The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-05-12

q department mere are SELF evident. The
I development Of the child based on his
f. physiological rather than his chrono-
logical age is going 70 have more and
more consideration. and nowhere could
such study be. more profitable than
here Tie relation of mentality to
weight. height. strength and puberty is
an important one and the proper grad
ing Of the child in the future must
take this into account The study, IN
der medical supervision. of the physio-
logical and psychological development
Of the child might 10 advantage be in
troduced into our Normal school and
its gradual evolution include all our
schools
EXPENSE.
The question may fairly be asked,
can Hawaii with its limited funds af-
ford a medical inspection system? The
real question is. Can she afford to be
without it? Education today has be-
come more and more Of a science and
teaching more and more of a profession.
The taxpayers have a right TO expect
value received for money expended for
/ educational purposes. If by such a
system we can assure more regular at
tendance at school. thus giving the
child the instruction we are paying for.
even when he is absent: if by careful
watching we can nip in the bud" epi-
denies of all kinds, thus reducing
quarantine and fumigation expenses: If
by lessening the tendency 10 crime we
can reduce expenditures for policing,
the amounts expended will be trifing
as compared with the savings
The average cost of instruction per
capita in this Territory for the last
four years was $3.50. or per day.
counting five school days to a week,
for the thirty-eight weeks, 16 1-2 cents
For this Is 1-2 cents we expect each
child to receive a certain amount of
instruction. Whenever a child is alb
sent from school, the Territory spends
this money and for it gets no return.
If the 1905 eye treatments at the Dis
pensary the last year, and one-half of
the other treatments, or $50, represent
the loss of a school day by the child,
this means an expenditure on the part
of the Territory of $8412 - for instruc-
ton which was not given. In Janu-
airy, 1907, the Hanapepe school, with
an enrolment of 305 lost thirty school
days owing to an epidemic. In March,
the Makawen school, with an enroll
ment of 100, lost twentynine days, and
the Waimea school, with an enroll
ment of 265, thirty-two days, and in
February, 1908, with an enrolment Of
316, ten days. Thus, 995 children were
forced out of school and 101 school
days were lost. The Territory paid
s3944.65 for which it received no re-
turn. During this time we paid over
thousand dollars in salaries to teach
ers who, through no fault of their
own, were unable to do the work for
which they were paid. This represents
but three schools. and for but a lin
tied period of time.
METHODS OF CORRECTIONS.
Our uniform course of instruction is |
based on the work a normal child can
DO If, because of improper seating, |
defective vision. imperfect hearing. bad |
condition of nose, throat, teeth, spine, |
other organic or chronic troubles, a |
child is unable to do the required |
work and is compelled to take over |
one or two years work, the Territory
pays twice or three times the usual
amount for the years work of that |
child. We have no special schools for |
the blind, deaf or backward, and 1t
therefore DSHOONtS US To Eci1dSI ouI
children as physically fit as possible /
to do the work in the schools we have.
Were accurate figures obtainable of /
all children absent or incapacitated for |
regular school work. / believe it could |
be proven that the Territory is spend
ing each year vastly more money for
instruction which it is not receiving,
than a thorough inspection would cost.
1t is estimated that from so to IS per /
cent of parents notified of defects in
their children gladly afford means of
relief. Our truaney and health laws
could doubtless handle nearly all other
cases.
PROPOSED LEGISLATION.
At the last session of the Territorial
the following bill was in
troduced:
Section /. The Department of Pub
lie Instruction is hereby authorized to
appoint a medical inspector to hold
Office duri.g its pleasure and TO re-
ceive such compensation as the de-
partment may fix. Such appointee Il
shall be a physician duly licensed TO 4
practise medicine and surgery within
the Territory. II
Section 2. 1t shall be the duty OF
the medical inspector, under the d.
rection of the department, to visit at
least once in every two years each Il
school in the Territory. to examine
the children in such schools for the II
purpose of determining their health
and physical condition. to reduce the
results of such examination 10 writ
ing, furnishing each child examined
with one copy, filing one copy with
the teacher in charge of such school,
and filing one copy with the depart
ment. He shall also advise with and
instruct the teachers regarding mat
tiers of hygiene and sanitation and as
to the proper method of treatment for
minor injuries. and, when directed by
the department. shall address teach
ers' meetings on the same or similar
subjects. He shall perform such other
duties as the department may require
Of him.
Section g. No medical inspector
appointed under the provisions Of this
act shall while holding such office, en-