THE DEVIL’S POOL.

Southland Times, Issue 19099, 17 November 1923, Page 3

THE DEVIL’S POOL.

To the Editor. Sir, Neither your article of the 14th, nor the contributions of your anonymous correspondents in reference to the Waihopai River, do anything to refute anything I may have said on the subject. In spite of the fact that the Corporation has control over the sheds and gear at the Devil’s Pool, I still adhere to the statement that the Corporation has no power to prohibit bathing in the Waihopai River. This river has been and still is the recognised bathing resort for the northern part of the town, and if the Corporation attempted to interfere with the rights of the citizens there would be raised a howl from one end of the town to the other. For the last 40 or 50 years most of the residents of the northern parts of Invercargill and the surrounding districts have learned to swim in this river, and the deputation from the N.I.S.C. is a further proof of the popularity of the resort. If you have any intelligent suggestions to make that would minimise the risks of bathing, the public would no doubt, welcome them, but to make use of the late deplorable incident for the purpose of attacking the council is decidedly unjust and can serve no useful purpose. Can you tell us in your wisdom how it is possible “to minimise the manifest dangers of this pool,” or any other pool? The Devil’s Pool is not the only pool that has claimed its victims. Within quite recent years two drowning accidents have occurred in another part of the same stream. I am,, etc., LEONARD WEBB. [Our correspondent forgets that previous accidents at the Devil’s Pool, where the Town Council' invites swimming, have not moved the council to action, and we submit we are not unjust to the council in reminding it of the fact. If the councillors insist that the council has no responsibilities in this matter, then no comment can serve a useful purpose. As to the power of prohibiting swimming, our correspondent has merely adhered to his opinion but has produced no argument. If the Town Council has no means of minimising the manifest dangers of the Pool to which it invites swimmers, we say it should withdraw its invitation and warn people of the dangers If there are other danger spots the body controlling the river should warn swimmers. The one oversight cannot be advanced to palliate another.—Ed. S.T.]