SWIMMING BATHS FOR SCHOOLS

Southland Times, Issue 24104, 18 April 1940, Page 6

SWIMMING BATHS FOR SCHOOLS

Value Of Instruction Emphasized INEXPENSIVE POOLS NOW AVAILABLE An appeal to the committee to consider seriously the advisability of installing a shallow pool at the school for swimming instruction was made by Mr J. C. Kirkland at the meeting of householders at the Waihopai School last “There is a tremendous rate of drowning in New Zealand and it has long been recognized that the best method of lessening it is to teach children to swim,” Mr Kirkland said. The only drawback was the lack of facilities. However, a method had been devised by which all children could be taught to swim by the construction at schools of inexpensive baths or swimming pools. They were shallow pools 2 feet 6 inches deep, 12 feet wide and 30 to 45 feet long. These small pools were actually a better place for teaching children to swim than the bigger baths, he continued. Swimming and educational authorities endorsed the use of the pools and the Education Department was prepared to subsidize the cost of the pools £1 for £1 up to £2OO. The pools had been adopted enthusiastically in the north and there were now 18 in Auckland alone. The tendency was to try to get baths at the schools. The actual costs of a pool at Invercargill had not been completely worked out, but it was thought that a pool suitable for the Waihopai school could be constructed for £BO, of which the Education Department would pay half. Mr Kirkland said he believed that practically all the children in the standards could be taught to swim in 12 months. At present Standard IV children were sent to the tepid baths to swim and two hours of school time was lost in securing one hour of instruction. Last year there were 19,700 admissions of Standard IV children at the tepid baths and it was estimated that only 10 per cent of the children went on with swimming after that year and less than 2 per cent, went on to life-saving work. OBJECTIONS REMOVED Many objections had been raised to the scheme, Mr Kirkland said, but information obtained from the north had exploded all of them. The climatic factor had been raised, but it need not interfere with swimming instruction in Southland. Most of the pool was above ground level and the water would quickly warm up even in Invercargill. Even in the present bad season it would have been found that the children would bathe regularly in such a pool. Mr H. H. Royds said the committee might find difficulty in finding the cost of water as funds at present available did not provide any surplus. The head mastei' (Mr A. Thomson) said he would welcome the baths, but he wished to point out that the three school months suitable for swimming instruction were busy months for school work.

The chairman (Mr W. Grieve) said he considered that the Government through the Physical Welfare Department should undertake to provide schools with baths. School committees should not have to find the cost. Mr Kirkland contended that when the Government was providing a £1 for £1 subsidy it was going a long way. He urged that systematic swimming instruction would result in the saving of many of the lives which were now lost annually by drowning. The chairman said the question could be considered by the committee. A motion to this effect was carried on the motion of Mr J. E. Cuthill.