CRUELTY TO CHILDREN.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 15537, 13 March 1916, Page 4

CRUELTY TO CHILDREN.

TO TII£ EDITOR OF "THE MESS." Sir, —I am writing to you, trusting vou will find a small amount of space in your paper for this letter about our old" schools. Somo timo ago wo had great collection here for outdoor homes lor children. It has always struck mo that a great deal of tie need for them would havo been dono away with if a match liad been put to somo of our schools. Have you ever been in one of them, on ono of tho terribly hot days such as wo havo had latelyif you did go, you would find they arc like ovens. Tho ventilation is altogether out of date; the sun pours on tho children during tho hottest part of tho day, and the poor little mites' fares are purple., They hay© to sit in it, hnd what is more, sib still, and do their lessons. They are not even as well oil as the cats and dogs, which can crawl under shelter. Not so tho poor children. I met my own boy out of school the other day. His eyes, even, were bloodshot with tho heat of tho rootii > and soon after his nose commenced to bleed. Now, Sir, I think cruelty to children is worse than to animals, and I think it is cruelty.to compel them to to such places. The school I am writing about . i.* Papanui School, and if anyone would take a.walk from that ono to the new Infants' School in Bligh's road, they would find the difference. It is a plreisuro to seo tho difference in tho children, and to smell the difference in tho atmosphere. And why is it? Because one - is properly ventilated. I think I havo seen a great deal in the papers lately about our • children's lives being more valuable than ever, and yet, for tho sake of thomoney, in a rich, country like this, wo still let them use these old schools that should hayo been condemned long ago. "What is tho use of trying to patch up the children's health after? ' Why don't wo get to tho cause? Tho school lam writing of is falling to picces with wood-rot. It was papered over two years ago, to hide it. Since then they havo condemned, tho master's house, and it has been pulled down. Why don't they do the same with tho school ? Bccause of tho money, I suppose. Trusting someone more ablo fhan I will take this raattor in hand for the sako of the children. — Yours, etc., A MOTHER. March 10th.