The Feilding Star, Oraua and Kiwitea Counties Gazette. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1909. Swimming.

Feilding Star, Volume III, Issue 801, 11 February 1909, Page 2

The Feilding Star, Oraua and Kiwitea Counties Gazette. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1909. Swimming.

Year atter year,- throughout the summer months, there are daily reports of drowning fatalities, amid circumstances always sad and often pathetic in the extreme. The immense majority of these distressing accidents would be unheard of were swimming the universal art, as it should be.— N.Z. Herald. The success of Feilding's second swimming carnival, held in" Mr Cha<s. Can's private lake yesterday afternoon, under excellent conditions, is a pleasant thing to record. It was something of a venture to postpone the sports from a Saturday to a Wednesday, and the experiment is useful as an indication of what support may be expected for gatherings held on the mid-week halfholiday. The complaint against the Wednesday holiday, as against its observance on Saturday, is that the latter gets all the best of the games. Ytesterdey the Wednesday folks of this town, got a rare chance to see something unusual in this district, and they enjoyed the spectacle. And Wiey enjoyed the spectacle . That is to cay, some of them did. And many of the spectators, as they watched the swimmers disporting themselves in the water, envied them their "dip." But they had satisfaction in remembering that the Municipal Baths are well under way, and their completion is now only a matter of days. It seems highly probable that all and sundry, men, women and children, will yet be able to enjoy * bathe under safe, oomfoTtejble, and coaveai- i

ent conditions in Feilding. And it is in view of this facility that is shortly to be available that we use yesterday's I carnival as topical incident upon which to hang a homily upon the art and ntilty of swimming. As an art, Feilding folks saw it well demonstrated yesterday afternoon ; but its utilitarian side has yet to be developed here. Hitherto, the boys of the district have had to be content with a water-hole in the river course as the place or exercise. Some have there learned the art of swimming, others have never gone down into the hole without fear and trembling — and their parents have felt still more fear. In a few days that will all be a thing of the past, thanks to the enterprise of the ratepayers and the Borough Council. Every summer season brings its record of accidents and fatalities following upon the call of the sea, the river, and the stream to humans. It is as natural in the hot season to seek a "dip" and a swim as it is to breathe. The pity of it is that so many boys and girls go into unknown waters to satisfy this desire. The result is disaster. Nearly every day this year we have had a record of a death by drowning in some part of the dominion. We would like to see the Feilding Swimming Club and School Committees act in conjunction in the matter of arranging for the instruction of every boy and girl in the town and district in the art of swimming. It is the rule in the "Wellington Boys' College and the "Wanganui Girls' Hi^li School — both of which institutions have private- swimming baths — th:it every pupil must learn to swim, unless parents have good reason for claiming exemption for their children. (This exemption is rarely claimed.) In a report issued at the end of December last on the instruction in swimming given in London schools, the Board of Education recommended the teaching of the breast-stroke in preference to the side-stroke, and the use of the plain hand line and belt instead of corks and other aids far learners. Thus, by these three exam pies, it will be seen that this suggestion is past the experimental stage : and if Feilding's Municipal Baths can be uitlised for giving the children of our schools instruction in the art of swimming, the Council will be more than justified in their undertaking, the Swimming Club will be afforded an opportunity of doing useful work Inproviding instructors, and the schools will have added to their value as «n educational force. That "prevention is better than cure" holds just., sis good in life-saving in the waters as it does in our ]>hysic»l and mentil health.