The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1913-10-07

years ago Or. King as county health
commissioner ordered jefferson town
ship 10 abandon all of its old school
buildings. which il did, and he approx
ed the plan OF the proposed new build
ing TO be built east Of Hagerstown. and
accepted il when completed and fur
nished. as being ideal in every way
and fully up to the state requirements,
and each year thereafter as he would
make his inspections of the school
buildings. stated TO teachers and trus-
tees that upon testing the air in the
building when all doors and windows
We're closed. that there was n COM
plete change OF all the air in the
rooms every fifteen minutes
Now upon this particular visit and
without the aid OF an instrument he
makes the aforegoinG startling state
ment. There is in the school building
what is known as the gravity system
of heating and ventilating. with the
dry-Clo system also, and was fully
approved by county authorities and
state representative and We believe to-
day is alright so far as ventilation is
concerned. This system OF ventilation
works best when all doors and win
dows are closed.
The mere fact that small child Of
the primary room was asleep at 10
o'clock in the morning should not be
taken by any rational individual as
proof that the child was in a coma
! tose condition from breathing foul air,
especially by one who had repeatedly
tested this same building and found it
10 have a complete change Of air every
| fifteen minutes.
In speaking personally with DR.
King and presenting these facts he
stated we would get a perfect OF COM
| petent ventilation of the school rooms
only in zero weather and at all other
times it would be absolutely necessary
TO keep doors and windows open that
the children might have proper air.
| Think of a statement of this kind fol-
| lowing so soon after his previous
| statements.
In regard to the west school build
| ing being overcrowded there was in
the primary room the day DR.. King
visited the school, 46 pupils in a room
! 23A x2SA x1214 with cloak room at
! the side and communicating with open
door, 15x4A x12A. being a few cubic
| feet per pupil less than the prescribed
225 cubic feet per pupil. The room has
thorough ventilating system even
! when the doors and windows are clos
| ed
While at the west school the com
! missioner noticed as he said 100 flies
! in one of the school hacks. which fact
| CO seemed to worry his dignity 90
very much. notwithstanding the fact
! he might have seen many more flies
! in the school rooms where he opened
the doors and windows, had he return.
ed next day, to say nothing of the
! colds contracted by direct draft upon
/ the children. He stated the hacks were
| in good condition as well as the men
who drive them.
, DIR. King caused a great deal of an.
noyance last winter by arbitrarily con.
! tending that a hack driver should be
permitted TO go from his own family
where there were a number of cases
! of measles and get into and drive the
! school hack and sit in the closed hack
with II or Is small children that had
never had the measles without chang
! ing his clothing or even disinfecting
them. notwithstanding DIR. Hurty's in
! structions in the case were by all
| means stop this hack driver and do
not allow him to drive the hack so
| long as he has measles in his own
| family"
Just such contradictions and erratic
actions on the part of our county
health commissioner will add nothing
to the sanitary conditions of the coun-
! ty but will cause contentious and work
unwarranted hardships to the taxpay-
/ ers. The question is universally asked
| in every township of the county, can
not the county commissioners find a
competent physician to serve the peo-
pie as county health commissioner and
thus relieve the people of the present
! burdensOme incumhent2