AN OVERCROWDED SCHOOL REQUIREMENTS AT PETONE.

Evening Post, Volume LXIV, Issue LXIV, 13 September 1902, Page 5

AN OVERCROWDED SCHOOL REQUIREMENTS AT PETONE.

f lhe District Health Officer (Dr. Valintine) has forwarded a report upon the sanitation of the Petone School to Mr. H. Fijhdlay, Chairman of the School Committee. The report urges the immediate draining of surface water from the playground, tho prevention of storm-water lodging in a hollow under the school, and tho necessity of improving the drainage of tho school lavatories. He states that the worst' feature by far .is the smaH amount oi cubic space allowed each scholar. In the face of the present arrangements this scarcity of air-space it little short of scandalous. Certainly not) less than 200 feet should be allowed when natural . ventilation alone is relied upon, for the • changing of lac air of schoolrooms. Without making any deduction for the space taken up by furniture, etc., the following is the amount of cubic space per scholar at . present allowed in the school . — Main room, infanta, 90 eubio feet; First Standard, 160; Second Standard, 99; Third and Fifth Standard, gills, 84; Sixth Standard, 194; Seventh Standard, 220; Third Standard boys, 129; Fourth Standary, boys, 135; Fifth Standard, boys. IG4. The Third Standard boys' room is a very bad one, and has been condemned. It is very badly lighted. Th« averages of space have been taken on th* daily attendance— not on the full roll of the school. Had the latter been taken the amount of air-spare allowed unfortunate infnnts in the main room, instead of 99 (which the doctor says hi all conscience ii bad enough), would be only 68 feet. At a meeting of the School Committee held Hist evening, the Mayor (Mr. R»Mothes), Mr. H. Findlay (Chairman of Committee), Rev. A. Thomson, and Mr._ Hope were appointed to wait upon th* Minister' for Education, and urge tha necessity of increased school accommodation being immediately provided. Mr. T. M. Wilford, M.H.R., is to be asked to arrange for and introduce the deputation.