CONSUMPTION OF MILK

Greymouth Evening Star, 17 April 1936, Page 14

CONSUMPTION OF MILK

DISCUSSION IN LORDS LONDON, March 21. In the House of Lords this week the Bishop of ‘Winchester introduced the subject of malnutrition and ill health. He asked the Government if, in view of widespread malnutrition and the existence of a large milk surplus, they would take steps to extend still further the provision already made to supply liquid milk to school children and to initiate a scheme on similar lines for expectant and nursing mothers and for children under five. The Earl of Radnor said that milk was not the only agricultural product

that could provide the necessary addition to the diet of the people of this country, and he asked the Government whether they were proposing to take auv steps to bring the needs of agriculture and the needs of the nation, so far as nutrition was concerned, more into line. The Government might consider inducing the Marketing Boaid to lay down a standard by which they could measure the price which the producer ought to get if he was reasonably efficient. There was also a need for’some Minister who could draw together all the divergent interests that were concerned in this matter of nutrition into one coherent whole. it was just as important to have a coherent policy for the health ot.he nation as for its defence, and the piecedent of the Defence Minister might well be followed in this big questioi of health, nutrition and a f‘ rlcul f tul 1 e pre Viscount Bledisloe said that if theie were two countries flowing even over-flowing—with milk they weie Great Britain and New Zealand, and yet of all civilised countries they consumed the smallest qtmnW milk per capita of population. Was U,o,e not a danger In considering he question of malnutrition to put too much emphasis on the insufficiency of essential foods and not enough on the impropriety or unsuitability ot the IS of a large section of the population?

malnutrition The average 'British. farniei knew more about how to feed his farm animals than the average British mother knew how to feed herself and her children. Let the question be tackled at one" in our schools so that children of all classes would know ot what their food consisted and what was. a well-balanced ration. He wondem whether among the so-called well educated classes there was a ' e >- widespread knowledge of food values and of how the children should be Much was heard about the expenditure of public money in this connection. Where did true economy really lie 9 What was the use of spending large sums of money on education i thev did not ensure the educability ot the’children? How many people in hospitals and infirmaries on which public money was spent were there because of malnutrition in earl ier yearn hen he was Governor-General ot New Zea land he made an investigation and found that about 35 per cent, ot the inmates in such institutions weie there through malnutrition in childh°Nothing had proved such a deterrent to the campaign in favour ot drinking more milk than the idea Sch was prevalent that there was poison in the milk. A fai hl Khei amount of weakness was endangeied in children as a result of insufficient milk than as the result of a few tuberculosis germs in the milk itself. Viscount Gage, Lord-in-M aiting, replying on behalf of the Government said the House might be assured of the value of existing schemes. The Government believed that there would be great value in any extension of the policy of encouraging the consumption of milk which might be found practicable. The Ministers of Health and Agriculture had been examining the possibility for some time, but it would be premature to introduce any new scheme for the provision of milk until the Reorganisation Commission s report had been received and decisions taken on the recommendation.