PATEA

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 80, Issue 41, 18 February 1938, Page 10

PATEA

SCHOOL MILK CEREMONY A ceremony was held at the Palea Public School yesterday morning to i commemorate the inauguration o£ lhe milk supply to the school. Besides a number of parents present who sampled the milk, there were the Mayor, Mr. F. Ramsbottom, chairman of the Wanganui Education Board, Mr. E. F. Hemingway, Mr. Swindell, ■ inspector of heaim, New Plymouth. . Mr. \V. Steele, inspector of health, Wanganui, Mrs. A. Carey representing tne school committee and Mrs. L. Honeylield the Plunket Society. A welcome v.as extended by the hcodmarler, Mr. C. P. Bates. The Mayor expressed pleasure al hemg present as the Palea Borough Council moved a remit three years: ago to get the Government to take ' action to hate milk pasteurised tnroughout New Zealand, and though , the remit had great opposition, particularly from Taranaki, it went through. Ihe Government were now taking notice of what the boroughs l ■were doing towards pure milk, and ‘ this distribution to schools was a step in the, right direction towards building up the future generation. The Waverley School was to get the same benefits when arrangements could be made. In the Patea district 371 children were being supplied. He was anticipating a trip to the Old Country and would be able to let the children in England know what was being done in New Zealand for the bettermen of the rising generation. He intended to bring back souvenirs for the children from England to commemorate the school jubilee. M. Swindell, who is in charge of the supply, explained that the question of milk in schools had been viewed with a broad aspect. Milk naturally was a full food, complete in every respect. Most people thought milk was a food for babies and young animals, but it was looked on differently to-day when living was more or less artificial. Most foods were processed and tinned, etc., and a devitalising influence was taking place. It was remarkable with regard to malnutrition, it was not so much the child who was not in a position to buy the better class of food, but the families who did not buy the right class of food. It was not quantity that was required but quality. The poorer class took rougher foods, which were not processed but of more value. Milk could be taken with advantage and completely digested and was being supplied to restore a balance in nutrition. The medical profession were emphasising the value of milk, and it was being used to a greater degree in such places as milk bars. The Government decided milk should be . made available for the children of I New Zealand if possible, it was not 1 a political matter but a matter of policy on behalf of the children of New Zealand. The supply entailed a lot of work. The production had to be surveyed to see if the milk was available and how far it could be distributed. When the supply was solved the delivery was a big matter as Patea had to be included in the scheme, although it could not be processed there. Expensive plants costing £BOOO had been installed in Taranaki to give milk to the children in schools. The milk came from farms where the farmers had to have a certain measure of efficiency and the herds tested for tuberculosis. After being received from the farm at the processing plant it was pasteurised. The “holding” system was used, the milk being brought to 145 degrees and kept at that for half an hour and then brought down t<j 50 degrees. This did not destroy the vitamins nor harden the casein, thus its digestibility was not destroyed. It was bottled by machinery, caps placed on, placed in cold storage at 30 degrees to 40 degrees and delivered to the children the next: day. Mr. E. F. Hmingway said he was pleased to hear the report of the milk supply, which showed the milk was :as pure as possible. He congratulated the parents and school on the wonderfully healthy look of the children, who were the most healthy he had visited. He hoped the authorities would instruct the health officers to sort out the children who wanted care and attention and send them to the beautiful health camp at Wanganui made possible by the generosity !of the Hope Gibbons family, so as to I supplement what had already been I done for their health. PERSONAL Mrs. J. N. Anderson and Miss Noel.: Anderson are holidaying -in Christ-'