HEATING THE SCHOOLS

Hutt News, Volume 1, Issue 6, 28 June 1928, Page 3

HEATING THE SCHOOLS

Now that winter is upon us, we ail Jike to think that we have at hand the means to keep warm. Our horaes are equipped with the best heating devices that our means afford, and few if any families are witiiont £,ood fires at "*2»iji time of the year. The question oJt heating en a large scale has a tech:iique and . literature of its own, specialists in almost all large towns give.their undivided attention to xixe question of heating ollices and school rooms. In most cases, architects, in designing n large building, call in the services of a heating expert for the purpose of designing an installation that will provide the maximum of heat when and where it is wanted, at a minimum, eosc in upkeep. Troublesome systems are now frowned upon, for it is not considered necessary to keep a large Btaff simply to light fires. It is almost universally recognised that fires, though they iook cheerful, and warm a small room, are practically useless in heating a large room, for only the space round the fire is warm, and even that partakes of the nature of a toasting machine —it browns on one side and leaves the other side cold. It is striking to notice the lack of attention that appears to be paid to the question of heating in schools. Most of the older schools are still heated (?) by means of fires in a corner of the room. The only person who can be said to derive much benefit from the fire is the teacher, and that is not his fault. In most cases, the supply of coal is hopelessly inadequate and is a subject of much controversy - between the head teacher anil the supplying authority. It J was common at one time in a certain .school for the boys to be sent out into the rain to cut blocks of wood for the fires, and, after spending .some hours attempting to get the wet wood to burn, to give the job up as impossible. That vroom went without fires. It would be interesting to sj)eculate on the results that'would follow from an unbiased report on the subject of school heating. Would the public learn that the schools were inadequately heated, or "would it be shown that, as has been hinted recently, they are over-heated? One is inclined to think that some schools are more fortunate i than others. A certain school of which mention has been made, has fires only in the wettest and coldest weather, and the fires are lighted only when a- ibevy of teachers petition the head master in this connection. At other schools, the teacher ija charge of the class may light the fire when he thinks it necessary. One school arranges for the rooms to be heated before the' classes assemble and to this end monitors arrive at 8.30 to light the fires. This. seems to be a good idea, but fires merely take the chill off the rooms without actually warming them^ much. The whole queston is an interesting one, and we await further information.