SUMMER SCHOOL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18541, 29 April 1922, Page 7

SUMMER SCHOOL

DR MEOEEDY’S REPORT. Dr Mecredy attended yesterday’s meeting of the Otago Education Board, and pre.. sented a report concerning the school for children of abnormal development, recently conducted at Vauxhall. Ho said the total receipts towards the .camp expenses were £142 7s 2d, made up as follows: —School children, £49 4s 3d; Barents, £23 19s; public, £69 3s lid- The expenditure to date was £IK 9s 6d, and there -would be outstanding bills to meet of about £35, leaving a balailce in hand of approximately £3O. Seventy-two. Dunedin firms, assisted the school either bv the provision of supplies or transport. The results of the school were, he said, quite satisfactory. The average gain in weight of the 25 boys over the six weeks they were in'camp was almost 3lb. The normal rate of gain would be 9oz to 12oz in a similar period. The gain in weight therefore averaged four times the normal. Blood tests ‘made at the University bacteriological laboratory showed a marked improvement in 15 out of 19 boys who attended for the. full period. One boy improved, but did not reach normal. Three boys made no improvement according to the test. On the other hand, these three boys made an average gain in weight of The girls also made marked improvement. , The parents of the boys expressed themselves as more than satisfied by the results attained at the summer school. Dr Mecredy emphasised the fact of the bad weather experienced during , the concluding month of the camp. In spite of the weather, he said, there were no colds in camp during the past fortnight. He stated that the aim of the school throughout had been the inculcation of bettor hygienic- habits in the children, and the "itting on of weight was a secondary con'■(leration. If the department sanctioned a imilar school in the future ho had no doubt : t could be run with greater ease, and would diow even better results than the present "bool had done. The Chairman (Mr J. "Wallace) isaid the 1 experiment had proved well worth trying. Trs Mecredy and Irwin were deserving of every thanks on the part of both the parents •uid the board for the ability and enthusiasm which they had shown in carrying out the experiment. He moved that a record be -nade in the minutes to that effect-. Mr J. H. Wi’kinson seconded the motion, -nd expressed the hope that a similar camp would- be held next year under more favourvble climatic conditions. The motion wits carried unanimously, and Dr Mecredy, in responding, thanked the Nmd for its general assistance arid sympathetic attitude, •and remarked that the, tamp could not have been carried out without that. He said that if a similar school were a held next year they ought to do better, with the experience they > had had. _ He ‘bought better results, might bo achieved if the children taken-were a little older.