IN THE PUBLIC MIND.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 303, 22 December 1932, Page 6

IN THE PUBLIC MIND.

SCHOOL INFECTION

THE STATE'S RESPONSIBILITY.

(To the Editor.)

The recent difference between our Health. Department and education authorities has turned general attention to the wisdom or foolishness of closing schools when there is infectious disease amongst the children, and it is reported from England that the authorities there are uncertain what should be done. The question is complicated by the fact that boarding schools and day schools do not have the question presented to them in equal conditions. Let us imagine a residential school in which there is an outbreak of infectious dii--1 ease. Say, there are one hundred pupils, that ten are ill, ten are "sickening" for the disease, and five are suspected "carriers." To send the children home would be to spread the disease over a wide area, therefore the affected pupils should be put to bed, the doubtfuls watched, the "carriers" isolated, and the whole school kept under local medical supervision. In the case of a dav school and boarding school combined, the visits of the day pupils to tho infected centre should be stopped, every day pupil sent home with an order for quarantine or daily medical examination, and the boarders treated as above suggested. In a day school without boarders the immediate closing of the school is advisable, but this should be dona only when every pupil remaining at home is examined daily by nurse or doctor and promptly quarantined if necessary. When parents cannot afford any payment for this service it is the duty of the Health Department to arrange for domiciliary inspection, and the education authorities to send an order home with each child and disinfect the school. With compulsory education the responsibility is transferred from parents and guardians to t'he school authorities, and disease contracted at school is presumably a school's responsibility. The nature of the disease occurring alters the opinion of the Health Department in each epidemic or infection, but the iparents in every case desire, only to guard the children at school, and those not yet of school age, from any possible injury. The State cannot say, "I will force your child to attend school, but repudiate all responsibility in sickness." In a private school it is one of the risks of the profession that illness of pupils or staff, or both, may eat up a year's profits, and in publie schools, and semi-public schools in England there are many with a "sanatorium," or isolation wards, attached, and" this in itself is an acknowledgment of substitute parental responsibility. The Health Department should, be supreme, and the regulations set out here should apply to all schools. H.A.Y. THE COUNCIL AND MR. DALLIMORE. May I be allowed - space to answer the astonishing remarks of W. R. Bate in 'his letter of Wednesday? It is suggested that the attitude of the Mayor towards Mr. Dallimore has been illogical. Far from this being so, his is the only logical attitude of an educated, reasoning man or woman, and, further, the thanks of the community are due to him. It is not necessary for me to point out what has been clearly demonstrated to Auckland citizens—the danger this revival fire mission presents to the health of the community. Apart from the fact that the most ill-informed observer can see the absurdities of Mr. Dallimore's claims, we have before us the statement of an expert committee that the mission is a positive.danger to the sanity and bodily health of the community. To dismiss this statement, is sheer ignorance, for the citizens on that committee are certainly not men to commit themselves lightly. To suggest bias is merely to exhibit the inferiority complex remarked upon by the committee. I would suggest that these facts are sufficient support for Mr. Hutchison: (1) The investigation committee has clearly proved that this particular mission is dangerous in that it tends to prevent people adopting scientific means of cure for ailments until it is too late. (2) A real danger is presented to the sanity of the community. (3) The City Hall should not be used to the detriment of the welfare of the community. (4) Far from 'being weak, the fire argument is something real and requiring urgent attention. Perhaps Mr. Bate knows that the Fire Board supervises all entertainments to ensure that no danger is presented to the public. Can he inform us how some hundred people are to be saved in the event of fire, while they lie in a hypnotic coma? J. BOX. TOO MUCH SMOKE. Surely there should be on the ferry boats a place where women can sit in comfort and not have the stale fumes of tobacco wafting over them from foul pipes, heavy cigars and unsubtle cigarettes. I am aware of the fact that there is a non-smoking cabin, but that is generally downstairs and inconvenient. It is the upstairs, rather open-airish cabins that are the most comfortable and desirable ones, but for a fastidious woman to have to sit in them is purgatory. I smoke a little myself, but I object strongly to other people's smoke. The smell itself is not so :bad, but the fumes saturate the clothes with staleness. Perhaps if l the male smokers would do it more neatly and not blow the smoke so energetically down the back of one's neck .it would not be so ibad. If they behaved in a more considerate fashion and took the inside or the outside of the seat as the case may t>e according to the draught, one's journey would not be spoilt, but it seems that a lot of masculine nicotine slaves take a delight in filling the only decent places on the boat with the atmosphere of a smoke concert. I suggest that two out of the four cabins on the boat should be set aside for non-smokers instead of one as is now the case. Smokers could also have for their territory (as a gift) the whole of the outside seats, both upstairs and down. FEMININE. THE FRUIT EMBARGO. What are we to think of a Government thab can't even let the public have cheap fruit, but must stop the importation to please some of its friends? One wouldn't object if the embargo did anyone any good. It will make fruit dearer so that people won't 'be able to buy it, and, as in past years, tons of the stuff will be destroyed. Can't the fruitgrowers themselves see that the best thing for them is to give people the fruit habit by always giving a supply at low rates? In these times one would think the Government would do everything in its power to make good food cheap, but just when fruit looked like getting cheap, down it comes with this embargo. Now no one but the wealthy will be able to buy fruit for Christmas. The workers have a legitimate grievance and ought to rise up and protest unitedly. SON OF TOIL.

OUR DEBT TO ENGLAND. In your issue of Monday evening's "Star" in the message to the Home Secretary of State for the Dominions our leaders ( ?) stated that "it is felt, that the action of the Government will meet with the whole-hearted approval of the people of this Dominion, notwithstanding the difficulties confronting them." They are taking too .much for granted; surely a portion at least of the sum proposed to be paid —over £82.5,000 —might have been used to alleviate some of the misery and starvation in our own country. Why Providence has denied Xcw Zealand a few statesmen is a matter of wonider to, many. i A . LABOUR.