CORRESPONDENCE.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 11817, 14 November 1901, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

We are not responsible for the opinions expressed by correspondents. The writer's nave, as a guarantee i of good faith, must be enclosed in the letter. SALT WATER BATHS. .]. ] (To the Editor.) "■ Sir, —Mr Samuel's letter on the above question gave me a surprise. He says it cannot be seriously urged that public baths are a necessity in ~ a small town like New Plymouth. V Why is New Plymouth a small town? " Just for the want of more energetic', r public men taking a more active in-1 L terest in matters of this kind. Few Q towns are so favourably situated as c New Plymouth, but it has been woefully neglected ; this is all the more a discreditable because salt water swimming baths could be made re- E munerative, not a tax on ratepayers t as his letter implies. New Plymouth has a population of 5,000 inhabit- s ants and is the seaside and water- "v ing town for the province of Tara- n naki with a population of over 30,- t 000 ;and in view of these facts that we have no saltwater swimming* baths is discreditable. New Plymouth people do not realise the num. ber of visitors who would come to our town if there were swimming c baths erected. We have a most val- € uable asset in our sea beach and we ] are making no use of it. The Coun- c cil last night passed a resolution offering £10 10s for the most suitable design with approximate estimate of \ cost of salt water swimmimg baths ; a bath to hold at least 100,000 gallons, and fill and empty it- ;; self at least once in the 24 hours. ': Does Mr Samuel infer that this body of water will become stagnant or * putrid in that short time ? The Council I think have power under ' clause 347 of the Municipal Corpora- , tion Act to erect baths without consulting the ratepayers. However, I do not recommend that course to be taken, but am willing to leave the matter in the hands of the ratepay- £ ers to say if th?y want baths. lam i a. poor writer and speaker, i and will now leave this matter until i the loan proposals ( are before the ratepayers. I may ' then speak on « this and the other proposals from < the platform. —l am, etc., ] G. TISCH. 1 November 13. j ' : ] 1 < ] !