CHILDREN AND THEIR FOOD

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2164, 1 June 1914, Page 4

CHILDREN AND THEIR FOOD

Sir,—in one of y<air editorials in. today's PontNiaN you draw attention to ■the recent report of .Dr. Kliy.alu fh Gnixtt «n®niW tho physical condition of .Now Zealand school children. j have seep the pubhshed report in qnos* tion, which appeared, in your columns of Saturday last. Wlwit strikes one as the ino.'-t remarkable revelation is the fact that a large percentage of those tl.ddrcn suife.focl from the" efforts «,f malnutrition. Tho published report docs not^ state whether this condition proCfjfKjod from a dire.et source. It is difficult, to imagine in this country that- certain children do not get a sufficient; amount of food, but from mv ewn

careful observation I can vouc.ii fortho iii'ct thai ill ft very large mMivber of Cases, even among the more frelMiwlg emssss of the inhabitants, tlm food i* frequently improperly. prepared, and very often .of a most undesirable naturo far -eliildr^jj, I shall ihcrwV.ro assume that the tno!-; nutrition mentioned by Dr. Guiin Pro"feds front imhitritioii, ihn refcuit of invpairnierit of the digestive functions, tesiitting in defective absorption of nutriment. I fiiid that, generally speaking, the children attending tho public .schools usually have three meals a. day. These wnsist .of breakfast, dinner, mid tea. The staple article of die*, for breakFa.st is oatmeal (tyrrfdgfe, often undercooked, and usually «w.nl!o'.ved by tho children without preliminary, mastication. At dinner meat bulks largely, and 01? the farms this is often, of the nature of pork, earned ljeefj or sronio ■su.cli smdf)|e,sti'blo foocfeffcfttt, with vege.tables, which ale commonly improperly. prepare;! for con-sumption. Some variety of pudding is generally also served '■ with this meal. At._ ten., meat is again partaken of. AH the meals are lic'ped opt with bread (oifeii under-cooked and sometimes distinctly sjiirji, ssoaos, aiv<l jam. The universal beverage is tea, frequently of a '•heap, rank quality, Veil stewed, and Uitally unfit, for consumption by any*; oi.los Between meals tiro children have access to scraps of food, lollies, and so forth. In n> large number £'f instances the children have been improperly fed from_ infancy. Tho natural outcome of ihis itnjK'rfect 6yst<;m of living is .rapid dege-tteratioa of the teeth, and five derangement. Moreover, ifi the. inajo.rity of cases mouth hyi;ic'.ne. is cn<- : lir'-'ly ncg.'ei'tild. Can it bo wondered at that, later m life the digestive organs b'res : k denvn, and the children, suffer' from malnutrition in the midst of plenty ? "Tho cs?'cs.sivq Use of tea is ono of the greatest curses 111. this ant! temperance advocates would do well to look l<> tho physics! deterioration re-' suiting from the immoderate use of tho.ir favourite licverage._ The question of tits health of tise risi'.ip: generation, 011 whom the future of the race ■depends, is a- tfiosit serious one, and iio nation has over liecdine great which Ikis- not been properly fed, Tliis problem will have to he .attacked, ill the homos <jf tie over-worked or ignorant housosvives, who often, unfortunately, do not realise tti.o immense importanco of the question involved. To enable ■ these to give that requisite care and attention jvs.c;t>s'sar|? to the preparation, of wholesome meals, and to enlighten those who simply "don't know." is a itfisskm rewiring file earnest attention of our .Tealotib serial woricer.s."«l am,. ete.., IL A. REID, FJt.S.E. May 55, TO,W. .... ....