BATHS FOR, DIXIELAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19800, 22 November 1927, Page 15

BATHS FOR, DIXIELAND.

*THE GOVERNMENT INQUIRY. OPPOSITION OF CHURCHES. "PURELY ON MORAL GROUNDS." The Government inquiry regarding the granting of a licence to Dixieland, Ltd., for the erection of baths at Point Chevalier was continued yesterday before Mr. G. C. Godfrey, Secretary to the Marine Department, and Mr. L. B. Campbell, district engineer of the Public Works Department in Auckland. Mr. J. Stanton appeared for the City Council, and Mr. E. H. Northcroft for Dixieland, Ltd. Mr. W. Allen, commodore of the Point Chevalier Sailing Club, objected to the erection of baths on the suggested site on the ground that they would act aB a tide deflector. Mr. F. N. Andrews, president of the Council of Christian Congregations, rejiresenting the Anglican, Presbyterian, Methodist, Congregational and Baptist denominations, said the executive had passed a resolution strongly objecting, purely on moral grounds, to the erection of baths by a private, or even a public, company. If baths were needed they should be controlled by the City Council. Question o 1 Control. Mr. Northcroft: Until Dixieland provided dressing sheds, the only bathing dressing facilities were provided by the tea-tree on the point. Do you consider ihat desirable 1 Witness: I do not. Is there any law to prevent young people of both sexes going to the beach at night time and bathing in the dark without supervision ? —No. We take it your council would hear of most improprieties ?—Wo hear of a good many. If you have not heard of any impropriety by people bathing there without supervision or a lighting system, will you tell mo why you contemplate conditions will be worse when you have supervision and lighting?—We oppose ail baths being built on a public beach by Ik private body. You have suggested that the erection of tho baths will demoralise the community ?—I did not say that. It may result in tho community being demoralised. If baths are necessary, the City Council should erect them on behalf of the community. Mr. G. Stone, secretary of the Auckland branch of the New Zealand Labour Party, said the Labour Party objected to the baths,, not on moral grounds, but because it was considered every beach suitable for bathing should be preserved for the people. "We arc a young city and we do not ■want to make a mistake such as this in our early stages," said the Rev. Lionel B. Fletcher, who opposed the erection of the baths. "Some people of your view will not let us do anything for fear we make a mistake," remarked Mr. Northcroft. Mr. Fletcher: Wo feel that a step like this, which entails the moral welfare of the community, should be under the control of tho city. We would rather there should be 110 baths than that they should be under private control. Case for Dixieland. "Public morals an. going to ba very much .protected by the construction and i use of baths in this way, compared with j present conditions," said Mr. Northcroft, outlining the case for Dixieland, Ltd. ""The criticism of the construction resolves itsolf almost entirely into the consideration, firstly, whether the beach will be ondangered and,' secondly, whether a private company should be allowed to undertake the work. " I have no desire to be unfair to Mr. Andrews or to the Council of Christian Congregations, but Mr. Andrews seems to attempt the support of an entirely illogical position adopted by his council. He would have us believe he speaks with the voice of the combined congregations. That, obviously, is absurd. It would have been impossible to take a plebiscite in the time available, and it seems his opinion is that of those pious gentlemen who were present at the executive meeting. " In any case 1 cannot conceive that a young woman dressed in her finery for the dance will risk her somewhat artificial complexion in the water and then go back to the dance-hall. It seems absurd, and I cannot imagine the legitimate patrons of the cabaret will frequent the baths at night at all. One cannot escape the conviction that had it not been a cabaret company making appli- j cation the p blic bodies represented here j would not have been so active in their 1 opposition. There is a good deal of very idle and unfair innuendo; there is 1 not a scrap of positive evidence." Mr. Northcroft added that the City Council had adopted a dog-in-the-manger attitude. It had no '.ntention of erecting ba*hs at Point Chevalier, and would let no otic else do the work. Viewpoint of Swimmers. Messrs. F. E. Powell and R. F. Moore, civil engineers, gave evidence concerning the effect of the proposed baths on th« beach, giving as their opinion that the structure would not prove detrimental in the slightest degree. Mr. N. W. Loveridge, manager of Dixieland Cabaret, said conditions at the beach were disgraceful bafore the company and a private person provided dress-ing-sheds. People used to undress in hundreds in the park. There was now accommodation for about 2000 persons. The beach was only suitable for bathing four hours out of every twelve, and j witness said be had seen 15.000 holiday- j makers waiting nearly all day for a suit- j able tide level. The baths would make it possible for bathing to be carried on all day. Witness had never seen anyone leave the cabaret for a swim during the evening. Captain 'H. H. Sergeant, harbourmaster at Auckland, expressed the opinion that tho southern portion of the beach would not be denuded of sand because of tho presence of baths at the northern end. On the contrary they would tend to arrest deposits, which would otherwise be lost. Shelly Beach baths bad not affected the beach in the vicinity to any extent during the past 15 years., It did not seem possible that baths could interfere with the sailing club's course at Point Chevalier. Mr. T. C. Hobbs Joncs, chairman of the Auckland Centre of the New Zealand Swimming Association, said the baths would prove a wonderful asset to the district and the city. There was a demand for swimming facilities at Point Chevalier, and the considered opinion of swimming clubs was that baths should be erected on tidal beaches such as this. The centre bad asked the council to withdraw its opposition to the scheme Had a concrete floor been put in Parnell baths and electric light, installed some years ago, and mixed bathing allowed at night, the pool would have been far more popular. It was pitiful to watch women and children on the beach at Point Chevalier on a hot day with the tide out and nothing but mud all around. Mr. J Enwright, vice-president of the Auckland Swimming Centre, considered the proposed baths would bo better than any pool in New Zealand, and would be of great, value to the community It was immaterial who provided tho bathsT'le association wanted baths badly and tne council had not granted all that had been asked in the past. Dr. T. H. Pettit, chairman of the Auckland Head Centre of the New Zealand J.ife Saving Society, also urged the erection of the baths. The inquiry w»3 adjourned until this morning.