The evening world., 1917-11-01
milk FOR KIDD|ES
. OF POOR CUT DOWN
ONE THIRD IN YEAR
Figures Obtained in Survey
Used by Mayor in Warn
ing Price Boosters.

out OF 1900 representative New
York families. each containing at
least two children under six years OF
age. 1880 o-thirds-are
buying less fresh milk this month
than they bought n year ago at the
same time.
And in 500 famllies-more than half
OF the 1,4s0-the mother sadly admits
that the children arc either losing
weight or are not gaining. In these
$40 families there are 1000 children
under six years OF age.
Those arc the two most salient facts
developed In a survey made Jointly
by the Health Department and the
Association for Improving the Condi-
tlon Of the Poor for the Mayors Com
mittee on Milk. In brief. accurate
arithmetic the survey tells the story
OF how the babies OF the worlds rich
est city ar.. being deprived OF their
proper food because It's price has
forced It beyond the pocketbooks Of
parents.
Two hundred and fifty inves-
tgaters made house TO house
canvass OF certain sections in every
borough In the city. In Manhattan
representative sections are Cherry,
Mott, Henry. Allen, Warren and
Christopher Streets, and Goth 20 1O5th
Street from the East River to Third
Avenue. and SD to Goth Street from
the Hudson to Tenth Avenue. Cor
responding sections In Brooklyn arc
Hicks and Bond Streets, Greenpoint.
Metropolitan and Thatford Avenues.
In the Bronx, Washington Avenue
and Loriilard Place. Rockaway Ave-
nue. in Jamaica, and Spruce Street in
Richmond Hlll.
! The Investigators were picked from
Board OF Health nurses. settlement
workers and field workers OF the AS
ISOLATION for Improving the Condition
of the Poor. They considered only
such families as had at least two
children under six years OF age, and
they eliminated all families under tho
care OF the Baby Health stations or
receiving milk from a relief orgLniza-
tion.
The purchase of fresh milk by the
200 families examined has decreased
about S3 l-3 per cent. from October,
1916. 10 October, 1917. Last year 4,797
quarts daily were purchascd: this
year the total has dropped to 3,lg3.
Yet II Is estimated that the 1874 pco-
pie comprising the 1900 families actu-
ally need s,l94 quarts of milk every
day \ year ago they were getting
a little moro than half enough. To-
day they drink a third less than that
mcagro allowance.
or the families who have cut their
milk supply. 2l5 have cut Il 25
per cent. or less: sG9 report a dc
crease from % to 30 per cent: 169
have reduced their milk consumption
from 80 10 80 per cent. And 100 families
have admitted "A 100 per cent. cut:
that is, they have dropped fresh milk
entirely from their bin Of fare. The
nvcstigators found that 2,l4S chill
dren under six years Of ago are drink
ing tea and coffee. or the ,4s0 families
getting less milk. 1913 are substltut-
ing tea and coffee.
In some instances the mother md
housewife Is trying TO substitute con-
| densed milk for fresh. There was an
Increased consumption Of l4l cans Of
condensed milk among the families
listed in the survey, and OF those who
dropped fresh milk entirely 73 took In
its place the condensed article.
Babies under a wear old, OF course
need milk more than any on,
else. or the 2,2Oo families. 9s2 have
babies less than n year old. More
than half OF this number-56o-art
buying less milk to-day than they
bought n year ago. twenty-five
] families with babies less than yeai