RAISING HEALTH STANDARD

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 175, 21 April 1937, Page 8

RAISING HEALTH STANDARD

Minister Seeks Lead as to Best Approach EXPERTS CONFER Physical Education from Infancy to Adult Life A system of physical education right through from the kindergarten stage to adult life was visualised by the Minister of Health, Hon. I Irasei,, when opening a conference held in Wellington yesterday to consider the best means of raising the .standard of fitness in the community. The conference, which was called by Mr. Fraser, was attended bv the Minister of Internal Affairs, Hon. W. E. Parry, and representatives of the Department of Health and Education, the medical profession, primary and post-primary services (including the training colleges), physical instructors (men and women), and the New Zealand Olympic and British Bmpire Games Association. Mr. Fraser described the conference as a very important one, and thanked those present for accepting the Government’s invitation to attend. The view taken by the Government was that the children should have the best and the fullest kind of physical education in their schools, and tjiat when they left school they should not abandon physical Education and physical development, but that there should be avenues provided for them, as was done in other countries of the world, to enable them to continue with the care of theih body. . The work of the conference, said Mr. Fraser, would be to consider what was desirable and what was practicable and how physical education, which already occupied some part in the school curriculum, could be made to occupy the important place it deserved, and, further, how the system could be improved not only in the schools, but also for the benefit of the children after they left school; indeed, right through the lives of the people—how it could be utilised and developed to give the best possible results. Care of Infant Life. A great deal had been done in New Zealand—more than in any other country in the world up to the present in the care of infant life. The Plunket Society of New Zealand led the world in that particular respect. Unfortunately, some of the good done in tho early days of infancy had been undone in later years, mainly because of the lack of knowledge, through the ignorance of those in charge of the children, such as ignorance in regard to food and to the importance of sunshine, and through an ignorance as to exercise for the children as well as a hundred and one other causes, which would disappear with the growth of knowledge and the intelligent use of that knowledge. . Referring to the reduction of hours of work and increased leisure, Mr. Fraser said that the question arose as to what the young people in particular were going to do with their leisure. Leisure was like most other things in life: it could be an immensely beneficial thing if properly utilised, and it eould be a tragically disastrous thing if it was not properly utilised. What the Government was anxious to get was general agreement, not as to the desirability of physical education, because the presence of those attending the conference showed that they were quite unanimous on that point, but general agreement as to the method of approach of the subject and a frank examination of what had been done in the primary and secondary schools to date and the deficiencies which were only too. obvious, together with suggestions and recommendations as to the institution of a system of physical education right, through from the kindergarten stage to adult life. Mr. Parry’s Views. Mr. Parry said he thought it was important that instruction should embrace a good knowledge of the make-up of the human being. Knowledge was also required of the right kind of food to consume, and food consisted not only of that which was put into one’s stomach. There was also another kind of food—the fellowship, the psychological effect, of proper associations. Various people liked and enjoyed certain branches of recreation, and he had found a tendency on the part of some people to condemn somebody else’s particular form of recreation. As a result of that a very unhealthy state of mind in regard to various forms of recreation was developed. What they wanted to do was to infuse a spirit of tolerance in the community. Tt was very necessary to create a good, healthy, psychology. Mr. Parry said he believed that physical education had its roots right down in the pre-natal period. The Plunket Society had done, and was doing, very good work, but sometimes he felt that that work had been offset by virtue of the fact that the pre-natal period'had not been quite reached and also by reason of the fact that some of the physical instruction in schools had not always been on lines he thought it should be. With a proper system of physical education he thought there was scarcely a human weakness that could not be overcome. He knew that some medical men would disagree with him, but he had tested it personally. In his opinion boys and girls should be instructed as to their own inner organs go that they acquired a knowledge of their own make-up and physical construction. That could be done only by medical men and should be in their hands. It was necessary to get the child interested, otherwise physical instruction became a task and ceased to be physical education. They should know wh.at particular exercises were designed to accomplish. The annual physical instruction he thought was a job for trained instructors. Part for Sports Bodies. It was not sufficient, continued Mr. Parry, to educate the children in th(s direction while they were at school and then let them drift afterward. With the object of arresting this drift he suggested that the various sports bodies could play a very Important part. Boys and girls should be free to choose the sports in which they desire to take part. The Minister referred to his proposals for the establishment of a National Council of Sport with a view to the co-ordination and intelligent national direction of the various sports associations. The question of playing areas was an important one in the plan for co-ordination. Their endeavour would have to be to see to it that, in every part of New Zealand there was a home or playing ground for all form' of sport. The sports organisations would have to be organised and it would be necessary to have some training system by which the work done in the schools could be continued. Although he was very enthusiastic

as to the need for physical fitness and believed it was the real foundation of the race, he realised that it was necessary to have mental fitness as well. He contended, however, that the two could be developed together, side by side. Anything he could do to assist the conference would have his wholehearted support.

The Director of Education, Mr. N. T. Lambourne, said the conference was one of the most, important he had had the pleasure of attending, because the implications went so far. The importance of the subject of physical education could not be over-stated. On the proper selection of a suitable system of physical education from the very early stage, on through adolescence to adult age, depended the health and fitness of the people of New Zealand, their happiness and their capacity to work.

Mr. Lambourne referred to the steps taken in Great Britain in connection with physical education. The British Government was prepared to spend two millions in the next three years in capital expenditure together with an annual expenditure of £150,000 to realise the aims it had in mind in regard to physical education. He felt that the personnel of the conference was such that it should result in very valuable recommendations being made to the Government. Better Standard To-day. The Director-General of Health, Dr. M. H. IVatt, said he appreciated being associated with the conference and wished it every success in its deliberations. He thought the conference had tremendous potentialities for improving the standard of health of the community. He had access to reports from school medical officers and these, and Information from many other sources, disclosed the existence of a tremendous amount of preventable disease in the community. At the same time, added Dr. Watt, he did not wish It to be thought that the 'health of the community was deteriorating steadily. It was his belief that the standard of health of the people to-day was better than it had ever been. The Health Department records, in fact, showed that the health of tho people was at a much higher level than ever before. However, there was still room for vast improvement. Others present included Dr. J. W. Mcllraitb, Chief Inspector of Primary Schools; Dr. E. Gunn, Acting-Director, Division of School Hygiene; Dr. M. Champtaloup, School Medical Officer,

District Office, Wellington; Mr. D. G. Ball, Inspector of Native Schools; Mr. Renfrew White, Dunedin; Dr. Walter Robertson, Wellington; Mr. D. M. Rae, principal, Auckland Training College; Mr. H. E. Longworth, physical instructor, Wellington Training College; Mr. K. C. Reid, physical instructor, Auckland Training College; Miss J. Brownlee, physical instructress, Christchurch Training College; Mrs. L. Taylor, physical instructress, 'Wellington Girls' College; Miss C. J. M’ells, physical instructress, Wellington Technical College; Miss A, King, physical instructress, St. Margaret’s College, Christchurch ; Mr. J. A. Duffy, physical instructor, Scots College, Wellington: Mr. Alfred Jenkins, Wellington; Mr. W. A. Armour, principal, Wellington College; Miss F. M. Hind, head teacher, Karori West School; Miss K. B. Turner, assistant,.Normal School, Christchurch; Mr. J. SV. McGechie, headmaster, Parnell School, Auckland; Mr. D. Forsyth, headmaster, Port Chalmers School, Otago; Mr. H. Amos, New Zealand Olympic and British Empire Games Association.

The discussion was taken in committee.