UNDERNOURISHED?

Waipukurau Press, Volume XXX, Issue 190, 20 August 1935, Page 7

UNDERNOURISHED?

REPLY TO DR. E. GUNN

CONCERNING SCHOOL CHILDREN

Criticism by Dr. Elizabeth Gunn, medical officer for the Wanganui Education Board, of a reference by him to undernourished school children was replied to by Mr. Roberts, of Auckland, president of the Dominion Federation of School Com-

mittees’ Associations, in a chat with a “Manawatu Times” reporter before returning northward. In the course of his presidential address last week to the annual conference of the federation, Mr Roberts made an appeal on behalf of the children whose parents, through stress of circumstances and unemployment were unable to provide their children with sufficient nourishing food to maintain bodily strength, and stated that, in spite of all that had been said, malnutrition existed to-day among school children in greater proportion than it did four years ago. To this Dr. Gunn replied that site could not agree that malnutrition was on the increase, and said that in all her experience she had never m New Zealand seen a case of malnutrition that was due to want of food, but had seen many that were due to wrong feeding, bad hygienic conditions, over-excitement, late hours, etc.

“It appears to me quite evident that Dr. Gunn is not fully acquainted with the conditions that obtain in the larger cities,” said Mr. Roberts. “My best answer to her remarks would rest with the great proportion of our population which at present, through stress of circumstances, has been forced into unemployment and, in consequence, is in receipt of sustenance.

“It would also appear that my remarks were substantially correct, as a special committee to consider matj ters relating to the health of the | pupils of the Napier Girls’ High I School, particularly regarding undernourished children, was appointed at a meeting of the Hawke’s Bay Secondary Education Board, after considering a report from Dr. C. Anderson, school mdeical officer. According to the Press, Dr. Harold Berry, commenting on Dr. Anderson's re- ( port, said that New Zealand could be j considered a B grade country because 75 per cent, of the girls had I defects. The most serious defect was I asthma, while defective teeth and ; eyesight were also prevalent, and 47 | girls were said to be undernourish- ! ed.”