DANGEROUS PRACTICE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27291, 18 January 1950, Page 4

DANGEROUS PRACTICE

Horseplay In Municipal Baths COMPLAINTS OF PARENTS A suggestion that more supervision appears to be necessary at children’s sessions at the municipal baths has been made to the Daily Times by the mothers of two children who attend regularly. In both cases it was stated that there appeared to be an undue amount of horseplay in the baths. One mother said her daughter had complained that, at one session, she had been followed about by a bigger girl who persistently held her under the water. Another complaint was that

some boys took every opportunity to push others off the high diving board, which, 1 it is claimed, was a dangerous practice. “Unless there is some improvement in the supervision at the baths,” one of the mothers told the Daily Times, “I am going to stop my boy from going there.” No one would deny, she added, that all young children required to be kept under control, particularly when gathered in groups, and suggested that if the notice of the authorities were drawn to the matter it would receive attention.

Constant Supervision

At all times there was supervision at the baths, said the chairman of the general committee of the city council, Cr E. J. Smith, when the complaints of the mothers were referred to him yesterday. An attendant was either patrolling the edges of the baths or in his office which had a window overlooking the pool. He would emphasise that if any undue horseplay was not observed by the attendant, complaints either by parents or children to him would upon immediately. Such actions as the pushing of children from the high diving board were definately dangerous, Cr Smith added, and everything in the power of the council would be done to prevent the practice. He was sure however, that it must be a fairly rare occurrance as it would be immediately obvious to the attendant and stopped. Normally the city school children attended the baths during school time and under the supervision of thier teachers. In the holiday period, when the practices complained of probably took place, there would be larger numbers of children attending the baths without this detailed supervision. The task for the bath’s attendant would therefore be greater than in normal times and possibly some actions would escape his notice. The complaints of the parents would be passed on to the attendant, however, and every effort made to prevent undue horseplay.