DUNEDIN SCHOOL COMMITTEE.

Evening Star, Issue 3916, 11 September 1875, Page 2

DUNEDIN SCHOOL COMMITTEE.

A regular meeting of the Dunedin School Committee was held last evening ; present Messrs Livingston (chairman), Uobin, Wright and S. James (secretary), MrHialop, secretary to the Education Board, wrote stating that the contemplated additions to the \orth and South Schools were under consideration of the Government. A letter from Mr Halliwell, Mr Ferguson, Miss Hay, and Miss Stevens was rea-l complaining of a deficiency in their salaries, in consequence of the removal of the Middle District School building and asking that the matter be taken into* coneideraticm, Mr A. Montgomery wrote resigning his position of head-master of the Albany street school, having been appointed to the Normal School, and thanking the Committee for their uniform kindness towards him. A communication from the Education Board was road, stating that the vote for improvements and additions having been exhausted, no further expenditure could be sanctioned.

VENTILATION OF SCHOOLS. The following letter from Mr G. Bell a member of the Committee, was read and referred to the Education Board :

m, Fort h Place, 19th August. 1875 The Chairman of the Dunedin School > Committee. ~ Slr >—Owing to the severe and long-con-tmued illness from which 1 have suffered I have been unable to give attention to the canymg out of the plan of ventilation in thj additions to the Albany street school, as requested by the Committee. To-day I visited the school, aud regret to (have to say that the instructions given to Mr Ross have not been earned out, but that he has departed in everv important particular from the plan recommended by the Committee. Instead, therefore, of securing thorough ventilation without draught all the evils intended to be remedied have been reproduced, if not intensified. I have not been able to examine every part of the work, and therefore shall confine my report to those parts that can be seen.

1. In each of the three rooms is an open fireplace, instead of, as arranged with Mr Koss a system of heating by means of hot water pipes. Ihe effect of the fires, through the imperfect manner of carrying out the main part of the plan, is to cause a down draught from what ought to be the up shaft for the discharge of vitiated air.

2. In none of the added rooms has the plan for the admission of fresh air been adopted. In each of the two larger rooms, although there are three horizontal shafts, extending across the floors, each 10in. wide, they are only ?P en ® d each instead of the whole length of 20ft. each, and whatever benefit might have been realised even from that short length is neutralised by the only means of admitting air into the rooms being through minute perforations m iron plates, instead of through iron gratmgs with ample opening, as agreed between Mr Koss and myself. The effect of this departure from the plan may be estimated by the following calculation: The area of the disc argo shaft appears to be about nine square feet £ er t y ge thee > e » and suppose i< to be about 3ft square. In order to secure an upward movement of the air, the openings tor its admission and diffusion should have been 90 square feet, but Mr Koss has only aUowed three perforated plates, each Bft. long ? Vlde > Blyitigß ly itig an area of 20 square feet, i dia not ascertain tne number of perforations per inch, but, whatever the numbers, they are practically useless, as most of them are already choked with dust and shoe scrapings, so that it is questionable whether there is an available area for admission of air equal to one square toot for the two large rooms. Necessarily therefore, there is a downward draught towards the fireplace, instead of the air rising gently to the up shaft. In the small room the departure from the plan w equally objectionable. i n it

tk®*® > s a gallwy with rising step*. . The np shaft is about 18m. square, giving.ah area of square feet,. and for the diffusion of air are openings sft. in area, and a small opening above the skirting at the back. The last is a inost objectionable arrangement, as children have to sit there, I could not ascertain what the area of supply was, but was informed it was about one square foot instead of about 28 square feet.

3. It is with much regret, therefore, that I have to report that the arrangements of Mr Ross, instead of being useful for the purpose proposed, are absolutely mischievous as they tend to create draughts of cold air from above, instead of preventing draughts and diffusing fresh air by admitting it fully and treely from below.

4. If the vertical shafts are faithfully constructed for conducting air from the level of the eaves, the fault may be partially remedied at small expense by opening the horbzontal shafts completely across the floors of the rooms, and covering them with light iron gratings, having ample openings. This, in the two large rooms, would afford area for the ingresn and diffusion of fiesh air equal to fifty square feet in each room, and proportionately in the smaller room. Although not according to the results of experience, this would be found to work sufficiently well, and probably would not be materially affected by the open fireplaces. 5. I had an Interview with Mr Ross on the subject before Ins specifications were prepared, when I the plan and drawings with which he was furnished, the same as submitted to the committee. I gave no consent to any departure from the plans, and pointed to the necessity of providing a burner at the entrance of the up shaft to secure an up draft. But this, too, has not been done. My health wili not yet permit attention to out-door business, or I should have been glad to have personally explained the defects of construction to the committee. I think the Educatioli,rß??rd 8^ he communicated with, and Mr Ross required to explain by whose authority he has so unwisely departed from the plans adopted by the School Committee, the Board, and the Executive,—l am, sir, your obedient servant, Geo. Bell,