SWIMMING AND TEPID BATHS

Evening Post, Volume CIII, Issue 14, 18 January 1922, Page 2

SWIMMING AND TEPID BATHS

10 IBS IMTOIt.

Sir, —My attention has been drawn to • letter appearing over the signature of Mr. P. Rundlc, . president,. Wellington Swimming Ceptro, anent the above championships. I have no desire to rater into the controversy between the Wellington and Wanganui Centres as to the arrangements for the coniing championships, but I must take exception to the .statement made by Mr. Rundle when ho sayj that Wellington does not possess a covered -in tepid bath such as the other large cities of the Dominion. Mr Rundle is * newcomer to Wellington, and thorcfore may be exoused for his ignorance of the fact that in Wellington we have one o{. the best equipped and up-to-date tepid baths in the Dominion, which it open to tho public from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day. The bath is the regulation length, namely 100 ft, with seating accommodation for 1000 persons, whioh can easily ■ be increased. The popularity of the bath ' is shown by the fnet that over 15.CC0 persons paid for admission during the twelve monthe ending 31st' December, 1921, and- this does not include the 640 members of tho institute who have. ■ the free use of the baths for one hour every day.' ' The fact that in one year the institute scoured 102 Royal Life-saving Awards out of 387 granted throughout the Dominion (the awards- included 13 bronze medals and 17 silver ones) is an indication that the tepid bath is a big factor in encouraging swimming in the community. • _ Mr. Rundle also states that in Wellington you cannot attract a crowd to witness a swimming carnival in tho evening, but I would remind him that three of the most successful carnivals ever held in the city took place in the public tepid baths only last year; namely, Ludy Langer, Miss Shand, and Miss Bri»ted, and the Springboks. ...... The decision to hold the championships elsewhere oannot have been for the reasons stated by Mr. Rundle, and it is a pity that your correspondent was not better informed as to the facilities for swimming before rushing into print. —I am, etc., J. W. BUTLER. Director Boys' Institute and S.A. Rhodes Homo for Boys, Ta6man-str#et. 16th January.