FEEDING THE WAR WORKER

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2836, 29 July 1916, Page 10

FEEDING THE WAR WORKER

NINEPENNI' MEALS AT MUNITIONS ' FACTOEIES. Health and energy are co-related terms, especially in munition work, and hsaltl. being largely the result of good food, the output of the munition worker becomes a question of nutrition. For this reason Mr. Lloyd George formed the Health of Munition Workers' Committee, of which Sir George Newman, M.I)„ is chairman. This committee of experts advises oil questions of industrial fatigue, hours of labour, and ,other matters affecting health and physical .efficiency. An interesting movement has been"in progress for some time. By its means the army of munition workers scattered about the country is fed, and well fed. A dinner of meat, vegetables, and a. sweet costs Bd. or fld. The tariff is extremely low, and the quality is as high as it can be made by cavoful inspection. Plenty of fresh fruit is provided, and collee that is real coffee: the counters of the canteens are garnished with tempting cakes.

Tlie national factories number 75, and in them canteens have been established, except in a few eases whore the establishments are quite small and the majority of the workers live near at hand. The controlled firms—a total of ,1500—represent. a much wider range for the committee's activity. A lnrge number required canteen provision, and one or other of the type buildings in wood, accommodating 300 to 3000 diners at n time, was put up, the Government allowing the (inns to set oIT the cost against the excess profits. Lastly. there the voluntary societies—the Y.M.C.A., Church Army, and the rest—which arc allowed half their expenses of installation. By these various means the Munition Ministry has overcome n temporary difficulty and started a new era in the feeding of the working classes.