MIDDAY MEALS AT SCHOOL

Press, Volume LXXXII, Issue 24911, 26 June 1946, Page 8

MIDDAY MEALS AT SCHOOL

NATIONAL PARTY POLICY EXPLAINED NORTH CANTERBURY EXAMPLE QUOTED A clarification of the National Party’s' proposal for the provision of hot ■ miaday meals for school children, was given by Mr T. C. Webb, M.P., in a letter to the “New Zealand Herald.” He said there seemed to be an impression that it was the Intention of the National Party to provide these meals free of all cost to parents or children. “Under our scheme the children will pay for their lunch and the State will provide only the facilities,” said Mr Webb. “Cases were quoted to us of children travelling considerable distances to and. from school-—some of them leaving home even before 8 o’clock in the morning, and not getting back again until 4.30 p.m. or later. There is considerable difficulty in providing such children with home-made luncheons which they will eat, and, fror-i the point of view of general health, it is surely advisable that they should be able to get a warm and attractive meal at a time of the day when they cannot be suitably provided for by their parents. “The case of the Oxford School in North Canterbury was quoted to us. Here children com? from long distances. They get a not lunch at school during the winter months. This costs them 6d or 8d according to the type of meal they have. The parents, working on a roster, come daily to the school and attend to the cooking and serving of the meal, while the school authorities do no more than provide the facilities. We consider that such a public expenditure can be fully justified. “We learned also that at Rawene, in North Auckland, Di;. G. M. Smith’ and Mr S. W. Smith. M.P.. had introduced a scheme whereby Maori children could, be given a hot meal at school at midday, and they had persuaded the parents to agree to a regular deduction bf 2s 6d a week from the 10s family benefit available for each child. In our view,” Mr Webb concluded, “such a piece of constructive health planning, backed by such good examples of community service, deserves all the official encouragement and assistance that can be given.”