484. "The Physical Conditions of School Children," by Dr. Ralph H. Crowley, North of England Education Conference, January, 1907 (reprinted in the School Government Chronicle, Supplement, January 12, 1907, pp. 80-81).
485. "The Medical Examination of School Children," by Dr. A. S. Arkle, in School Government Chronicle, Supplement, January 12, 1907, p. 78.
486. Report of the School Medical Officer for Wolverhampton for 1911, p. 24. (Quoted in Report of Chief Medical Officer of the Board of Education for 1911, p. 24.)
487. Report of Chief Medical Officer of the Board of Education for 1911, p. 24.
488. Report of the Chief Medical Officer of the Board of Education for 1911, p. 286.
489. Bradford Education Committee, Report on a Course of Meals given to necessitous children from April to July, 1907.
490. Ibid., p. 3.
491. Ibid., pp. 4, 5.
492. "The average gain per year of children of this class and size," Dr. Crowley points out, "is not more than two kilos (4 lbs. 6 oz.) for the whole year." (Ibid., p. 9.)
493. Ibid., pp. 9-11. As Dr. Crowley points out, several points have to be considered in interpreting the effect on weight. "The increase in the weight of children normally varies greatly at different seasons of the year," and "at any given season fluctuates much, sometimes, comparatively, even from week to week. The proportional increase in weight varies with the age of the child, or rather with the weight to which the child has already attained." (Ibid., p. 8.)
494. Ibid., p. 8.
495. Report on the Working of the Education (Provision of Meals) Act up to March 31, 1909, pp. 14-15.
496. MS. Report on Lambeth School Children Feeding Experiment, by Dr. L. Haden Guest, 1908.
497. We have, unfortunately, not been able to obtain a copy of the figures on which Dr. Haden Guest's report is based.
498. In the case of the boys, their weights, during this week, only increased a little; those of the girls remained stationary.
499. Report of Chief School Medical Officer for Sheffield for 1910, pp. 26-27. We may quote here striking results observed in the improved physique of the children at a special school for cripple children in London consequent on an improved dietary. A two-course dinner of meat, potatoes and pudding had been previously given, but in the summer of 1901 it was decided to provide a more liberal and varied dietary, e.g., more hot meat, eggs, milk, cream, vegetables and fruit. The results were soon apparent. "Partially paralysed children," writes Mrs. Humphry Ward a few months after the change, "have been recovering strength in hands and limbs with greater rapidity than before. A child who, last year, often could not walk at all from rickets and extreme delicacy and seemed to be fading away, and who in May was still languid and feeble, is now racing about in the garden on his crutches; a boy who last year could only crawl on his hands and feet is now rapidly and steadily learning to walk, and so on.... Hardly any child now wants to lie down during school time, whereas applications to lie down used to be common, and the children both learn and remember better." (Letter from Mrs. Humphry Ward, The Times, September 26, 1901.)
500. Brighton Education Committee, Report on the re-examination of children receiving free meals during the winter session, 1912-13.
501. Annual Report of London County Council for 1910, Vol. III., p. 130.
502. MS. Report by Dr. L. Haden Guest on Lambeth School Children Feeding Experiment, 1908.
503. Report of School Medical Officer for Macclesfield for 1911, p. 18.
504. Ibid. for Workington for 1911, p. viii.
505. Ibid. for Hastings for 1911, p. 14.
506. Report of School Medical Officer for Newcastle-on-Tyne for 1910, p. 49.
507. Report of School Medical Officer for Manchester for 1911, pp. 256-7. In the following year he reports that out of over four hundred children attending eight feeding centres, only ten cases of markedly bad nourishment were recorded. (Ibid. for 1912, p. 31.)
508. The Health and Physique of School Children, by Arthur Greenwood, 1913, pp. 65, 66. "It may perhaps be urged," he continues, "that this progress is purely accidental; but a close examination of a large number of school medical officers' reports does not show any general increase during the few years for which records are available. There are variations from year to year, of course, but no apparent regular improvement, except in isolated instances, of which Bradford is one." (Ibid., p. 65.)
509. Annual Report of the London County Council for 1910, Chapter XLI., p. 8.
510. Ibid., pp. 8, 9.
511. Ibid., p. 9.
512. Report of School Medical Officer for Bootle for 1912, p. 56; Ibid. for Worcester for 1911, p. 14.
513. As we have seen, this result was noticed during the feeding experiment at Lambeth (see ante, p. 188.)
514. At Bootle, on the other hand, where "it was anticipated that the movement would have a beneficial effect upon the regularity of the attendance ... there is no evidence to show that such has been the case, and it is very doubtful whether the attendance has been appreciably affected." (Report of the Bootle School Canteen Committee for 1910-11, p. 8.)
