THE PARNELL BATHS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15550, 6 March 1914, Page 8

THE PARNELL BATHS .

HOURS AND CHARGES, \i§ CITY COUNCIL'S DECISION. Jl OPENING TO-MORROW.. ( A report suggesting the hours to be observed and the charges to be made at the new Parnell Baths was submitted by the Mayor (Mr. C. J. Parr) to last night's meeting of the City Council. The Mayor referred to the opening of the baths to-morrow, and recommended that the charges be fixed at the same figure as those relating to the Albert Street Baths. These were slightly lower than the charges fixed for the Shelly Beach Baths, but, in view of the fact that, the accommodation, for the present at any rate, at Parnell was not quite equivalent to that at Shelly Beach, he thought the charges would prove to be equitable. He also recommended that sections 6 to 13 0 by-law No. 15, relating respectively to the admission of children, family bathing costumes, visitors, adults' and youths* ad mission, and racing at Shelly Beach he adopted at Parnell. The hours for bath ing at the baths, he suggested, should be the same as at Shelly Beach. He had appointed a temporary caretaker, and asked that his salary be made £3 per week. The appointment would only be for the balance of the present season. Miss Melville brought up the question of bathing hours for women. She said there w?,s dissatisfaction with the present ?• arrangement at Shelly Beach Baths, under which business girls could not go bathing ' ' in the morning before work. Provision should be made for them at Parnell. The Mayor said that a trial had been given to a system of bathing hours for females in the mornings, but it had not proved a success. The council proposed to "; : give family bathing a trial. It was done i in _ Wellington and Christchurch, under strict supervision. Now was the time to see whether family bathing would be a success in Auckland. Miss Melville said family bathing was not the question to which she was referring!. ' The Mayor remarked that if circumstances made it necessary it would be quite possible for the council to make provision next season for the two sexes to bathe simultaneously, though in different baths. "The caretaker at Shelly Beach has assured me,'" said the Mayor, "that a separate system is not a success. If you want the baths to be a success you must allow mixed bathing." The discussion here dropped, and the report was adopted. j