ENCOURAGEMENT OF SWIMMING.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7213, 26 September 1901, Page 4

ENCOURAGEMENT OF SWIMMING.

ANOTHER GOVERNMENT GRANT REQUIRED. The Canterbury Centre of the Swimming Association has decided to endeavour to have a vote placed on the Supplementary Estimates this session for importing a swimming instructor to teach swimming in Canterbury. The whole question of Government r.id in this direction was threshed out at a meeting of the Centre last evening, when Mr J. C. K. Sibbald intimated that the present Government grant, given to school committees, did not go very fair in the way intended. . Several of the delegates present are members of schooL committees. One of them, Mr R. J. Paull, said that the sum I of £3 had 1 been allotted to_the Richmond Committee, and he was of opinion that the best method of spending the money was to enable schoolboys to join swimming clubs without paying fees. Tho committee encouraged the eld-er boys to teach the younger ones. Mr Waiter Johnston said that the Addington' Committee had received £3 3s. It was ridiculous for anyone to say that swimming could be taught by means of such a small sum. This aspect of the question was dropped when the chairman (Mr W. E. D. Bishop), saidi thait the proper authority to deal with it was the Swimining Association. , ' A suggestion was made by Mr C. Kent thafc each school committee should be re: quested to contribute 10s 6d towards the schoolboys' championships, but no motion was passed in regard ,to this. Mr Sibbald-, however, took up another aspect of the question. He strongly urged 1 :hat a swimming instructor should be imported from Sydney or Melbourne to teach the art to both senior and junior, members of clubs in Canterbury. He said that in any of th-i school baths here boys could be seen using four different kinds of strokes, and ,the details of swimming were absolutely beyond many members of the clubs. There were eight clubs in the city, and the school committees, no doubt, would assist financially. The instructor could be brought over for a certain time in the summer, say in January and February. It was stated thafc the only difficulty was a financial one. Mr Johnston moved that the secretary should be instructed to write to Canterbury members of Parliament, asking them to use their influence with, the Minister of Education to have a vote placed on the Supplementary Estimates to provide a swim- i ming instructor for Canterbury. The pre- j sent grant, through the school committees, | he sa.id, was quite inadequate for the purpose for which ifc had been granted. A large number of Centres had a claim on the grant. Ifc was absurd to spend only £5 or so among 500, 600 or 800 children. An opinion was expressed that it would not be considered fadr to give an instructor to Canterbury and not to other districts. Mr Johnston said that the motion, if carried, would voice the feeling of at anyrate 800 or 900 swimmers...' Other people would 1 stand up for other places ; let those present battle for their locality. Mr: Kent seconded the motion, which was carried.