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134
In a varying climate such as ours any natural means of
ventilation require to be used with discretion, but in no
case ought the air of a class-room to appear close or stuffy
to anyone entering it. It is easy, however, to understand
how anyone working in the room may be so occupied with
other matters as not to notice this, and that is why the head
teacher, who goes from room to room, is in a good position
for supervising the ventilation of the whole school. The
question of warming is intimately associated with that of
ventilation; where the former is deficient it is impossible to
use the means of ventilation to their full effect.
Lighting.
Natural and artificial lighting is good in nearly all the
class-rooms, and where the light is in any way defective those
parts of the room are not used by children when doing "near"
work.
Washing and Drinking Arrangements.
These appear to be sufficient in most of the schools. The
daily renewal of all roller-towels is now provided for in all
departments.
Drinking cups of smooth aluminium are provided in most
of the schools and seem to be quite satisfactory. I believe it
would be possible to educate all children to just rinse the cup
inside and out before drinking from it. This would tend !o
diminish any danger of infection by these appliances. No
case of impetigo or other skin disease occurred during the
year in which there was any evidence that it had been contracted
by the use of the common drinking cup.
Cloak Rooms.
In the newer schools the accommodation appears sufficient
and the rooms are well ventilated. Improvements have been
carried out in some of the older ones and there is now less to
complain of. It appears difficult to obtain geed cloak-room
accommodation in schools built long ago.