Evening star., 1946-10-22
Lunch Program
Called Schools
Responsibility
National Conference
Opens Meeting Here;
Truman Huils Aim

opens Meerin9 HeIei
Trumun HuiIs Aim
Responsibility for success of the
national school lunch program rests
squarely on school officials, DR.. e.
B. Norton, director of the Division
of School Administration, United
States ONCE of Education, told the
National School Lunch Conference
today.
Schools must assume full meas
ure of responsibility for the pro-
gram if it is to achieve its ultimate
purposes" Dr. Norton told approxi-
mately ITS delegates at the opening
of a two-day conference at Hotel
240O Sixteenth street.
Earlier, Conference Chairman
Paul C. Stark, director of the Food
Distribution Program Branch of the
Agriculture Departments Produc-
tion and Marketing Administration.
read a message from President
Truman hailing the aims Of the
conference and the school lunch
program.
The act setting up the program.
providing 100000 in grants for
apportionment among the States,
was termed lone of the most i'm
portant health laws of our time" by
DR.. Thomas Parran, Surgeon Gen.
eral of the United States.
Only Portion of British Effort.
DR.. Parran pointed out, however.
that the sum appropriated rep
resents only "a small part of what
the British are doing in the same
field" He said the United Kingdom
was spending the equivalent OF
$500 100000 a year toward improving
the diet of school children-which
on per capital basis would call for
this country's expenditure of nearly
a billion to be on comparable
basis.
DR.. Parran said the Nation is COM
ing to realize that mot charity but
self preservation" is a motive behind
such movements as the school lunch
program.
1--WE should look upon health and
such of its corollaries as diet as a
huge cooperative designed to build
up the Nations greatest asset-the
human being" he asserted.
Expands Farm Market.
Undersecretary of Agriculture
N. E. Dodd told the meeting the
Agriculture Department subscribes
to the school lunch program for two
principal reasons. These. he said,
were because it provides an ex-
panded market for the products Of
American farms, and because it
helps build better future citizens -
Objectives of the conference were
outlined by Robert H. Shields, head
of the Production and Marketing
Administration of the Agriculture
Department, which administers the
school lunch program.
Others who addressed the morning
session included DR.. Hazel K. Stiebel-
ing, chief of the Bureau of Human
Nutrition and Home Economics,
Agriculture Department, and the
Rev. William j. Gibbons. associate
editor of America, national Cath
olic weekly. Tomorrow's session Will
be held at the South Building OF
the Agriculture Department.
The Districts share of the Federal
funds for this year is 5000 1894, to be
used for the purchase OF food and
equipment. All 48 States have sub
stribed to the program.
Text of Statement.
The text of President Truman's
tatement read by Mr.. Stark fol-
lows:
When I signed the National
School Lunch Act last June fourth
I pointed out that Congress had
provided the basis for strengthen
ing the Nation through better
nutrition for our school children
and wider markets for the products
of our farms. Today you who ad-
minister the cooperative program
in all the States and territories are
met to build upon that basis-to
see that the full potentialities OF
the program are realized in the
years ahead.
Nothing is more important In
our national life than the welfare
of our children, and proper nour-
ishment comes first in attaining
this welfare. The well-nourished
school child is a better student. He
is healthier and more alert. He Is
developing good food habits which
will benefit him for the rest of his
life. In short, he is better asset
for his country in every way.
THE school lunch program pro-
vides a cooperative means of assur-
ing adequate nutrition for millions
of our children who otherwise might
be denied this basic need. Even in
this first year of operation under the
new permanent legislation nearly
10000 900 boys and girls are expected
to receive the benefit of school
lunches. This is a splendid start,
but we must look forward to the day
when the lunches are available in
every community in every State and
Territory.
ITO you who carry out the pro-
gram locally falls the crucial job Of
seeing to it that we build we'll for
the future. I wish you every success
in the great task you are undertak-
ing" :
Dr.. Oppenheimer to Speak