THE USE OF LEISURE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23101, 28 July 1938, Page 12

THE USE OF LEISURE

Tiio profitable use of leisure is, or ought, (o be, a leading social question in New Zealand to-day. It is directly linked with the drive for reduced working hours and the proposed earlier age of retirement from active working life. On ihe surface, the gift of greater leisure implied in both trends should be a boon to the individual ; it is certainly represented as one. Yet if the citizen to whom it is offered lacks the resources within himself to make good use of the increased free time, it will become empty as well as free, with mental and physical stagnation the ultimate end. Enough attention has not been given to this question. The conference just held in Christchurch to discuss it is a hopeful portent. One of its outstanding features was that it considered something more than sport as the means of occupying free time. Outdoor sports have their value, and a very high value, but they are far from meeting the whole bill. Intellectual interests, which were given due emphasis by the conference, and handicrafts, are two very significant additions which should help to create a fuller life. The only actual evidence offered to the Ghristchurch gathering was of needs unfulfilled. A wider stock-taking, perhaps on a national scale, would probably give similar results. There is a field for action, and useful action here. The problem is not an easy one. Too much organisation is a real danger. Regimented use of leisure would be little better than vacancy and idleness. The individual needs to be advised and helped rather than drafted into organisations, and over-directed.