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class-rooms and from the streets, which has accumulated since
the School was built and which cannot be removed. Over this
accumulation fresh air has to pass to enter the building.
With respect to class-room ventilation however, the important
point is not so much the means of ventilation provided, as
the extent to which the teachers make use of them. It is
possible to enter two adjoining rooms and in one case to find
the atmosphere quite satisfactory and the children alert, bright,
and attentive, and in the other to find the air foul and stuffy,
the children sleepy and inattentive and the teacher irritable,
simply because no use is being made of the means of ventilation
provided.
LIGHTING. A. Natural.—The majority of the schools are
fairly well lighted, the windows being well situated and
adequate in area. In several of the older schools the lighting
is bad.
B. Artificial.—In many of the schools this is not altogether
satisfactory. The illuminant is gas by means of ordinary fishtail
burners. These not only give a poor light, but the
distribution of them in the class-rooms in many cases is faulty.
Experiments are at present being made to discover a suitable
form of incandescent mantle. Hitherto it has proved impracticable
to use mantles, owing to the expense caused by their
constant breakage. In future schools Electric Light should be
installed.
Heating.—The method varies in different schools, some
have open fire-places only, some stoves only, others hot water
pipes and radiators either alone or in conjunction with open fires.
Small class-rooms can be fairly well heated by means of
an ordinary fire, but for large rooms hot pipes or radiators are
required in addition. If only a fire is used the children nearest
are too hot, while those furthest away suffer from cold.
A number of the fireplaces are not of good design, they
consume a large quantity of coal, and much of the heat produced