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I2C
On December 1st the Education Committee rescinded Mr. Cull's resolution
of 21st September, and to the Council of 8th December a resolution of that
Committee was submitted asking the Council to grant them powers to appoint
a temporary Assistant School Medical Officer (and that such officer be a lady).
A resolution to that effect—excluding the bracket—was negatived in favour of
a special Council meeting (in Committee) "to go in to the whole question with
regard to the appointment of Medical Officer of Health and School Medical
Officer.
On December 7th, the Board of Education wrote again deprecating further
delay in appointing a locum tenens for Dr. Rock.
On December 8th, the Council resolved that a special committee of the
Council (in committee) should be held to go into the whole question with regard
to my appointments as Medical Officer of Health and School Medical Officer.
This was later arranged to be held on December 16th, when I was ill and in
bed, so I requested to be furnished with a transcript of the shorthand notes of
the proceedings that evening and at any future dates, when the appointments I
hold are the subject of debate. This request was granted me in 1911-12, when
I was in good health and able to be present, but now it was refused. The Clerk
reported to this meeting of the 16th the result of his enquiries from the Local
Government Board and the Board of Education as to the date of termination of
my appointments. The latter Board wisely declined to express any opinion.
Then Councillor Sorrell moved and Councillor Oliver seconded that I be given
three months' notice to terminate my appointments ; this resolution was carried
by ten votes to three, nine councillors not voting and five were absent. This
showed that (one more than) one-third of the Council were in favour of this
vindictive idea. No date for expiry of this notice was stated. At the same meeting
the Education Committee (at their request) were granted the power (for this
occasion only) of appointing a temporary School Medical Inspector, pending
Dr. Rock's return and a temporary School Nurse in place of Miss N. Playne>
who had left for a military hospital on December 9th. After the routine
medical inspection ceased on July 13th, Miss Playne was usefully employed in
class examinations for vermin and more extensively in public health work after
Miss Lewin left on 29th August.
So at the end of 1914 this discreditable chapter of the Council's history was
still open. The vulgar abuse and virulent attacks upon me of the three or
or four Councillors, who headed this campaign, naturally aroused my indignation,
but I did not permit their behaviour to influence me in abetting their schemes,
or to interrupt the course of the important work of the Public Health Department.