SWIMMING FOR CHILDREN.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIII, Issue 1081, 6 February 1918, Page 6

SWIMMING FOR CHILDREN.

FREE USE OF BATHS. DEPUTATION TO BOROUGH COUNCIL. A large deputation waited on the Borough Council at its meeting last night, the members of the deputation representing the schools and the various swimming bodies in tiio town, and their object was to ask for lire free use of the municipal swimming baths for school children during certain , hours. | Air £. M. Crabb introduced the deputation. Air A. 0. Buchlor, speaking on behalf of the deputation, said that it represented all the schools in the town, and they desired to ask the Council to give the baths free for tlie children on certain clays during tho summer. Swimming was going to bo made a compulsory school subject, and the teachers considered that 1 lie. baths should bo given free. They had approximately 20G0 children on the rolls of the schools. He quoted what was being done in Wellington and Christchurch, where the use of tho baths was given free to school children, as also were they at Foikling and Masterton. lu supporting swimming they would bo supporting an exercise that was going to assist the health authorities in making children healthy. ’The teachers were enthusiastic over the matter, and it. was also supported by tho swimming clubs. 'The deputation fell sure that their request would have u sympathetic hearing*, and they asked for an t'.nlv reply. Tho Rev. Father Hartnett, who also spoke on behalf of tho deputation, said they represented tlie parents of 2000 children who have power to use tho municipal baths. They had the sympathy ut the parents of the children capable of attending tho Gampboll street school bath, and tlie committee there had shown its sympathy by offering tho free use ot that bath. They felt, however. that they would bo acting quite unkindly if they overcrowded the hospitality of the Campbell street, committee. They did not ask for anything unreasonable or anvil dug unfair. Their request on behall of the 2000 children was for the me of the Ivatli during seven hours a week, winch only represented half a swimming day. and even dnrintr that time they did. not ask for other people to he excluded from the bath. They had selected hours for boys time darill■ r which iium could attend, and tho hours for girls during which-ladies could attend. The hours they asked for ye re not, the most valuable, to the Council linaiiciallyt _ln indicating that the use of tin bath might, be granted free, they Knew (he Council m granting it, would have the support of the people who elected them. It they made a. charge for children using the bath they would be running contrary to usage m New Zealand. lie referred again to tr.e practice.in Wellington ,and Mastertou, anu -.aid there was no reason why the children hero should not have the advantages clnhlirii cniovccl elsewhere the deputation ;:Bo made the point that it did not improve tlie moral education oi a child tor him jo bring his half-penny for the bath to the school, and have the temptation to otherwise spend it. Then there wore child-. ren attending the schools upon w nose par-! cuts it would be a drag to have to provide the finance, however low. The poorer people had to bear the name part in giving life ill tilt- present war as had other people, and their children shonl 1 have equal opportunities. He also considered that it the school children had the free use oi tlie paths it would popularise their use by other people. . , The e'.lavor asked the deputation try baud in a .statement, of the number of children attending each .school who would list' the hath,;, aml also the hours during which the. baths are asked for. Mr Buchlor handed in a statement ot tiio ] hours asked for the children of each school, and promised to send in a statement ot the numbers at; each school who would attend. The Mayor expressed the pleasure ot the Council in meeting such a J’epresontatixe gathering, lie pointed out that for years the Council had endeavoured to get public .swimming baths in Palmerston North, but had been obliged to take three or four polls before they could got authority to raise a loan for tiio purpose. ’1 he baths had only been open for three or lour months, and the work was t.ow to the Council, and it was quite possible that there were many things that may not have fitted in as well as they wished. ' The fact of the deputation coming along made a difference to the Council.

which would give; the it'presentations every ronsic'cruticui. The Council, ho need hardly remind thorn, had always been sympathetic in doing anything to help the schools, and lie thought ho was safe in saying the deputation’s applications would receive favourable consideration. The members of (lie deputation returned thanks and then withdrew. The Mayor said ho thought the Council should aflinn the principle that the children get the free use of the baths as® fully as possible, lie moved that the matter bo referred to the Baths Committee, with a request that it. should bold a meeting as soon as possible, and have power to act. This was seconded by Ur. O’Be.lly, and supported by CTs Rolfe ami (,VabL>, (ho latter remarking that Ur. .Bennett (chairman of tin' Baths Uominittcci had already had this matter in hand. (V. Broad said that, five weeks ago he iir.i.l moved for a return showing the hours win n the baths were least used, so that they could go into the matter. He, heartily suitported the views expressed by the depula-

Ur. Spooner said if the Board of Education was going to make swimming com pul- : iry ii had to find the means to enable the children to learn. If the Education Board could, make a grant for Uampbell street school for a hath, ii could make similar grants for other schools. (. r. Broad explained that for the Unnipbi'!l street school bath the Government bad given £2OO, and the Education Board grants of £123 and £75.

Ur. Spooner raid that il the Education Board was going to make swimming compulsory, they should not ask the municipalities to provide the mean.-. I hey should remember that the t onnetl had to obtain its revenue from baths during the Mimmer months, and it the Government and Education Board could give £3OO to one school ic could make a grant to the Council for dull,to of the municipal baths. While he was in sympathy with the idea of leaching children swimming, he thought they should obtain information on the lines he suggested from the Education Board. The Mayor: Why not lind out from Maslerton vvli.it action wits taken there? Ur. O’Reilly said that this matter required attending to at. once, and. they could see afterwards' about the capitation. ( T. Bennett pointed out that the Government alroadv gives a. capitation, to schools of 2s (jel to every boy who is taught to swim, and (heso balk', would be the means of enabling more boys to earn the capitation. He considered that in that case the capiPiti..*n should be handed over lor the use ot llie municipal baths. Ur. Broad said that the capital ion was 'TiinU'd lor chiklron who had 20 hours swimming in a season, so that none of them could earn it Ibis year. Ur. Bennett said they must not overlook i!m fact, that the Government gralw all mono' - possible, and while they wanted to ,lo ; ,li 1 lie v could to foster swimming, be thought the Government should help P-D for it. He was'quite agreeable to a tentative arrangement being made. c r Crabb pointed out that all the schools would not get the Government capitation ; ,s the Roman Uathohc rdiook . could not obtain it. He thought it would be belter for the Council to say straight, out, w bethel it would grant the application or not, and in bis opinion they should grant the children the use of the bath free. _ , u. Canton said he was m favour of granting the requests of the deputation, while at the same time he recognised financial position. . The motion to refer the matter to the Baths f.kmimittcc was agreed ip.