LIFE-SAVING

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 96, 20 October 1934, Page 14

LIFE-SAVING

WORK IN ENGLAND

TEPID BATHS ESSENTIAL

"There can be no doubt that tepid baths arc essential in the teaching of swimming," said Mr. 11. 11. Lock, chairman of the central executive in i London of the Royal Life-saving So- j ciety, speaking to a "Post" reporter yesterday. The climate of Wellington approximates to that of Home. lam amazed that there are no tepid baths here, as we could not carry on without them hi. England. If it-were- not for tepid baths there, swimming would be almost at a" standstill." . . In London alone, he wont on, there Ti-ere hundreds of such baths, ami fresh ones were beiug opened almost daily. All swimming coaching was done in these baths. The most famous baths vvas'tho Empire Pool at Wembley, which possessed the unique advantage of being extensible at will. The shallow end was made movable ao that the pool could be adjusted to any reasonable racing length. This was particularly advantageous to competitions in whfch both the metric and the British systems were in use. . . SURF RESCUE WORK. "Surf life-saving is just'beginning to be necessary in England, owing to the huge recent increase in,sea bathing;" went on Mr. Lock. "Tlio Royal Lifesaving Society is engaged in setting up a beach patrol system .there,, so that my visit to Australia and New Zealand is voiy opportune from our point of view." He was gaining an immense amount of knowledge concerning the | beach patrol systems in' this part of the world. •-.'.- : In reply lo a question ■regarding thej possibility of ,a change: in, the existing j rescue and.release methods as laid down by the society, Mr. Lock said that ther- was no likelihood of such a change taking, place. The extant methods had stood the test of fifty years of service, and the.only alterations had been those lof detail.

The idea of life-saving -as tin ordered study had originated tin: England. It had quickly spread .to-Australia, and New Zealand,, and was.now world-wide. He regarded the'formation'of the' New Zealand Surf Life-saving Association as the wisest step:that, could have been taken. It would increase the prestige of the parent body, snd of those in

authoritative positions in the society all over the Empire.

Mr. Lock expressed himself as being particularly struck by the similarity between, the personnel of tho leaders here and at Home. Here one met the identical problems that were confronting the societies in England, anf it was hard to realise when conferring with New Zealand officials that one was not in London. OBJECT OF THE TOUR. The object of his tour is to consult with the leaders of life-saving in New Zealand with a view to improving the ! organisation here and throughout the | Empire. TJiere are also technical ! mutters concerning the sport to be dis- | cussed.