HOSPITAL SWIMMING BATHS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26543, 19 August 1947, Page 9

HOSPITAL SWIMMING BATHS

Sir—Speaking on behalf of a certain band of children in this city known as the Zenith Swimming Club, I should like to bring before the public eye a certain controversy between the organisers of this club and the Dunedin Hospital Board A short while ago the Zenith Club were unfortunate enough to lose their swimming pool when the boiler burst at the Y.M.C.A. Thus these children's swimming efforts have been handicapped for an entire year, the Municipal Baths being overcrowded with two other clubs and various schools. Now the Public Hospital owns a perfect swimming bath, paid for with our tax money. It is used by crippled children, hospital patients, and members of the hospital staff. All of these together occupy the baths half, or, at most, threequarters of the week, and for the use of them for the Zenith children we ask only six or eight hours per week. Why not allow these children the use of the baths until they get their own swimming pool back? If the reason is that they might contract disease, why to the nurses use the baths? I should like to mention the fact that the organisers of the Zenith Club are philanthropists of the first degree—they give their skilled services for nothing just for the sheer desire to help the children. They are quite prepared to pay for the use of the baths. Could the Hospital Board not see their way to put it to the vote? We ask their generosity in this matter.—l am. etc.. Mother of Pupils. [This letter was referred to the secretary of the Otago Hospital Board, Mr J Jacobs, who stated that a number of applications to use the baths had been received from swimming clubs and other organisations in Dunedin He added that the question whether it would be possible for Outside organisations to use the baths wsv; still under consideration bv the Hospital Board. —Ed 0.D.T.l