Mexborough and Swinton Times January 15, 1926
Conisborough Council
Babies in Cinemas
Concern about Infant Deaths
At the meeting of the Conisborough Urban Council on Wednesday, serious concern was shown by members, of the exceptionally high mortality rate reported by the medical Officer Dr J McArthur.
Mr J Sheldon presided.
Mr J Brocklesby, the chairman of the Sanitary Committee, said their birthrate was 33.5 per 1000 of the population, against 17.5 in the county boroughs and large towns – “a very remarkable “difference.” The death rate was 14.9 compared with 12.9 – a “marked difference also. But the difference became more pronounced when they looked at their infantile mortality. The rate was 112.6 per 1000 against 91.2 in the large towns.
Were they producing at the expense of their people’s vitality – faster than they could nourish? Could they do anything to alter the state of affairs? They were making some effort through their Infant Welfare Centre at which many mothers were seeking advice. But the figures suggest that some neglect somewhere. They heard of instances of babies 14 days old in cinemas with their mothers, and a mother taking a child seven days old to the cinema. It seemed almost incredible.
“Is that is being done by some mothers it is an exhibition of crass ignorance. Such conduct borders on the criminal. A mother should know that her health and the health of the child needs very careful attention. Mothers who do such things are this are running untold risk. It is very regrettable that they should show such indifference to the welfare of their children.”
“Fools in all Classes”
Mr A Roberts said to get down to rock bottom that they must admit that the causes of those serious figures were economic. With regard to the cinema incidents, he would say there were fools in all classes, and such instances should not be taken as an indication of the normal attitude of working class mothers to their children.
As an authority they had not much power in regard to infant mortality. If the Minister of Health’s new Bill was in force they would have a good deal more direct contact with the mothers. Remembering the large numbers of unemployed and of tuberculous persons, and the great number who had to resort to poor relief, they had to conclude the root cause of the trouble was economic.
One thing they were up against was that in their own district the Guardians would not under any circumstances supplement unemployment benefit. In scores of cases they are men been out of work for months, and exhausted their covenanted benefit and – taking the map with five children – had to eke out an existence on 33 shillings a week.
The government laid down the standard of two shillings a week for the keep of a child. As practical men, they must agree that was not enough. It was an impossibility to do justice to the child on that sum. If they examine the position closely they will find that many of their infant deaths occurred in houses dependent on poor relief. In their district about 150 persons were in receipt of relief.
Apart from that they would find that the majority of the deaths were of the children of tuberculous parents, who had to resort to poor relief. The present rate of relief amounted to an average of 15d per day per person, and that was not sufficient to guarantee a child the necessary care and nourishment. He regretted as a Guardian that their Board were too ready to accept the Government standard. It was criminal for any authority in whom the power was vested in to allow the present situation to remain. If there were going to hand down to posterity a better heritage than they had come into they would have to do something quickly.
The acid test of a nation’s greatness or not the number of men it had under arms are any given moment, but the degree of health and contentment of its people, and particularly of its young life.
Houses Too
Mr Brownsword said the ignorance from which miss care of infants arose was not the fault of the parents, but of those who with the power in their hands and always withheld the knowledge necessary to efficient motherhood and citizenship. But there was another side; cinemas were unhealthy places sometimes, but they were dwelling houses in their own district in which it was a disgrace for any authority to allow a woman to bear children. And many diseases were said by experts to be aggravated, if not caused by needless pollution of the atmosphere by Works owners who had the power to prevent it.
Broke Quarantine
moving the adoption of the Sanitary and I was Committee recommendations, Mr Brocklesby referred to recommendation that proceeding should be taken against a young man who had scarlet fever patient in the Conisborough Isolation Hospital, and unless the Hospital before being duly discharged, thus exposing person with whom he came in contact unnecessary risk of infection.
The committee were almost unanimous in their recommendations that he be prosecuted, the only other view put forward being that a warning should be sufficient. He thought the matter so serious that he did not agree. This was the first case of this kind, and he felt it necessary to take strong actions in the interests of public health and safety.
Mr Roberts agreed. Cases of such folly might be overlooked when only the offender took any risk, but in this instance the man travelled to Doncaster and exposed everyone with whom he came into contact to risk. They most see that people took proper regard to medical advice and orders.
The Council agreed to the passing of accounts amounting to £10,323. The Collector reported receipt of £4,726 during the month on general district rate.