Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1914-12-07
RECOMMENDS SYSTEM
OF SCHOOL LUNCHES
superintendent Chandler Will Bring
Matter to Attention OF City
School Board.
WOULD SERVE FOOD AT COST
Recent Experiment. at jefferson
School Shows Remarkable Results.
Many Children Suffer From NAL
nutrition,

Practiced ut the Jefferson School for
three weeks as nn experiment., the
serving OF midday lunches to pupils
will BIO recommended to the school
Board AS permanent institution by
superintendent OF Schools J. A. G..
Chandler. The board will hold its next
meeting on December 10, at which time
the plan Will be brought TO Its attcn-
tion.
The idea is an excellent one" said
Or. Chandler. yesterday. I'm my opin-
ion, midday luncheon in the schools
Is necessity which can no longer DE
ignored. Wherever II has been tried
It has fully demonstrated Its value
Tho plan has the strong support OF
Chairman Ebcl OF the School Board,
and II is my purpose to recommend It
to the board'a Committee on Teachers
and Schools a; tho next meeting.
II do not think that the lunches
should DC served TO tho pupils free OF
cost, although l believe that IL the
practice followed IN two schools in
Nashville and, perhaps. other cities.
The ideal arrangement, IL seems TO me.
would BIO to standnrdize the service un-
til the per cost lunch IS reduced to two
or three pennies, charging each pupil
tho actual cost Of tho food supplied In
that way the service would be self
sustaining, and would not become n
drain upon the school treasury.
WOULD IiEGIN IN SCHOOLS
NEEDING III MOST
Perhaps. we might begin tho sys-
tenn by Introducing tho midday lunch
con service In tho two or threc schools
that appear to need 1t most It could
then be gradually extended co the other
schools and be developed as recog-
nized school activity. PhIladelphia ha.
developed good system along these
lines. and so has Newark and Cleye-
land. Birmingham. I understand Is one
OF tho few Southern cities that has
made beginning In this Held"
a report on the experiment.. conducted
Tor three weeks nj Jefferson School, was
submitted to DR.. Chandler by Principal
w. c. Blakey. OF that school, last week.
The expense OF the experiment wac
borne by group OF pubiic-spirited citi-
zens Interested in bringing The value
OF the midday school luncheon to the
attention Of tho School Board Among
those who contributed supplies, equip
nient ana money were: j. IL Jonessoff,
the Southern Stovo Works, the Amer
lean Ercad Company, and the Richmond
Dairy.
At the Jefferson School the authori-
ties served iGl pupils daily, for twenty
days. at n cost OF 1887 day. Tho nv.
erago cost OF each meal was 40
cents. According to DR.. y. T. Emmett.
medical Inspector OF the Richmond Pub
lie Schools, and the teachers OF JEFF
ierson SCHOOL, tho midday luncheon
served 1t this school caused a marked
Improvement In department., phyaicai
condition and scholarship.
MANY CMIIpuEN avxo,.,
SIGNS OF MALSUTRITION
Or sS0 children recently examined at
one Of the local schools, seventy-six.
or 80 per cent. showed signs y; malntI-
triton. While this per cent Of. malnu-
triton was not caused entirely by un-
derfetding. that was ono OF tho con-
triputory causes. Advocates OF tho
s sen. iencfeon idea point to the fact
that 20 per cent Of the families do not
provide their children with lunches.
while atill lnrger per cent provide
lunches Insufficient In quantity ana
poor IN quality. -
Legislation In regard to the proyi-
sion OF school meals IL national and
proy!sional In Holland Denmark. Eng
land and Bavaria II is national md
compulsory in Switzerland, France and
Scotland. IT Is the subject of extensive
municipal legislation in Germany, ITALY.
sweden, Norway, Finland. Austria ana
Belgium.
In the United States flve years ago.
there We're four cities with school
iunch experiments under way. In 1919
about ninety cities in this country pro
vided lunches in tho REGULAR element
airy schools tho school board in nearly
every case assuming vt least a part or
the responsibility.
MANY CITIES AID IN
SUPPLYING LUNCHES
In Nav York the Board of Education
supplies the room, equipment and gas,
the cost OF the food and service being
met by the sale of meal tickets. Philn-
delphia serves lunches In ten schools
under the direction OF tho Homo and
School League. In NIL tho Philad elphia
schools the lunches arc paid for by tho
children. the prices ranging from 1
cent to cents. u
Boston has twenty-five schools which
serve lunches to tho pupils. Tho
school board allows S300 to each school
for equipment, and the children pay
for tho meals. III domestic science
centres II Is found that ] cent covers
the cost OF service and food, with .
cents as the outside price.
Cincinnati ,hns q number of schools
equipped with l cent luncn counters.
serving also 3-cent meals All cx-
pcnses except tho cost oc equipment
and the salary ofithe director are met
from tho sale OF lunches. ST. Louis
has an extensive system or Scent
lunches.