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140
During the summer holidays following the closing order, the
drainage of the school was thoroughly examined and reconstructed.
The old drain was found to be laid in without jointing
material, and with a most erratic course, not following the lines
shown on the plans in the keeping of the Vestry. There were a
number of square junctions with nothing connected to them, their
open ends being closed up with bricks The ventilation of the
drainage system was inadequate, and the soil-pipes, which were
also drain ventilators, were defective in their joints. The surface
water was received in brick catch pits of improper construction
containing much deposit, and all the gulleys were foul. The
/ water closets were in good condition and working order.
There was one cistern for drinking water which was dirty.
One of the defective soil-pipes was in an angle of the building
quite close to a window of the infants' room. The upper set of
closets on this soil-pipe was not in use.
It should be added that one of the teachers at the school had
been nursing a niece ill with diphtheria some few weeks before
the outbreak in the school, and that the teacher herself had had
a sore throat. Inquiries were made of the teacher's medical
attendant, who expressed himself satisfied that the teacher had
not had diphtheria. No bacteriological examination was made in
connection with the teacher's case of sore throat.
St. PAUL'S CHURCH SCHOOLS.
Ever since the beginning of the current school term it has
seemed to me that there has been an unduly large number of
'cases of scarlet fever among the scholars of this school. In the
five weeks already completed there have been 11 cases with an
average number of 656 scholars on the rolls. The Amberley Road
Board School has had the next highest number of cases, 7, the
average number of scholars (according to the last Report of the
School Board) being 993.
During the month of October, 8 scholars were reported to me
to have the fever, and during the first four days of this month, 5
scholars have been so reported. A complete list of the scholars,