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302
As he sought to control his angry impatience, disappointment
and frustration at Coverdale 's shortsighted policy, Hall demonstrated once
more the enorrneus difference existing between the Superintendent 's outdated
attitude and his own, which was based on carefully and ,laboriously
researched knowledge gleaned from every avai lab le source overseas .
However, he wi llingly offered to lend Coverdale all the extracts on diet
he had collected over the years , and to guide him to the sources of all
modern improvements on the subj ect .
The gastric derangement blamed by
Coverdale he put down to the mas ses of indigestib le sweet briar seeds
eaten by the children .
Nonetheless, Hall 's vigorous protest went unheeded , and
Coverdale \·las given permission to decrease the milk ration .
As Hal l had
foreseen, there was a marked decline in the children 's health , which he
immediately put down to the ill-adv ised reduced milk ration: in 1866 ,
according to the annual report to Parliament , there were 48 more cases of
sickness returned than in 1865 , though the average daily strength had
fall en from 583 to 511; ' fever caused the very 1 arge number of 63 cases ,
whi lst in 1865 there were only 8, in 1864 only 1;
skin diseases , so
generally associated with imperfect nourishment rose from 69 in 1864 , to
134 in 1865 , and in 1866 to 216, whilst the total diseases treated rose
from 458 in 1864, with an average daily strength of 536 1; 3 , to 558 in 1866 ,
the average strength being only 511. 11 Coverdale, however, in his annual
report to Parliament in February 1867, prided himself on having reduced by
devious means the cost of the Orphan School in 1865 by £868.11.4, and in
1866 by £964.1.4 1 ; 2 , a total in the two years of £1,832 .12.8 1 ;2 .1 2
Actually, the Superintendent 's position was an extremely
difficult one;
so difficult, indeed, that Hall, in spite of his distress
over the reduced milk ration, was eventually forced to come to his rescue .
The incident was an interesting one which illustrated to what extent a
biased press with motives of its own would go to mislead the Public by
the withholding of essential facts and figures .
Notwithstanding a reduction of almost £2,000 in two years , the
total cost of the Orphan Asylum, irrespective of the farm, for the year
1866 was £9,988.3.4; salaries alone amounted to £3,739 .15.8, provisions
to £5,622.0.7, the cost per child being £19 .13.0 1 ; 2 in 1865 and
11
1 2
Mercury, August 11, 1868; H.A.P. 1866 S2/20 .
Mercury, Feb . 4, 1867 ; H.A.P. 1866 S2/20 .