CHANCE FOR ALL

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 51, 2 March 1937, Page 11

CHANCE FOR ALL

PHYSICAL FITNESS

CARING FOR CHILDREN

(Special to the "Evening Post.")

MASTERTON, This Day.

Stating- in the course of the address he delivered in Masterton yesterday that it..was agreed by educationists and others interested in the welfare of our race that the first thing to be done for children was to give them a proper1 chance in their babyhood-of acquiring good physical health, the Minister of Education (the Hon. P. Fraser) said that' New Zealand had done marvels in that respect. .

Thanks to the wonderful work of Sir Truby King and that of the devoted 'band, chiefly women, who had rallied round him in the Plunket Society, New Zealand had attained the highest position in the world so far as the saving of child life was concerned. A good deal of that work had sometimes been undermined or destroyed, however, because of the bad homes—because of an insufficient understanding of the essential value and importance of such things as fresh air and adequate food. Even in homes that were not by any standard poor homes, children did not always get the healthy food, sleep, and fresh air that ought to be their heritage. The result was that'some cf the reports of school medical officers were perplexing,'depressing, and in some instances, startling. It was an almost tragic reflection on pur system that we still had pupils coming to our primary schools and our secondary schools whose physical condition .was causing the gravest concern to principals, teachers, and school medical officers. The provision for the distribution of milk in Schools was being organised after years of thought. The proposal was first made by ths Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates, when he v/as Minister of Finance. Mr. Coates set up a committee to conduct investigations' into' the whole question, which had not been made one of party controversy in Parliament. The, past Government, equally with the present Government, was anxious about these reports of malnutrition in town and country and other reports of bad teeth, obviously caused by a lack of milk constituents, or a lack of lime in milk.. There was in some cases an ignorance on the part of parents in regard to these matters. The Minister said he himself, in common with many parents, had lacked a knowledge of the constituent parts of food and related matters. Very valuable information had been presented in the reports of Dr. Ada Paterson, who was one of the ablest women in this country. When Mr. Coates was in office, the question of supplying milk in schools had been very far advanced towards action. The present Government did not want to force milk, any more than it wanted .to force its opinions, down people's throats, but it did desire to give every child an opportunity of access to one of the most essential foods. The Minister went on to observe that it was intended to pay a great deal of attention to the physical education of children. Dental treatment also was to, be extended as rapidly as possible, and he hoped that within five years every school would have an opportunity of receiving dental care. He appealed to parents to co-operate with the school medical officers and see that what the school doctor, asked for was carried out.

A well-attended meeting held in the municipal lecture room last evening, to set up, a' committee; to .deal/with' ;th.e v distribution of milk to pupils in 'Masterton schools, was presided over by 'ihe Mayor (Mr. T. Jordan).