FITNESS CAMPAIGN

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 75, 30 March 1939, Page 14

FITNESS CAMPAIGN

PLANS CONSIDERED

ORGANISERS SUGGESTED

The campaign for physical^ fitness in New Zealand was carried a "stage further forward when the National Council of Physical .'Welfare and Recreation met yesterday to consider a number of proposals, including the appointment of organisers for the whole of New ■ Zealand. The Minister o.f Internal; Affairs (the Hon. W. E. Parry), who presided, also, announced that a nura- j ber of seasonal workers would be coopted to help with the national scheme. He mentioned in s particular the men engaged on! deer destruction, and said that these could, be engaged during the off season in constructing bush tracks over which' hikers could travel during the summearf'months. The Minister said that Fitness Week had been organised to get the general public interested in the need for fitness throughout the nation. Everyone concerned ,~h<Jid worked enthusiastically and the cbubcil- now had to take advantage oi the interest created. The campaign;' inaugurated must be continued. I- ,- AjREA ORGANISERS. • "Fitness! Week set the stage for the next act," the Minister said. "There wili, theitafore, now be presented to you a sch.cpie for area organisers. In brief the scheme is to train and distribute a number of men and women over New Zealand to work areas as organiseKs. Something along this line is absolutely necessary, and many competent ain'd desirable, men and women will be ifchind for it." The Minister expressed appreciation of the publicity given to the campaign and diseased the educational methods already adopted. The use of the YA radio stations for broadcasting exercises suitable for use in the home had proved isb popular that radio facilities would be! extended. "By oo»-opting members and activities of othe/r! branches of the Department of Inte/rinal Affairs I have been able to advance a new and excellent coordinating scheme," he said. "The official de:er-destruction staff works at present, Seasonally, and has to be for the most /ij>art dismissed during the off seasoijt.l The country the men work in is, frd.rn its scenic value, undoubtedly most Jjvjonderf ul. It- occurred to me that if th<|! .areas were opened up by the cutting* of tracks arid the building of huts,j jfoung folk in, organised parties could framp through it in comparative safety,. To make this possible the 1 deer-aestruction staff could work in the off season. Therefore, two problems are solved. "Clc/sely akin to this scheme is the 'grodpi travel' being well organised by the IMfcount; Cook Tourist Company under v-the aegis of the Government. In the o'tffi season for tourists many hotels and .j^Biest houses find it necessary to retail, the services of their trained stafffe« It would pay the proprietors to havo Ttheir houses full and just cover exp^rfcses better than to lose money while? waiting for the next rush season. In aiclidition, the comfort and convenience! fof the travelling public must alwa^sibe considered."

':'■- REPLY TO CRITICISM. Rfetterring to criticisms that had been levelled at the scheme, the Minister said that he considered that a phy-sical'-fer fit person must have all of the highiSst mental, moral, and spiritual attributes and it was on that belief that (the scheme was based. That being so"rij|3 one could object to the scheme. A realisation of the need for national fitndss had been' awakened. The cou'jicil had laid the foundation upon whVisch the completed structure could be ibuilt. The work of the council in the. immediate future was to map out a .ijtolicy for submission to the Governrriejnt. %sne of the most difficult problems of the council would be to convince pebple that they could not be made fit without an effort of their own. One of the greatest fights the council would hc^ve to make would be to combat the inpuence of the motor-car. In the past people had kept fit by walking, but title motor-car had removed that form at exercise to a.large extent.

. , Then there was the idea of sporting ]b(bdies that all they had to do was to ; (propose a new sports ground or building and ask the Department for the money. They would have to realise ithat physical fitness did not depend bn money. Physical fitness could be bbtained in the open air and the [homes without expenditure.

> "A lot of people want to make physical fitness like religion," the Minister said. "They 'twill not go down on their knees in their own bedrooms. They want to go to church where there are others to see them. The same applies to physical fitness. Some people want to go out where others can see them. They don't want to go to the trouble of keeping fit for the sake of being fit."

Physical fitness could not be organised without costs, Mr. Parry said, but the value of fitness would be greatly in excess of the expenditure that had to be made. Large sums were being spent on health and education and national fitness was equally important and not nearly as costly. The continued increase in the cost of hospitals and. mental institutions showed that physical fitness was urgently needed.

The council is considering a large number of reports dealing with the various phases of the physical fitness campaign.