The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1902-05-13
FAULT |SFOUND
BY the State Board of
Health
WITH OHIO SCHOOLS
In Many Places Their Sanitary
Condition Is Bad--Annuai
Report Has Been Sub
Oitted to Governor.

port OF tne state board or health, oil
which the Hon. Josiah Hartzell, of
Canton, is member, has been submit
ted to the governor by DR.. C. A.
Probst, secretary Of the board. In
brief 1t is as follows:
Smallpox has continued to prevail
in mild form. During the year 1891,
1880 cases were reported with but So
deaths. The disease was present in
rs counties. 1t is predicted that as
smallpox is prevalent in the same
mild form throughout the United
States and Canada. the epidemic will
likely continue. The neglect of vac
cination and mild character of the dis
ease are accountable for it's contin-
uance.
The board is deserving of the credit
of bringing about the organization of
the Ohio Society for the Prevention
of tuberculosis.
ON WATER SUPPLY.
The report contains the fifth spe-
cial report upon sources of public
water supplies. Monthly examinations
were made of the water supplies Of
cities and villages in Ohio which OBJ
tain water from Lake Erie and the
Ohio river. This includes an inves-
tigation of the streams and sources
of public water supplies begun by the
board in 1897. Our large cities, with
few exceptions. must forever depend
upon lakes and streams for a water
supply. The Investigations of the
board show the extant to which these
are already polluted. The pollution OF
our streams as rapidly. increasing.
Their minimum flow is decreasing, and
to the same extent their ability to
dispose by natural agencies of the
sewage and other pollutions poured
into them. Our cities must more and
more. turn to water publication But
even then, unless efficient measures
are taken to conserve the streams,
many of them will become open sew
ers, breeding sickness along their
course. and untitled for the use of man
or beast.
SCHOOL BUILDINGS.
An interesting report is given upon
the sanitary conditions of school
in cities and villages. Infor-
nation was obtained from local boards
of health concerning $50 school build
ings containing 5Sl0 school rooms.
Special attention has been given to
overcrowding of school rooms and the
lighting area (window surface) in each
room. Authorities are quoted to show
that healthful condit'o ons require that
a school room shall provide not less
than Is square feet of floor space and
200 cubic feet Of air space for each
pupil. The combined lighting area
must not be less than 20 per cent of
the floor space.
Measured by these standards Ohio
school buildings show a marked de-
ticiency, especially in providing suffi-
cient light. In IS per cent of the
school buildings there was one or
more with a floor space of less than
fifteen square feet per capita.
The cubic air space per capita, upon
which largely depends proper venti-
lation. is also very deficient In many
I'M Thara Okl hni dtro
Or 2S per cent of the whole number,
with one or more rooms with a cubic
air space below the minimum of 200
cubic feet In IL school buildings
there were rooms in which it is half
Or less than half this amount
LIGHTING BAD.
The worst fault is with the lighting.
It appears that very few buildings
have provided even the minimum re-
luirement of window area. There are
1913 school buildings, or rs per cent of
whole number reported upon contain
ing 1892 rooms, which have less than
the required window area.
1t Is urged that as the state COM
pels all children to attend school It is
In duty bound to provide healthful
school buildings. "It should either
enforce certain needful regulations in
the construction of all school buildings
Dr. should create some competent au-
thority to which all plans for school
buildings should be referred for ap-
proval." 1t is also re ommended that
there should be steps taken to compel
proper changes to BE- made in existing
school buildings where sanitary re-
luirements were manifestly and gross