the scheme last year have not seen fit to continue it again this winter. Any child, whether he or she is under-nourished or not, is always the better for plenty of milk. It is safe to say that no parent, if asked to keep up the small payment which in many cases was levied last year would hesitate to do so.

The responsibility for organising these school milk rations appears to lie with the school committees. The Otago Education Board notified all town committees, including two at Oamaru, that £75 had been set aside as a subsidy foi covering the expense of the milk issue for necessitous cases. The board asked for information as to whether the committees would adopt the scheme, and also for some estimate regarding the cost.

So far only nine school committees have had the energy and enterprise to commence the scheme this year, and it seems almost'too late for any others to start now. The schools which notified their intention to carry on are Forbury, Mornington, Wakari, Kaikorai, Arthur Street, Union Street, Oamaru South, and, to a modified extent, George Street and the intermediate school. It is understood that at Anderson’s Bay hot cocoa is available.

School committeemen should realise that the call to drink more milk is not an idle one, and that milk, being a universal food, should not be regarded as a special diet for necessitous cases. It is reasonable to assume that in the matter of expense parents of children who are not regarded as necessitous cases would be only too pleased to cooperate.

A novel way of convincing an employer that the wages he pays are inadequate has been adopted by the Saarbrucken police. The employer was arrested and charged with “ unsocial activity ” by underpaying his workers. While in prison he will be fed for approximately two marks (2s) a day, the wages he paid to his workers.

“ Yes, mummy, there was a boy caned at school to-day, and all the other boys, laughed; but I didn’t.” “ That’s a good boy. Never laugh at another’s misfortune.” “ I was the boy who was caned.”-