TECHNICAL SCHOOL MANAGERS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3111, 29 October 1913, Page 7

TECHNICAL SCHOOL MANAGERS.

The regular meeting of the Tochnica. School Managers was held on the 15th inst., and was attended by Messrs 1. Scott (chairman), Hurt, Haslett, Kempthorne, Burnett, Chamberlain, M’Kinley, Israel, Lillie, W ilkinson, Harris, Menzies, W asher, Christie, Gow, and Dr Colquhoun The Director’s report was as follows: “ The session for the evening classes ended on the 10th inst., and the ciass examinations were completed on that date, The resu.ts, however, will not be available for some weeks yet. During the last few months the day eciiool has been unable to supply the direct demand made upon it by emotovers seeking office assistants, but I expect that within the next few weeks I shall be ab.c to recommend for positions a number of the pupils completing the second year of their training in commercial work. Members of the industrial course are also eagerly sought after, but the number of these lads finishing at the end of the year is altogether inadequate to meet the demands of the employers who have already made application for" them .’’—Adopted. Mr W. M’Lollan (contractor), writing to Mr H.' Mandeno (architect) regarding the heating and ventilating pipes, stated that it was necessary for him to know whether that work was to be earned out. A number of the heating pipes were in a very connnec. position under the ican-to part of the main roof, and unless ho got instructions to out the work before the roof was sarked he would not be able to do the work at rue contract price. ’ ~ In connection w.th this matter D Colquhoun addressed the following letter to the managers: —“The following has been written with reference to the proposed method of heating the new 'building, but I have also called your attention to the results obtained in open-air schools in other parts of the world. Wc know the public school as a nursery and breeding ground of most of the infectious diseases. Tuberculosis, rare in infancy, becomes common when the school age is reached. From the simple cold or ehickcnpox \to the severer diseases —measles, scarlet fever, diphtheria —the school receives and dominates all. In severe epidemics the school is closed as a matter of course. W hen the epidemic passes it is opened again, and .begins its career for the spread of more than learning. We take children at an age when, like all young animals, thengrowing tissues crave exercise, fresh air. and freedom, and pin them for many hours a day in crowded rooms, breathing air that has been already breathed and contaminated. And when medical examination shows that under these conditions the children show a large percentage of badly developed teeth, adenoids, narrow chests, and ill-health generally, we refuse to recognise the lesson that Nature is teaching with severity and inevitablencss. The school need not bo a deteriorating influence Children must bo taught, but they should not bo poisoned in the process. Actual experience has demonstrated that this ;s not necessary. At a school like Waita-ki the boys are as healthy at the end of the session as at the end of their holidays. This is attained by paying as much attention to the body as to the mind, and the mind docs not suffer, in the Tuberculosis number of tlie Witness, published last year, there was a good account of the open-air schools for delicate children, which have been established in Germany, Britain and America. Briefly put, the results have uniformly been a higher standard of health among pupils and teachers and a higher standard of work. Teachers have claimed that from 20 to 30 per cent, better results are obtained than in other schools. The inference to be drawn is that if the openair school is good for delicate children, it is good for all. At the recent International Congress of Medicine, held in London, there is one small significant paragraph in the report of the section dealing with public health. It runs thus: ‘On the proposal of Dr Godeon Biro (Budapest) a resolution was passed by the section to the effect that it was advisable to extend and further in every way possible the teaching of children in open-air schools.’ It is the opinion of the writer that if this could bo carried into effect the result would outweigh all the rest of the work of the groat congress put together in benefiting public health. But it is characteristic of the indifference of doctors and others to this subject that this resolution lias attracted no attention. No correspondent thought it worth while cabling or writing about. No editor wrote articles on it—and yet it is a resolution which must rejoice the heart of everyone who has taken an interest in the health of schools and in public health. There is nothing to be said in favour of the present system. But it has on its side all the weight of custom, prejudice, and the inertia of the public. It has been long ago demonstrated that the concentrated emanations from the human body, and especially those from the lungs and skin, arc among the -deadliest poisons known to mail. It has also been demonstrated that all the infectious germs flourish most among people exposed to such emanations, even when diluted. And these are the conditions to which children are exposed in a largo proportion of our schools. In some schools and in the training college those in authority have gone a stop further away from the ideal fresh air school. They have -installed heating apparatus, which robs the air of something needful for human wants, and at the same time is favourable to the growth of disease germs. In the -new Technical School it is proposed to make arrangements for this method of heating. Either experts in public health, who mot lately in London, are wrong, or we are wrong. Pure air is either good for children and others or bad for them. Foul air is either good or bad. Let us try to make up our minds which wo are going to have not only in our schools, but m our homos and working places. It Is with no great hope of any immediate results that these lines are written. Ihe ‘practical’ man will be scornful of any innovation, the public will continue indifferent, the arrive and intelligent agents fer various heating apparatus will go on selling their wares. Parliament ha.; even passed a lav. making heating of workshops compulsory. But tTTore is a large

