Evening star., 1941-11-23
School Lunch
Program Blocks
1.Cent Milk
Imposse Is Reached
As Authorities Seek
To Meet Demands

Chairman Robert L. Haycock OF
the Board OF Education's Special
Milk Advisory Committee, Will re-
port to the board December on
the efforts of his group to meet
Surplus Marketing Administration
requirements for an Agriculture De-
partment sponsored penny milk
program for needy District school
children.
Unless there are additional devel-
opments, Mr.. Haycock will not be
able to hold out concrete hope OF
putting the suggested program
which would make milk available
to undernouriShed children at cost
of a penny a half-pint to the Dis
trict government-into effect within
the near future.
Briefly, the situation developed as
follows:
When the District applied for the
project. it was advised that on the
basis of milk consumption in the
schools at that time, an increase OF
27O per cent in consumption would
be necessary before such program
could be approved TO prevent a
financial loss TO the milk producers.
At the same time S. M, A. off,
cials declared that for a school 70
qualify for the program, so per cent
or more of its children must -
from needy families. The prOpCT7l
was that if go per cent OF the CHI
dren were needy, not only they r.
the entire school would get the m
to prevent segregation OF neeCy
children.
Hot Lunches Involved.
Present milk consumption in tEo
schools is chiefly through the frc2
hot lunches provided under w. ?.
A. project and through various
parent-teacher programs.
Seeking eligible schools for tF0
program, the advisory commit
| found 43 which might meet t.
definition of S. NJ. A. All but =
of these were colored. In additic''
there were IA parochial schools az
seven settlement houses anxious u
| participate.
Because the free lunches ar
served to needy children, it W
! found that many of the childre
| in the schools which would me-
! S. M. A. definition were already re-
| ceiving milk.
! The problem then became how
to increase consumption in these
schools 270 per cent. 1t was decided
this percentage could be met by
giving the penny half pints to the
children of these selected schools
at the mid-mornng recess. In this
way all the children would get the
milk at this time and those also
getting the free lunch would get
another half pint with their meals
at noon.
Yesterday the committee pre-
sented to Leon J. Steck of S. NJ A
figures on the selected schools
showing that under the proposed
plan, consumption would be in
creased 3l55 per cent over prese.-
use. only to be told that under :"
standard agreement form Of =
department a child would not r
permitted to get more than Oh
half pint of subsidized milk a d.
In other words, those children &C
ting the milk with their W. P \
lunches would not be able to receive
the penny milk.
Changed Plan Suggested.
! Mr.. Steck, however said he U2s
In no position to pass final juGc-
ment on the program. but Nj
Lucian Jordan of the District Co.
gress of Parents and Teache
pointed out that the increased cor-
sumption in the needy schools W
based on more than one-half pint
per student per day
The S M A official suggeste :
that under the lunch program. fU'l
price might be paid for the MIL
thus taking it out of the subsidiZc /
class. Then if an S M A program
were approved, child might tc
getting two half-pints a day but
only one would be on q subsidized
basis.
Under the program mapped for
the public schools by the committee
some 10000 children would get the
mid-morning half-pint against
some 6.700 who now get it with the
lunch Or through a PIT. A. pro-
gram. In the IA parochlal schools.
nearly 5000 would get it where only
about 1000 now receive it. In the
settlement houses, 315 would receive
it against 1876 now being served.
The Districts share of the project
would be paid out of the fund for
sponsors contributions to W. P. A.
! nroiectS althnlph this is not strictly