515. Report of School Medical Officer for Leeds for 1910, p. 41. The chairman of the Leeds Education Committee, in giving evidence before the Royal Commission on the Poor Laws, stated, "the supply of three good meals a day has been of great benefit to the children in attendance, who compare favourably with the children attending the ordinary public elementary schools.... They take a good position in school competitions for swimming, etc., and are particularly smart in school drills and exercises." (Report of the Royal Commission on the Poor Laws, 1909, Vol. IV. of Evidence, Appendix LXXXII. (12).)
516. Hull Education Committee, Appendix to Minutes of the Provision of Meals Sub-Committee, October 20, 1911.
517. Report of Bradford Education Committee for the 16 months ended July 31, 1912, p. 10.
518. Annual Report of the London County Council for 1910, Chapter XLI., p. 9.
519. Ibid.
520. Ibid.
521. Annual Report of the London County Council for 1910, Vol. III., p. 129.
522. Report of Darlington Education Committee, 1908-10, p. xii.
523. Child Life and Labour, by Margaret Alden, M.D., 1908, p. 108.
524. Thus, to quote one of many instances, at Bradford, when porridge breakfasts were given in the experiment of 1907, it was found that the first morning thirteen refused to eat it; the next morning only two refused, and after that all ate and enjoyed it. (Bradford Education Committee, Report on a Course of Meals given to Necessitous Children from April to July, 1907, p. 4.)
525. Report of the Special Committee of the London School Board on Underfed Children, 1895, Appendix I., p. 7.
526. Report of the General Purposes Committee of the London School Board on Underfed Children, 1899, Appendix I., p. 12.
527. A Health Centre and Dental Clinic in a Rural District, Newport, Essex, 1911, p. 6.
528. "Charity and Food," report of a Special Committee of the Charity Organisation Society, 1887, p. 16. For later expressions of the same line of criticism, see, for instance, "The Relief of School Children," by M. Clutton and E. Neville (C.O.S. Occasional Paper), March, 1901, pp. 4, 6; "Underfed School Children," by Arthur Clay (C.O.S. Occasional Paper), May, 1905, p. 3; "The Feeding of School Children," by Miss McKnight, in Charity Organisation Review, July, 1906, p. 37; "A New Poor Law for Children," by Rev. H. Iselin, in Charity Organisation Review, March, 1909, p. 170.
529. "Working-Class Households in Reading," by Professor A. L. Bowley, in The Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, June, 1913, p. 686. The minimum standard for food was computed by Mr. Rowntree, in 1901, as 3s. for an adult, and 2s. 3d. for a child. This standard has been raised by Professor Bowley to 3s. 6d. and 2s. 7d. respectively, since prices in Reading in 1912 were about sixteen per cent. higher than at York in 1901. The diet on which Mr. Rowntree based his computations was mainly vegetarian, and his minimum standard assumed a knowledge of food values and perfectly scientific expenditure. (Ibid., p. 684.) Taking a slightly different standard, Professor Bowley computes that "more than half the working-class children of Reading, during some part of their first fourteen years, live in households where the standard of life in question is not attained." (Ibid., p. 692.)
530. Ibid., p. 693.
531. The figures for Birmingham are taken from The Public Feeding of Elementary School Children, by Phyllis D. Winder, 1913, pp. 47-55; those for St. George's-in-the-East, from "The Story of a Children's Care Committee," by Rev. H. Iselin, in Economic Review, January, 1912, p. 47; those for Stoke, Bradford, St. Pancras and Bermondsey from case papers that we have analysed. These figures must not be taken as more than a somewhat rough indication of the state of affairs, for it is not always easy to determine precisely into which category a particular case should be put. Probably the proportion of casually employed is somewhat understated; of the twenty-six, for instance, who are classed as unemployed at Birmingham, roughly one-third belonged to the class of permanent casuals, but were totally unemployed at the date of the enquiry. (The Public Feeding of Elementary School Children, p. 48.)
532. We may note that there are very few cases where the fathers of the children who are receiving school meals are, at the time, in regular work. (See table on page 211.) Many authorities refuse to consider such cases, while, where they are not necessarily barred, they amount as a rule, so far as we have found, except at Bradford, to a very small proportion of the total number of cases dealt with. In London a few committees have several such cases on their feeding-lists—a member of one committee, indeed, informed us that the fact that a man had a large family and low wages was, till recently, taken as a reason for granting meals to his children—but the great majority of committees either refuse to feed such children at all, or only do so in infrequent and exceptional circumstances. One or two instances were quoted to us where, as it was alleged, the provision of meals for the children had induced the father to acquiesce in the acceptance of a low wage without demanding an increase or seeking more remunerative employment. Thus we were told of a man who was formerly in charge of two furnaces at a wage of 24s. a week; one furnace was shut down, and he was offered the charge of the remaining one at 15s. This he accepted and the Care Committee had been feeding his children for a whole year. In another case, a man who was out of work, and was having all his children fed at school, took a job at 15s. a week, a wage which, it was asserted, he would not otherwise have agreed to. But in such instances, infrequent and isolated as they are in any case, it is often found on analysis that the father, through some physical or mental infirmity, is incapable of performing a man's work, and unable, therefore, to earn more wages.
