The Timaru Herald. WEDNESDAY, JULY 8, 1903.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXIX, Issue 12114, 8 July 1903, Page 2

The Timaru Herald. WEDNESDAY, JULY 8, 1903.

Our report yesterday of the proceedings at the meeting of the Committee of the Main School on Monday night contained the verbal report of the visitors, Messrs Howe and Smith, on the condition of.'the :: school buildings, including the outside sanitary arrangements. , The visitors are responsible intelligent persons, and what they reported on came within the legitimate sphere of their supervision. We must suppose that their statements were correct, and if so it is evident that either the Board of Education or the School Committee axe seriously to blame. Various defects wer© pointed out by ( the visitors, amongst the number being leaky porches, glass, in some of the windows in danger of iibeing blown-out, floors rotten in places, and a fence on the-North street side which is useless and a great eyesore.'" But all those are. points, of minor importance in comparison with, the abominable condition and; the insufficiency of the outside sanitary . .arrangements. What "the visitors said disclosed a bad state of affairs-, and they : might. with perfect truth have used stronger language. ••. The subject is not a : savoury one, but questions of health and common decency are inv-olved, and for that reason we give it prominent notice. We beg.to refer our readers to our report, and if they want more . information perhaps some of the residents in the vicinity of the school buildings can supply it. To , sum.'up the position: The state of affair's is disgraceful,-and a remedy ought- to be applied at once, or the Inspector of Nuisances should put the law in motion against , somebody. Perhaps the Board of Education or the Main School Committee could be got at through their respective chairmen; The point would be worth while trying, and the attempt would at all events give the authorities a muchi needed showing up. 'lt is a social crime to compel hundreds of children to come to a school, and then surround them with insanitary, conditions. What is at the bottom of the evil is the want of funds. As was pointed out meeting of Monday night, the main school building was erected about thirty years ago, and very little has sincfe ' been spent on it. . The same may be said of the outbuildings. The process of. deterioration has been allowed to go on almost unchecked, and the longer the delay in effecting a thorough all-round repair, the greater will be the ultimate cost. It is certain that the School Committee do not possess the means to do what is necessary. The ■ Board. ought to take the work in hand, and they should not have waited- for the ; matter to be forced on their attention by the School Committee; If something be not speedily , done, we may ,expect to hear of accidents caused by rotten floors, and falling woodwork and spouting; and worse than that there will in all probability be an outbreak'of-typhoid fever [as a consequence of the abominable nuij sances in connection with the -necessary outbuildings. On Monday night the Committee passed a resolution to ask the Board of Education to instruct their architect toreport on the school and fences as well as on the defective sanitary accommodation. That step is all very well as far as it goes, but we expect that the Board will require a. good deal of stirring up before really energetic and comprehensive, action is taken.