Mr LOCKE asked whether any further inspection of the schools had been made, because the last report of the Medical Officer was most misleading. He did not think that the enquiry had been half sufficient.

Mr GRANT said he had understood from the Medical Officer that he had another report to make to the board that day. It transpired that no report had been received.

MR LOCKE said the Medical Officer inspected the schools on July 6th, and put down the outbreak as a matter in connection with the water tank at the school. The managers had since gone to a lot of trouble and had had the whole of the contents of the tank cleared out, there being no less than 7,000 gallons of water in the tank. The tank had been hermetically sealed and it was found to contain only six inches of sediment at the bottom, but, according to the report of the Medical Officer, it would have been supposed that six feet of sediment would have been found. There was practically no smell at all arising from the tank. The whole of the smell complained of by the Medical Officer came from a pipe in connection with the tank, which was situated some distance from the class-room mentioned, being in the schoolmaster’s scullery, and which was certainly blocked with filth, not having been cleaned out for many years.

The children in the school had nothing whatever to do with this pump or the water in the tank, as they obtained their water from another source on the other side of the road. It was stated at the previous meeting that the water in the tank was the only supply at the school, but, in fact, the children did not get their water from this tank at all.

He (Mr Locke) had taken some trouble to investigate the cause of the outbreak, and he had come to the conclusion that it was imported into the district by some people from the Gillingham district, who had already had diphtheria, and who had attended a tea meeting held at the chapel school on June 22nd. Several children who had since had the complaint attended the treat, and he regretted to say that another child, who did not regularly attend the chapel school, but was invited to attend that day, did so and had since died. There were twelve or thirteen children besides those who were at the treat who attended the same class at the school, but neither of these had had the disease and they were in perfectly good health. The only child of those who did not attend the chapel school that had caught the contagion was the one that went to the treat on that day. He believed that the contagion really originated with people from the Gillingham and Luton district (where there had been a great many cases of diphtheria) coming into the village to the chapel treat. He could not hear of any case where the outbreak was caused by the drainage.

The CHAIRMAN said that Mr Grant distinctly told the board that he suspected that there was some pipe in the tank which might cause foul gas to accumulate.

Mr LOCKE quoted the Medical Officer’s report, in which it was stated that the smell from the water was most offensive. The outlet, said Mr Locke, was really some distance from the school. The tank being hermetically sealed, no smell could arise from it in the class-room.

Mr SEAGER said he had several houses where the tanks were similar, but no smell arose from them.

Mr LOCKE said he wanted the Medical Officer’s further report, which ought to have been made. It was quite time, he said, that the Medical Officer went to Hartlip a second time.

Mr GRANT: He told me he had been over again and was making a report.

Mr LOCKE: Why is it not here? This is the day for it. It is three weeks since the outbreak occurred, and we only have one report. Have you inspected the tank, Mr Grant?

Mr GRANT: I know it is all right.

Mr LOCKE: The whole of the mischief was in the pump. That was where the smell came from.

Mr GRANT said he found no smell in the tank.

Mr LOCKE: In the Medical Officer’s report he distinctly states that it is in the tank. Mr Locke, continuing, said this matter had got so much in the minds of the people of Hartlip that they went and inspected the tank, and they then admitted that they were satisfied. He asked Mr Grant whether he as of opinion, like himself, that the contagion came from the school treat on June 22nd.

Mr GRANT said he did not know, but he was under the impression, as he mentioned at the last meeting, that it was contracted from other people.

Mr LOCKE said it was unfortunate that people from an infected district should have come to Hartlip.

The subject then dropped.