533. At Bradford a few years ago an enquiry was made with the object of discovering how far parents were obtaining the meals under false pretences. Two criteria were taken, firstly, whether the parents' statements as to the income earned were corroborated by their employers; secondly, how far the parents voluntarily withdrew their children from the school meals when their circumstances improved. As a result of this enquiry it appeared that not more than 2-1/2 per cent. were unduly taking advantage of the meals. In many cases, where the parents' statements as to income did not tally with the employers' statements, it was found that the parents, in giving their average earnings, had overstated instead of understating them.
534. Report of Chief Medical Officer of the Board of Education for 1910, p. 1.
535. Report of Select Committee on Education (Provision of Meals) Bills (England and Scotland), 1906, Qs. 2290, 2312. (The italics are mine.)
537. Report of School Medical Officer for Leicester for 1912, p. 34.
538. "A New Poor Law for Children," by Rev. Henry Iselin, in Charity Organisation Review, March, 1909, p. 170.
539. Report of Proceedings of University Extension Oxford Summer Meeting, 1913, p. 17.
541. In the ordinary elementary schools in some of the Scottish towns, large numbers of children pay for the dinners. (See Appendix II., pp. 242, 245, 246.)
542. The cost depends, of course, on the kind of food provided. At Bradford, where a two-course dinner is given, the total cost per meal, for administrative charges (the upkeep of the Cooking Depot, the rent of the dining-rooms, the wages of the staff, payment for supervision, the carriage of the food, sinking fund, etc.), amounted in 1912-13 to 1·2d., and for food to 1·26d., making a total of 2·46d. About one-third of the meals supplied were breakfasts, which are usually rather cheaper than dinners, so that the cost per dinner would be slightly more. (Bradford Education Committee, Return as to the Working of the Education (Provision of Meals) Act for the year ending March 31, 1913). At Edinburgh, where a one-course dinner is given, the cost is ·9d. for food and 1d. for administrative charges. (Report of the Edinburgh School Board for 1912-13, p. 35.)
543. We must add one other item of expenditure, which will be necessary whatever course be adopted with regard to the provision of meals, namely, the appointment of salaried organisers for each group of schools, to supervise the work of medical treatment, after-care, and all other activities directed to the physical well-being of the child.
544. Report of Proceedings of University Extension Oxford Summer Meeting, 1913, p. 17.
545. There appears to be no fixed dietary, the dinners being varied each week.
547. 8 Edward VII., c. 63, sec. 3 (2).
548. Ibid., sec. 6 (1).
549. Ibid., sec. 6 (2).
550. Ibid.
551. During the coal strike in the spring of 1912, some Boards in the Fife district took action under section 6 and provided free meals. (Report of the Chief Inspector for the Southern Division for 1912, p. 11.)
552. Report of the Committee of Council on Education in Scotland, 1912-13, p. 4.
553. For the following account I am mainly indebted to the kindness of Mrs. Leslie Mackenzie and Mr. I. H. Cunningham.
554. Report of Select Committee on Education (Provision of Meals) Bills (England and Scotland), 1906, Q. 4211; Report of Royal Commission on Physical Training (Scotland) 1903, Vol. II., Q. 2396.
555. Report of Special Sub-Committee on Meals for School Children, in Minutes of London School Board, July 25, 1889, Vol. 31, p. 382.
556. Edinburgh School Board, Memorandum on the Feeding of School Children, 1910, pp. 5-6.
557. Two special officers have been appointed to make enquiries.
558. There is no fixed scale in determining which children are necessitous, but free meals are usually granted if the gross income of the household is less than 3s. a head.
559. For the week ending December 19, 1913, the number of children fed was:—
560. Evidence before the Royal Commission on the Poor Laws, 1909, Vol. VI., Qs. 61553-5.
561. Ibid., Q. 61371 (12).
562. Ibid., Q. 55247 (31).
563. Report of the Royal Commission on the Poor Laws, 1909, 8vo edition, Vol. III., p. 148.
564. "Administrative problems arising out of Child Feeding," by J. A. Young, in Proceedings of the National Conference on the Prevention of Destitution, 1911, pp. 339-340.
