LIFE-SAVING INSTRUCTION

Evening Post, Volume XCII, Issue 41, 17 August 1916, Page 6

LIFE-SAVING INSTRUCTION

Chiefly owing to the apathy of the public, the New Zealand branch of the Royal Life-Saving Society has had an uphill fight for its existence, in New Zealand. A few more carnivals such as that held in the tepid bath at the Boys' Institute last night should dispel much of that apathy and educate the public in the good work the society is doing. Young girls and boys, besides being efficient in the natatorial art, displayed a knowledge of Sehaefer and other methods of resuscitating the apparently drowned that would have been impossible only for the existence of the Royal Life-Saving Society. As the Minister cf Education pojnted out last night, the organisation does its work with little limelight or publicity; consequently it does not receive the public support to which it is entitled. True, it receives a Government subsidy of £75 a year, but it is complained that this amount scarcely covers the annual postage account of the head centres of the Dominion. Of the practical nature of life-saving instruction there can be no doubt, and the fact that during the ten years ended 1912 there were no fewer than 1737 drowning cases in New Zealand shows the necessity—as pointed out by the Minister of Education — for something like a system of compulsory swimming education. It is a significant feature of these figures that many of the cases were double tragedies, arising out of the fact that though the would-be rescuer could swim, he or she had no knowledge of life-saving methods. Another virtue of swimming, as .has. often been pointed out, is that it is a most health-giving recreation, and for this reason it is gratifying to observe that it is coming more and .more into favour, especially with the children of to-day, who will in a decade become the parents of the race. With the exodus of the city dwellers to the beaches in the summer time many distressing drowning cases have been witnessed in the Dominion, but these have not been so frequent during the last two or three years because of the surf clubs that have sprung into existence. These organisations are perhaps the most striking demonstration of the value of liff:sa.ving instruction. They consist of volunteer members, efficient in the art of rescue, who keep a watchful eye en venturesome bathers, and are of great assistance when the occasion arises. With, widespread facilities for teaching lifesaving such drowning fatalities would be reduced to a minimum, and it is the task of providing these facilities that the Government and civic and local bodies are too apt to overlook. To localise the argument, we have only to mention Te Aro Bath, necessary improvements to which have from time to time been promised. Wellington is not so fortunate as Christchurch, for instance, in the number of baths available for public use, as nearly every school in the Southern centre has its swimming pool. Consequently this city must see that the facilities it does have ai'e fully utilised.