WHEN BOARDS DIFFER.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1165, 28 June 1911, Page 6

WHEN BOARDS DIFFER.

MEASLES V. EDUCATION. When the Wellington Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, at its last meeting, was discussing certain aspects of tho prevailing measles epidemic, the opinion was, expressed that if Wellington schools were to be closed for a mouth, the epidemic would be checked. Tho Hospital Committee of the board recommended that a letter should be sent to tho Education Board covering that suggestion. This was done. The Wellington Education Board, however, decided at its meeting yesterday that it could not see eyo to eyo with tho Hospital Board on tho question of closing the schools.

The chairman (Mr. Eobt. Lee), in an introductory reference to the subject, declared that tho prevailing epidemic was quite an "average" oue, certainly calling for the exercise of reasonable precautions, but not for tho closing of the schools, as had been suggested by the Hospital Board. Tho Education Board could nat countenance that.

"It would be tho greatest mistake in the world," remarked Mr. A. W. llogg, M.l\ Mr. G. L. Stewart, secretary of tho board, said that ho had taken out comparative figures of the attendances for tho quarter which' had just ended. Five schools had made under 80 per cent, in average attendance, 17 had made from 90 to 100, -19 had made from 80 to 89. Of the twenty largest schools, seven had recorded 00 per cent, in average attendance, ten from 85 to 89 per cent., and three from 81 to 8J per cent. Tho epidemic had made its appearance in February last, and had steadily worked its way from district to district. Several of the districts had got the epidemic well over. The closing of the schools would not simplify the matter—children would still mingle freely 111 the streets. There was 110 evidence before the board to warrant tho closing of the schools.

Mr. T. 1!. Fleming, Chief Inspector, mentioned that 0110 of the results of the epidemic would be the lowering of (he average attendance for the quarter. In tho case of the Brooklyn School, for instance, the school, normally, would have been entitled to another teacher 011 the. staff, but measles had lowered the average. It was true that they could substitute another quarter's average for the affected quarter, but that did not improve the position of a school like Brooklyn, which had a steadily-increasing attendance.

The matter was I lien dropped, after the secretary had been instructed to writo a letter of reply to tho Hospital Board.