A Credit to the Town

Manawatu Times, Volume 60, Issue 278, 25 November 1935, Page 11

A Credit to the Town

PAHIATUA’S SWIMMING BATHS Tho Pahiatua Borough Council, although not in control of tho local swimming baths, takes a very live interest in their welfare, and recently expended some £4O on improvements wffiich have resulted in a new- filtration scheme. An alteration has been mado to tho old filter bed. Instead of having stones and mud as in the past, the filter has been remodelled on scientific lines. The position now is that every drop of water that goes into the baths first passes through the settling tanks, and pumice and charcoal filtering beds, which will have such a clarifying effect upon tho water that it will be crystal clear and absolutely purified. For purity and elealincss the baths should now be the equal of any baths in New Zealand.

All 1 the seats are being painted, also the high-diving platform. The cracks opened up by the big earthquake have been picked out to a solid foundation and filled with cement concrete. - The w'hole area of the -walls and bottom of the baths have been scraped and scrubbed with steel brushes, then painted with a strong solution of caustic, to kill any fungus or germs which might be in the concrete. After this operation there was a further scrubbing, leaving an absolutely clean surface. The whole of the side walls’ and bottom of tho baths havo been painted with Medusa cement, two coats being given. - i At .tho meeting Dr. Dawson referred to the erection of the baths many years ago and their subsequent handing over to the club's control, and said he failod to see why tho borough council had not paid tho subsidy, although ho was not asking that it should do so. It was explained by Mr W. A. Cartiiew that the council had receivod no request for a subsidy from the club, but he thought it had done a goo'd deal for them in other ways. It was thought in some quarters that the club should press for a grant from the council, and followed a long discussion about finances, but the matter was- dropped wheu Mr W. Brown threw out a hint that tho club should endeavour to carry on without asking for a subsidy, pointing out that this year the council had gone to considerable expense. “In fact,” ho said, “when the bill for tho improvements comes beforo it I’m afraid some of us councillors will get tho cane.