The sun., 1919-09-30
MILK COST PERILS
LIVES OF CHILDREN
Survey by Fair Price Body
Reveals Startling Condi-
lions Here.
TWO CUPS DAILY RATION
Action by City to Relieve
Menace AS Seen by DR..
Copeland.

DR.. Royal s. Copeland, Commissioned
Of Health. presented yesterday to the
Fair Price Milk Committee. Of which
he is a member. survey OF 11,oo7 fam
lilies. including 1e.o37 children between
and Z years Of age, showing startling
effects upon health and we'll being due
to reduced consumption Of milk and in
many cases going without It altogether.
The decreased use OF milk Is duo to its
increased cost.
The survey was made by public health
Hygiene and Preventable Diseases, under
the direction Of DR.. Copeland. 1t
brought to light the fact that 40.57S cups
OF milk are used daily by 1e.os7 children.
or two cups and one ounce for each child.
This amount. the report says. is totally
inadequate at each Of the individual ages
but markedly so at the ages of / and 2.
milk is the blood Of children at these
ages" the report adds, "and whatsoever
deprives them of this sustenance for
financial or other reasons should feel the
full hand of the law. IL such can be
placed upon him. and IL not the execra-
ton of his fellow man.
The Health Commissioner held the
milk question properly is a public health
problem.
The inquiries directed by the nurses
to tho mothers of 11,007 families con-
cerned the quality and quantity OF milk
used. its increase in price the substitu-
ton of other articles Of food to supply
the place of milk. the inability OF the
parent to purchase milk at the advanced
prices. the classes Of the community
most affected and, above ALL the effects
OF the deprivation OF the necessary food
upon the health of the children of the
city.
The survey was confined to families In
areas representative of congested dis
tricts and included 1900 in Manhattan
2,056 In The Bronx. 1896 in Brooklyn,
467 in Queens and 4S9 in Richmond.
or the children examined 9,052 were
between one and two, 3,647 between two
and three. 1879 between three and four,
1856 between four and five, and 5,203
between five and seven.
There were 40.573 cups OF milk used
daily by 1s,037 children, or two cups
and one ounce OF milk for each child
daily, an amount totally inadequate at
each Of the individual ages, but markedly
so at ages of one and two years." the re-
port says.
Get Coffee and Tea.
THE number of cups of coffee given
daily to the children in 11.007 families
was 1e,439 cups, and of tea 7,43S cups
1t was evident that at least one cup of
tea or coffee is given on the average to
each child. When IL Is realized that
coffee and tea are stimulants, without
any appreciable value as nutrients, that
both should be tabooed in child life,
that there is a unanimous concurrence
of scientific opinion as to their worth
lessness in building up the muscular or
mental structure of the human body, the
conclusion is irresistible that malnutri-
ton and all the evils attendant thereto
must prevail among children fed on such
material
THE tables show that in 1925 fam
lilies substitutes in the form OF tea, cof-
fee, cocoa, cereals and of other drinks
are used, that Is to say. in over SO per
cent of the homes Investigated. This
dangerous practice has full sway. Some
mothers, ignorant OF food values, per-
sist in this baneful habit, but many
mothers who know better are compelled
by reason Of the high cost of milk to
seek refuge in the use of these dele
FERROUS substitutes
I'm 1919 instances less milk was
bought, according to statements of the
mothers More condensed milk was
used in LOTT families. Mothers to the
number of 5,775 claimed that children
were deprived OF milk by reason of its
high cost, and 4.O5S children suffer by
reason Of use Of less milk
Disorders Are Prevalent.
THE examination by the nurses
showed the following prevalence of nu-
tritional disorders among the children.
This Is the most interesting and i'm
portant disclosure of the survey. There
are 1924 children found suffering from
mal-nutrition, 9e3 from anaemia, 7s5
were found to be under normal weight,
SOS children suffered from other dis
orders and 3,64S were found to be un-
dernou-ished.
'Tn 1915 (September) there were
bought 'aIly 1,02S quarts OF Grade A
milk. bottled, at an average price OF
Is cents, while in 1919 (September)
there were only Sis quarts bought daily
at a price OF 1875 cents per quart. This
is TO say, the amount Of this grade of
milk purchased decreased 80 per cent.
the price increasing 43 per cent.
Grade bottled was paid for in 1916
at a price of 1913 cents, the amount in
daily use being LOO quarts, as COM
pared with price OF 16.5 cents and a
daily amount of sol quarts, the increase
In price being 80 per cent. and the de-
crease in amount 81 per cent
Grade b loose could be had In 1916
at SO cents per quar-, at which price
2.o45 quarts were bought daily. as COM
pared with a price of 1913 cents and an
amount OF 2,6S4 quarts daily, an increase
in price of 3s per cent and an Increase
in daily amount Of "a per cent. The
price OF condensed milk rose from 1914
cents in 1916 TO 1875 cents in 1919, an
Increase of rs per cent, the amount
used. relatively small. doubling in 1919"
III letter to the committee Lotion
Horton, president of Sheffield Farms,
declared that the great menace to-day
was organized labor against morgan
lied labor. He blamed the teamsters
for much Of the milk distribution costs.