Alternative To Free Milk Issue

Northern Advocate, 19 July 1938, Page 10

Alternative To Free Milk Issue

[Special to “Northern Advocate”l WELLINGTON, This Day. According to the Minister of' Education, the Hon. P. Fraser, in his annual report, alternatives to the provision of a free supply of milk to school children are to be made. He states that it will not be practical to extend a pasteurised supply to every district, owing to isolated areas with a scattered population presenting practically insuperable difficulties. To meet the needs of schools in these areas a free issue of milk for cocoa-making purposes or a free issue of whole milk or malted milk powder, is to be made available. Available to 61%. Mr Fraser states that since the free issue of a half-pint ration of milk daily, beginning on March 1 of last year, it had been found that over all schools about 85 per cent, of the children accepted the issue. The total school population of the Dominion, including all types of schools, was about 282,000. and at the end of last year over 137,000 pupils were being supplied daily. \ New schemes and extensions to existing schemes had been arranged to include a further 14,600 children. Allowing for the 15 per cent, who did not wish to use the issue, milk was actually available to 177,000, or over 61 per cent, of the school-child population.