and growing hand of men and women who are not satisfied with the present system. The good results of the open-air treatment of consumption, pneumonia, asthma, and bronchitis-—diseases which a generation ago

were treated in heated rooms —have been a lesson to everybody. The open window is growing in favour. People are beginning to find out that sunlight and fresh air, pure food and pure living will do more for them than the drug and vaccines which may be necessary when foul air and impure food have produced disease. Especially should managers of schools and other educational institutions be asked, if they have not done ro, to make themselves familiar with the results already obtained by openair schools, and with the evils which have been shown to be inseparable from overheated, ill-ventilated, and dirty school rooms.”

Dr Colquhoun said he would call attention to the fact that at the recent conference held in London, at which the most eminent men were present, a resolution had been passed that it was advisable to extend the teaching of children in open air schools. When a number of persons were collected together a most important question was pure air. The artificial method used, with doors and windows closed, was not consistent with pure air and ventilation, and ho moved—“ That, the hot water pipes be not introduced in the new building.” Mr Burnett seconded the motion pro forma. He failed to understand what scheme Dr Colquhoun proposed to introduce in doing away with the heating. Dr Colquhoun replied that what had been done in open air schools was that the children were kept warm by wearing proper garments. There was a room where they could remove their wet clothes and boots after they arrived, and they were supplied, in the case of poor children, with war:';: ar.d dry clothes. He thought all pupils should be sufficiently warmly clad to withstand the open air. Mr Wilkinson said the desires of parents had to be considered, and ho was afraid some difficulty would be experienced in convincing the great majority of them that the course advocated by Dr Colquhoun was the proper one to pursue. He was also afraid that if sonic provision was not made for heating the school that Mr Marshall (the director) would not find the classes so well attended as they had been. Mr Haslet! supported Dr Colquhoun in the stand he took. There wore no young children coining to the Technical School, and if thev could induce pupils to come properly clad the difficulty would disappear. The Chairman pointed out that putting in the pipes was not putting in the heating apparatus. Mr Israel referred to pupils being taught in the open air in the public schools. They were sometimes taught in the school grounds when weather conditions suited. What was suggested was a - counsel of perfection that they unfortunately could not face at present. He asked what the connections would cast.

The Chairman: About £3OO. Mr Israel said ho thought they should make the connection and fight out the matter later on. Jf, however, it was aai absolute necc&sitv he did not think they should be frightened of a reform in this direction. He moved as an amendment “That the connections be made.” Mr Washer seconded the amendment. They could test the truth of Dr Colquhoun’s contentions afterwards. After further discussion, Dr Colquhoun said he was satisfied with the result. He had had no hope of carrying his motion. Perhaps it would not be do so. The amendment was carried, and Dr Colquhoun was thanked for his activity in the matter. A discussion then took place on the financial position in connection with the new building, originating with a suggestion from Mr Menzies that it would bo desirable to know what the position was. The outcome of the matter was that the Finance Committee was requested to apportion districts to members to be canvassed for subscriptions.