110 ADMINISTRATIVE SECTION 



Leeds methods are on the pattern of St. Pancras. 

 We had five centres in existence in the year ending 

 September, 1912, and at each at least one meeting 

 a week for weighing, infant consultations, health 

 talks, and thrift and clothing clubs ; and others for 

 expectant mothers, babies over the year, and classes 

 for sewing, cooking, nursing, &c. The mothers in 

 1911-12 made 19,448 attendances. There is a trained 

 nurse in charge at each meeting and a voluntary 

 doctor attends for part of the time. Ideally for the 

 weekly weighing day we want five voluntary workers 

 as well as the expert. The other meetings do not 

 need so many amateurs. The experts do most of the 

 visiting; out of 7,501 visits in 19 r i-i 2, only 524 were 

 paid by amateurs, but we hope to better that. We 

 had 250 expectant mothers on our books last year, 

 and 284 babies- over one year. These are the two 

 parts of the work we are trying especially to develop. 

 We hope to keep the babies on our books until school 

 age. The mothers come only for instruction. They 

 get nothing else but a cup of tea and a biscuit ; 685 

 belonged to our Thrift Club last year, 682 to our 

 Clothing Club, which sold ^80 worth of clothes. The 

 big Leeds girls' schools are connected with different 

 Welcomes ; the girls help us by sewing, &c., and love 

 to come to our meetings. 



The management is voluntary, but is given direc- 

 tion and value by our paid experts. Our superin- 

 tendent is a fine officer who knows all the mothers in 

 every branch, trains the probationers, and keeps 

 splendid statistics. The rest of the staff consists of 

 six "probationers," ladies who come to us at a reduced 

 rate (60 a year), to learn babies' welcome work, 

 having already their C.M.B., and a considerable 

 experience of mothers and babies. (If they have no 

 sanitary or health visitor's certificate, we give them 

 facilities for obtaining it.) They take a month of 

 training with our superintendent at the centre, and 



