LIFE-SAVING

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 98, 22 October 1938, Page 11

LIFE-SAVING

ROYAL SOCIETY

A NEW CONSTITUTION •

A new constitution was approved at the annual meeting today of the New Zealand Council of the Royal LifeSaving Society. For the first time, the annual general meeting and the. annual conference of delegates were merged in accordance with the new constitution, Mr. G. E. Billson presided.

It was decided that a permanent record of all society awards granted in the Dominion should be compiled by the New Zealand Council, and for the purpose of establishing greater uniformity of examination conditions,_ a register of all examiners is to be maintained.

A discussion took place on the subject of the Wigi-am Shield, which is competed for annually by branches on the basis of the. number of points scored in the way of awards gained. Mr. J. Breward moved that for the past season the shield should be awarded to ■ the branch gaining the greatest number of award points in proportion to its population. This motion was eventually carried. The placingsfor the 1937-38 season are therefore as follows: Hawke's Bay, 344 awards, 21.43 points vfcer thousand, 1; Wellington, 1689 awards, 19.69, 2; Taranaki, 428 awards, 19.66 points, 3; Wanganui, 14.88 points, 4; Canterbury, 14.29, 5; Auckland, 12.18, 6; Manawatu, 11.89, 7; Otago, 7.04, 8. An amendment that the Wigram Shield should be awarded for a still water competition on similar lines as formerly was lost. Mr. N. A. Ingram (N.Z. Surf Association) moved that the competition should be discontinued and the shield held in trust by the New Zealand society. This also was lost. It was approved that henceforward the shield would be awarded to the branch gaining the greatest percentage increase in award points in one year over the average of the previous two vGsrs Mr. J. L. Dighton (Wellington) moved that a "life-saving month" should be established during the coming season. The matter was left to the consideration of the National Committee of Swimming and Life-Saying.