DIET AND HOME SCIENCE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22820, 30 August 1937, Page 12

DIET AND HOME SCIENCE

Sir, —There have been many letters in the Hkhat.d on the much-discussed question of diet, with emphasis on the health of children and the ignorance of parents. I wonder does the Government realise that the Home . Science? Faculty of the University of Otago Ims "*• been founded for 25 years and that for at least 20 years home science has.been a compulsory subject in schools. This means that 'all women under the age of 30 (a conservative estimate) have received that instruction. But what use has it been ? It is safe to say that 90 per cent of the instruction has been wasted. Those who have benefited from this . teaching belong to homes where parents are interested enough to allow their daughters to practise in their homes' what they are taught at school. Would it not bo* far better if classes for school girls were discontinued and mothers taught instead ? Surely any woman could spare two hours a week.to lonm cooking in the well-equipped -classrooms, especially when such knowledge is n safeguard to her 'children's health. Children both boys and girls, could be taught tho theory of what their mothers are doing. Many, mothers write or talk of the expense of the correct foods. Yet tho home science graduate responsible for the diet of the Mount Albert Grammar School boys found that a correct diet was no more expensive than an incorrect diet. She also reported that the boys were interested and bellyful. At any"rate, parents :ilmost invariably seem able to find tho money ito send their children to matinees and to buy sweets. Who can deny that tho money would bo put to much better use if it were spent on oranges of other fresh fruit? New Zealand,is" nip suffering from lack of money, but from lack of knowledge. A much better return for tho money spent on lwn)e science instruction will, however, accrue when mothers and not daughters receivo instruction. M.S.-