LIFE-SAVING

Evening Post, Volume XCII, Issue 41, 17 August 1916, Page 4

LIFE-SAVING

CARNIVAL AT TEPID BATH

SOCIETY'S SPLENDID WORK.

The great value of the work being earned out by the Royal Life Saving Society was demonstrated at the carnival held in the Tepid Bath at the Boys' Institute iast night. The gallery and downstairs portion of the bath were crowded, mid the demonstration was a thorough succeas. Considerably over half an hour was devoted to epeechinaking,' and it- was not till after 8.30 p.m. that the first event on a long programme was got off. The officials worked hard throughout the. evening, and have every reason to feel proud of the results of their efforts. ;

The Mayor (Me. .1. V. Luke), after reading apologias of absence from His Excellency the Governor, Rt. Hon. W. F. Massuy '(Prime Minister), Hon. G. W. Russeil, and Hon. J. G. W. Aitken, expressed his great appreciation at the h'no work done by the Boys' Institute in providing such a splendid bath,. net only for pleasure, but for the physical building-up ot the boys and girls. Mr. Luke jocularly referred. to an incident concerning himself which occurred at the bath a. year ago, remarking that through the capacity of Mr. Shields, the city had been saved a Mayoral election. (Laughter.) ' The next speaker, Dr. Pla-tt-s-Mills, congratulated the Life-Saving Society on having such a fine bath in which to hold its carnival. She dwelt at length on the value of swimming from a health standpoint, and commented on the fact that mere time was spent in teaching the boys to .swim than was devoted to the girls. Women were naturally less active than men, and-swimming'was a. sport/ in which they could indulge winter and summer.

The Hon. J. A. Hanan (Minister of Education), who also delivered an address, said that he could not adequately express his appreciation of the splendid work that was being done by the New Zealand branch of the Royal Life-saving Society. (Applause.) There were in this country, as in other progressive countries, a number of noiseless societies or activities doing splendid work. He believed that the best work in the community wa.3 done by these- noiseless societies—by men who were practically unknown to the public—and which were working silently and unceasingly for the good of their fellow men and women. The carnival had been organised with the intention of bringing under public notice the valuable instruction given, and he believed that swimming was the most useful of athletic It not only enabled anyone who could swim to .save his or her life, but also to save the life of others. The Minister also referred to the necessity for the physical development of the young people", and said that once the art of swimming was acquired it was acquired for all time. Ho looked forward to the time when swimming would be tnndti compulsory where there were the necessary facilities. He concluded by quoting a return showing that from 1906 to 1915 no less than 1682 people were drowned in New Zealn-nd, 1437 of them being males and 245 females. The various events resulted as follow :— '

Schoolboys (pairs) Rescue Race : A. Watts and'S. Powell 1, W. Montgomery and A. M'Andrew 2.

Ladies (pairs) Rescue Bace : M. Al len and I. Rigg 1, D. Donnelly and J. Ailcen 2.

Medley Handicap (66yds) :M. 0. Eton (Bsec) 1, W. .Montgomery (ssec) 2. Boys' Handicap (33yds) : A. Card (2secj 1, E. Thornhill (3sec) 2. Ladies' Medley Handicap (66yds) : M. Allen (scr) I,' E. Rigg (2eec) 2.

Secondary Schools Handicap (breast stroke). 100yds.—W. Montgomery (lsec) 1, M. C. Eton (2sec) 2.

Ladies' Diving Competition.—R. Elton 1, E. Watson 2. -

Scouts' L'ndressing Race (66yds).—A. Petrie and S. Butler 1, W. M. Gill and F. Palette 2.

Boys' Institute Medley Handicap (33yds).—T. Howitt 1, C. Rusterholz 2. Open Handicap (66yds).—D. Murrell (lsec) 1. P. Wilson (Ss'ec) 2.

Scouts' Undressing Relay Race.— V.M.C.A. Boy Scouts.

One of the" most interesting events of the evening was a display of trick swimming by Messrs. T. Shields and G. E. Billson (Christchurch). Both went through some very clever evolutions in the water, the latter swimming a length of the bath in three strokes. The feat won for him loud applause. Other interesting items were a display of the different life-saving methods and a de-moijstra-tiou by Messrs. Pope and Montgomery of diving in search of the body of «. drowning person.