LIFE SAVING.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17529, 12 July 1917, Page 7

LIFE SAVING.

■MEETING OF CANTERBURY CENTRE.

Tho Canterbury Hoad Centre of the- Royal Life-saving Society met last evening at the Munipical Tepid Baths, Mr W. H. Benson presiding over an attendance of about a dozen delegates. The chairman, reported that .Mr I. "Wyn Irwin had accepted the position of chief instructor

Accounts amounting to £2 123 id were passed for payment. Miss 00-.vley was appointed to tho vacancy on tho committee caused by the resignation of Mr Bambury, and tho chairman extended a welcome to Mias Cowley a 3 a member of the executive. Awards of tho bronze medallion to tho Christchurch Boys’ High School class, Sumner Surf Club team and Y.M.C.A. class; of the medallion to Dorothy E. L. Largo; of the award of merit to Samuel Haines, and of tho teachers’ certificate and honorary instructor's certificate to S. Hollander, were approved. Tho chairman reported that a sum of £6 8s 7d was in hand, which must bo devoted to tho encouragement of life-saving work in schools.

It was decided, after discussion, to refor tho matter to a sub-committee consisting of the lady members of the executive, it being understood that the executive favoured a competition open to primary school girls. Mr B. S. Knox, os the executive's delegate to the Canterbury Centre of the Now Zealand Amateur Swimming Association, reported upon his interview with the association. Ho stated that he was present at the meeting as a delegate from tho Lifo-saving Society, having duly received notice to attend from tho secretary. One of the members moved that the speaker should not be. accepted as a member until he withdrew certain statements made by him at a meeting of tho Life-saving Society. The speaker rose to leave tho meeting, and was p rev tiled upon by other members of tho association to remain. Mr Knox quoted from newspaper reports of tho proceedings. He added that he sincerely regretted that anything he had said on any occasion had caused friction between tho two bodies. Ho had not chosen his words wisely, and he must take full responsibility. He had not realised that his utteranco was bcin.v reported, but now that it had boon reported ho wished it, to bo regarded as unsaid. Ho could make no more complete amends than that. The association had taken up the position that the Lifo-saving Society had not conducted tho Sir John Hull Challenge Shield competition under tho rules of that competition, but under tho rules of the society’s proficiency test, a much stiffer tost. The fact of tho matter was that the proficioncy test rules we.ro substituted a long while ago with the consent of tho association, and tho association had written before last competition, assentinv to tho competition being carried on "ns usual.” That letter had been lost sight of by some of the association’s officers, and a, great deal of misundorstiuiding had enSl Th"e matter was further discussed in committee.