[Report 1919] / School Medical Officer of Health, Merioneth County Council.

  • Merioneth (Wales). County Council.
Date:
1919
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1919] / School Medical Officer of Health, Merioneth County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    14/26 (page 12)
    I am convinced that with a little re-organisation and co-ordination of the several departments that a better attendance can be obtained in schools. EMPLOYMENT OF CHILDREN. In the earlier part of the year I made an enquiry in each school as to the prevalence of part time employment of school children, and I found about 500 children so employed amongst the school population. The Head Teachers with one or two exceptions, are of opinion that this part time employment, particularly if it occurs in the morn¬ ing is very detrimental to the child. 1 have often observed during medical inspection that excessive employment tells on a child’s physical and mental development. The principal occupations of the children are:— helping on farms, delivering milk, selling newspapers. In many instances chi dren have to be up betimes in the morning, and from their statements to me I consider that they have done almost a fair day’s work for their physique and age, before they come to school, and no wonder the master reports ''this child was often found sleep¬ ing over his book” a by no means uncommon statement in the re¬ turns furnished to me. The children selling or delivering newspapers have to meet certain trains for the paper, and these trains arrive at stations at hours, many persons would not care to turn out of the house, and the remark generally made is “this child is often late from his rounds with the papers.” In the course of this enquiry I found one child of 8 years of age distributing milk morning and evening. 2 children one 7-i running messages 4 hours daily, 12 another 11^ running messages 3 hours daily, 5 children b etween 9 and 10 years of age employed before morn¬ ing school. 14 children between 10 and 11 years of age These are some of the remarks on the forms, “works daily and 12 hours on Saturday.” “employed 2 hours daily” “works | hours daily.” 23 children between 11 and 12 years of age working Some of the remarks:— “works on small farm morning and evening” “continually on the trot” ;5r. /