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99
of spitting in the streets, is carried in on the boots and shoes, therefore,
for the sake of the health of the scholars, it must be good to endeavour to
oxidise or to render inert this organic matter, and the daily spraying of
the floors with the electrolytic disinfectant fluid tends to bring this about.
As mentioned above the dust of a schoolroom is chiefly composed of
mud, carried in by the children's boots, added to which are atoms of
organic material from the eyes, mouths, noses, and garments of the
scholars. This dust is particularly stirred up by the movement of the
feet of the scholars and must be inhaled by them.
The application of the electrolytic fluid to the floors will not stain
them but will tend to bleach them, so that there will be no unpleasant
and depressing effects of darkened floors, and there will be no soiling of
the teachers' skirts. Until the floors have been sprayed daily for some
length of time with the fluid they may have a spotted appearance, as the
bleaching effect of the electrolytic fluid will take time in affecting the old
stains.
There is a possibility that diseases in scholars and epidemics of
infectious diseases in schools are due to the dust of the classrooms and
the clothing of the scholars.
It will be interesting to watch the result of this experiment to see
whether the attendances in these schools is better than that of schools in
which dust-allaying and germ-killing processes are not carried out.
Swimming Baths, the use therein of the Electrolytic
Fluid.
The fluid continues to be added to the water in the swimming baths
in the same quantity and strength as mentioned in the Annual Report for
the year 1909, viz., 1 part of chlorine to 2,000,000 parts of water.
The Bath Superintendents repeat their statements that the addition
of the fluid prevents the formation of slime in the water, the slime is not
found at the bottom of the baths when they are emptied, and there is no
offensive smell when the baths are being cleansed.