"_The Feeding of School Children._" BY MISS M. E. Bulkley, B.A., B.Sc. 3s. 6d. net. To Appear Shortly "_Studies in the Minimum Wage._" No. 2. The Establishment of Minimum Rates in the Tailoring Trade. BY R. H. TAWNEY, B.A. PREFACE In the collection of the material on which the following pages are based I have received assistance from so many persons that it is impossible to thank them all individually. I gratefully acknowledge the unfailing courtesy of officials of Local Education Authorities, School Medical Officers, secretaries of Care Committees and many others, who have always been most ready to supply me with information as to the working of the Provision of Meals Act, and to show me the Feeding Centres. My thanks are due especially to the students of the Social Science Department of the School of Economics, who have assisted in collecting and arranging the material, especially to Miss Ruth Giles, Miss A. L. Hargrove, and Miss P. M. Bisgood, the first chapter being very largely the work of Miss Giles; Mrs. Leslie Mackenzie, Mr. I. H. Cunningham, Miss Cecil Young and Mrs. F. H. Spencer have also kindly collected local information. I am greatly indebted to Mr. R. H. Tawney for much valuable advice and co-operation, and to Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Webb and Dr. Kerr for reading through the proofs. I should add that the enquiry was made during the course of the year 1913 and the account of the provision made refers to that date. M. E. Bulkley. CONTENTS Preface vii Introduction BY R. H. TAWNEY xi Chapter I. The History of the Movement for the Provision of School Meals 1 Provision by Voluntary Agencies--The Organisation of the Voluntary Agencies--The demand for State provision--Provision by the Guardians--The Education (Provision of Meals) Act. Chapter II. The Administration of the Education (Provision of Meals) Act 50 The adoption of the Act--Canteen Committees, their constitution and functions--The selection of the children--The preparation and service of the meals--The provision of meals during the holidays--The provision for paying children and recovery of the cost--Overlapping between the Poor Law and the Education Authorities--The provision of meals at Day Industrial Schools and at Special Schools--The underfed child in rural schools--Conclusions. Chapter III. The Provision of Meals in London 131 The organisation of Voluntary Agencies--The assumption of responsibility by the County Council--The extent of the provision--The Care Committee--The provision for paying children--The service of the meals--Overlapping with the Poor Law Authority--Appendix (Examples of feeding centres).