565. Report of Select Committee on Education (Provision of Meals) Bills (England and Scotland), 1906, Qs. 3075-8.
566. Evidence before the Royal Commission on the Poor Laws, 1909, Vol. VI., Q. 59728 (18); Report of London School Board on Underfed Children attending School, 1899, p. 253.
567. See Dundee School Board, Report on the Feeding of School Children, 1913, p. 31.
568. Report of Glasgow School Board for 1911-12, p. 13.
569. Report of Chief Inspector for Southern Division for 1912, pp. 11-12.
570. Perth School Board, Officers' Report on the supplying of Meals and Boots to School Children, 1912-13, pp. 1-3.
571. Report of Chief Inspector for Southern Division for 1912, p. 12.
572. Perth School Board, Officers' Report, 1912-13, p. 4.
573. Dundee School Board, Report on the Feeding of School Children, 1913, p. 11.
574. Ibid., p. 15.
575. Ibid., pp. 13-14.
576. In the special schools for defective children at Paisley a two-course dinner is provided at a charge of 8d. a week.
577. Report of Chief Inspector for the Northern Division for 1911, p. 24.
578. "Can a sufficient mid-day meal be given to poor school children ... for ... less than one penny?" by Sir Henry Peek, 1883, p. 13.
579. Report of Chief Inspector for the Southern Division for 1911, p. 27.
580. Ibid., pp. 27-8.
581. First Report on Medical Inspection of School Children in Scotland, by Dr. Leslie Mackenzie, 1913, p. 51.
582. "The Diet of Country Elementary School Children," by Dr. Gordon A. Lang, in Rearing an Imperial Race, edited by C. E. Hecht, 1913, p. 116.
583. Report of Chief Inspector for Northern Division for 1906.
584. "The Free Feeding of School Children," a reprint of the reports by the Special Sanitary Commissioner of the Lancet, 2nd edition, 1907, p. 7.
585. Ibid., p. 8.
586. Ibid., p. 9.
587. "The Cantines Scolaires of Paris," by Sir Charles A. Elliott, in the Nineteenth Century, May, 1906, pp. 834-5.
588. "Organisation des Cantines Scolaires à Paris," a manifold manuscript report issued by the Direction de l'Enseignement primaire, 3me bureau, 1912.
589. "The Cantines Scolaires of Paris," by Sir Charles Elliott, in the Nineteenth Century, May, 1906, pp. 835-6.
590. According to the latest figures 70 per cent. of the children for whom meals are provided receive them free.
591. "Organisation des Cantines Scolaires à Paris," report by Direction de l'Enseignement primaire, 3me bureau, 1912.
592. Ibid.
593. Ibid.
594. "Caisse des écoles du 18e arrondissement," Exercice de l'année 1911, p. 34.
595. Proposition tendant à l'ouverture d'un crédit de 10,000 francs en vue de permettre à la Caisse des Ecoles du XVIIe arrondissement d'organiser, à titre d'essai, une classe de garde prolongée jusqu'à huit heures et une cantine du soir, déposée par M. Frédéric Brunet, conseiller municipal, Septembre 19, 1912.
596. "Organisation des Cantines Scolaires à Paris," report issued by Direction de l'Enseignement primaire, 3me bureau, 1912; "Necessitous Children in Paris and London," by George Rainey, in School Hygiene, November, 1912, Vol. III., p. 198.
597. Ibid., p. 198.
598. Ibid., pp. 198, 200.
599. For the above description, see, besides the references already quoted, Report of London School Board on Underfed Children attending School, 1899, Appendix IX., pp. 262-5; "The Cantines Scolaires of Paris," by Marcel Kleine, in Report of Proceedings of the International Congress for the Welfare and Protection of Children, 1906, pp. 65-82; "Feeding School Children: The Experience of France," in the Manchester Guardian, February 22, 1906; "Children's Care Committees in Paris," in the Morning Post, March 19, 1909; "School Canteens in Paris," by Miss M. M. Boldero, in the School Child, July, 1910; School Feeding, its History and Practice at Home and Abroad, by Louise Stevens Bryant, 1913, pp. 77-93; Conseil Municipal de Paris, Procès Verbal, June 25, 1909, December 31, 1909, March 23, 1910.
600. School Feeding, by Louise S. Bryant, 1913, pp. 93-94.
601. London School Board, Report on Underfed Children attending School, 1899, p. 265.
602. Lancet Reports, 1907, pp. 50-56.
603. Ibid., pp. 41-43.
604. School Feeding by Louise S. Bryant, 1913, pp. 80, 94-97.
605. Report of London School Board on Underfed Children attending School, 1899, pp. 271-2.
606. The Bitter Cry of the Children, by John Spargo, 1906, p. 277.
607. School Feeding, by Louise S. Bryant, 1913, p. 133.
608. Report of London School Board on Underfed Children attending School, 1899, p. 267.