Statistical Report 1935-1936 - Department of Education and Skills

48The following extracts from the Reports of the School MedicalOfficers for the County Boroughs of Cork and Waterford, the Boroughof Clonmel, and Counties Cavan, Cork, Donegal, Dublin, Galway,Kerry, Louth, Monaghan, Waterford, Westmeath, \Vexford andWicklow, will give an idea of the working of the Schools Meals Schemein the country generally during the year 1936:-County Borough of Cork.-A mid-day meal is given in twenty-sevenschools, and consists, in the majority of cases, of a cup of cocoa andbread and butter or jam or a currant bun. Milk is given in nineschools and to the junior infants in one school, but is stopped forvarying periods, in the majority of cases owing to financial limitations.The meal is prepared and consumed on the school premises, exceptin the case of the South Presentation Monastery, Douglas Street,where it is supplied at a nearby shop. A grant of £2,100 was givenfor the meals, and the number of children catered for was 3,750.Breakfast is given to ten children at St. Vincent's Convent andbreakfast and dinner (which latter consists of meat, soup and bread) toninety children at the North Presentation Convent. These mealsare supplied at the expense of the Communities.County Borough of Waterford.-The Scheme for the provision ofschool meals was revised during the year to provide milk in one-thirdpint bottles in place of the half-pint bottles as heretofore. Thisarrangement was arrived at with the principal object of giving eachchild a separate supply of milk and of obviating the necessity ofproviding mugs at the school, the bottles being removed daily afterthe meal by the contractor and efficiently sterilized, Whereas arrangementsfor the same treatment of mugs in the school would be difficultto attain. As well as this milk ration, each child benefiting underthe Scheme is supplied with a bun or bread. The Head teachers ofthe various schools recommend such children as they believe to benecessitous for this meal, and allocations of daily supply are then made,the actual administration of the scheme being in the hands of theschool authorities, under supervision. The grant allocated for thisservice allows during the school year 1936-37 an average of 1,180children in the several schools to benefit by this meal for a period of60 school days, this period being during the winter months.Borough of Clonmel.-Free school meals were given in the followingschools :-Presentation Convent . . . . . . 2,430Sisters of Charity " • . . . . . 3,020Christian Brothers, Kickham Street " . . 1,384Christian Brothers, Western Road .. .. 2,163The meals were distributed to the poor and necessitous children;and consisted of a half-pint of Grade A milk, bread (white and brown)and butter, and buttered currant cake on Fridays.----~l,dIL49All utensils are the property of the Corporation. The latter bodyalso supplied the gas for heating milk and the service of their attendants.The total cost of the scheme was £199 Os. 9d.County Cavan.-While meals were supplied in a number of schoolsto necessitous children the only urban area in which the Education(Provision of Meals) (Ireland) Acts and the Education (School Meals)Regulations were in operation was Cootehill. A half pint of milkand a currant bun were supplied to the necessitous children in St.Michael's School for Boys. The average number of boys in receiptof a meal was 63. The cost of the food supplied in the year ended31st March, 1937, was £58 17s. Od., and the cost of administration£12 13s. 3d.In the Cavan Urban District the Scheme has now been adoptedand will shortly come into operation. Meals had previously beensupplied to necessitous children in the area by voluntary effort. Inthis area in 1936 through the work of the Sisters in charge of the girls'school and the local conference of St. Vincent de Paul, necessitouschildren were supplied with a substantial breakfast in addition to themid-day meal previously provided.County Cork.-The·Education (Provision of Meals) (Ireland) Acts,1914-1917, and the Education (School Meals) Regulations, 1927,have been administered by the following Urban District Councilsduring 1936, namely: Ferrnoy, Cobh, Kinsale, Midleton, PassageWest and Youghal.In the case of the Mallow Urban area, the Council at the end of theyear had decided to adopt a Scheme which was expected to be putinto operation at an early date. The Scheme under considerationby the Macroom Urban Council, as reported last year, has fallenthrough. A Scheme is under consideration at present for adoptionby the Clonakilty Urban Council. No steps have been taken by theSkibbereen Urban Council towards adopting a School Meals Scheme.The following are particulars as to the operation of the Schemeduring the past year :-No. of Average Total AverageAREA I Schools Daily No. No. of Total Cost ofin of child- Meals Cost of Food perScheme ren fed Supplied Food Meal inPence£ s. d.Fermoy" 1 92 18,027 62 10 81 0.82d.Cobh .. 2 134 26,800 144 16 10 1.23d.Kinsale .. 2 41 8,476 44 o 0\1.25d.Midleton .. 2 180 18,540 63 2 4! 0.75d.Passage W. .. 3 107 19.844 1221.50d.Youghal7 4\.. 2 222 8.340 56 6 11 1.62d.