Milk In Schools

Northern Advocate, 12 April 1940, Page 4

Milk In Schools

THE annual meeting of the Whangarei Milk-in-Schools Committee, held last evening, revealed that highly useful work is being performed. The extent to which the milk in schools scheme has developed is remarkable, and George Bernard Shaw, whose advocacy of this form of national service was received with a certain amount of amused scepticism, would no doubt be surprised to hear of the manner in which his suggestion has materialised. The scheme was inaugurated by the present Government on March 1, 1937, and at the end of the first month 70,000 children in the four main centres were each receiving a daily ration of milk. Today 200,000 children, or 70 per cent, of the school population of the Dominion, are included in the service. So far as Whangarei is concerned, the scheme was put into operation on April 12, this community therefore being among the pioneers of a unique service. The work was taken in hand by public-spirited citizens, who deserve the gratitude of the whole community for the manner in which they have carried out a labour of love. This is especially applicable to the Medical Officer of Health, Dr. C. B. Gilberd, and to the secretary, Mr. W. H. Robinson, who has performed valuable service since the inception of the scheme. The service commenced with the supply of milk to four schools and 845 children, but this number has now grown to 19 schools with a total of 2,516 children. It is distinctly interesting to hear that on February 29 of this year the committee was supplying 2,743 half-pint bottles to children in 28 schools extending from Waiotira in the south to Russell in the north. This is a fine record, the value of which, in the years to come, may be gathered from a special report presented to the annual meeting of the committee by Dr. Gilberd, who has given ungrudgingly of his time and skill to promote the satisfactory operation of the scheme. Dr. Gilberd said that “where the scheme has been continuously in operation, the beneficial results are obvious and this is substantiated by many reports from school teachers, who note from time to time the increase in physical well-being, alertness and activity of the children who take the school milk. It has also been suggested that there can, in some cases, be noted a picking up again of these characteristics on return to the regular issue after the long vacation at Christmas, with presumably a lessened consumption of milk.” This authoritative statement may be taken as definite proof of the important effect which the milk-in-schools scheme is exercising upon the schools population, and there will be a general hope that nothing may occur which would interrupt the good work which is being done.