THE RECENT BATHING FATALITY.

Press, Volume L, Issue 14887, 29 January 1914, Page 10

THE RECENT BATHING FATALITY.

TO THE EPITOR OF "THE -RES..** JSir,—ln reforenco to the recent * drowning Accident at New Brighton ' and in reply to tlio several letters _pl * pearing in your iasuo to-day, several * of which contain very excellent sugges- " tions as. to thc best prceeduro to adopt ' in tho light of future surfing accidenta (for it Ls of no avail looking into tit past), permit mo to say that in tA* matter cf a general distribution of key* to tho members of my club, tho com. mittee of management havo absolutely dealt with this subject -finally. an" d havo been most heartily supported in _ their action by the majority ot mem- * bcrs. Our numbers now total 339----fancy that number of keys being issued and the natural result would be that all would havo the means oi entranceyet when required none would bo fortY coming, each being dependent on tha other, with the usual result. Keys *V - * the pavilion havo been, and still a«T ' Vpt a t the Kia Ora' Tea RoS barely a stone's throw away, while _»!' other is in the keeping of M r R. CaroSbell at his shop in Sea View «*,* Last year we kept tho life reels o ,n£f beach throughout the bathing seW resulting ,„ their practical d__tn3B by tho small boy, the curions, and th* meddlesome. The suggestion of {8 * appointment of a permanent cat___2 lias not beon lost sight of by thodX management, and so s _on mS£ finances. permit. the appointment S no doubt bo made. During the present sea-on the club members R effected several rescues from droT--___g and a book containitg the name* and dates of such is kept in tho paruS posted «, date, which maybe _Je?X application to any of the official-. I' or future guidance a life red hum and belt attached, will be tE Pier to meet emergencies, also a key to the pavilion. There ar_ none £g regret tho recent sad event more thS the members of my club do, and at a meeting of tho committeo, held on .Monday evening, a motion of sympathy and condolence was tabled in " eff aU present standing.—Yours etc __ A. P. HOPKINS *' Hon. Sec. Brighton Surf Club. TO TOE EDITOR OF "THE .RE,*." Sir,—Had your, correspondent, W? Read, made a few enquiries bcfo» wnting, there would have been no need * tor Ins somewhat spiteful letter It «T not necessary to enter into a d_*cu_sio_ - ~ through tho Press as to tho question _f '* members possessing keys; but tho following facts may prove of interest Wyour, correspondent :—Thero are tij» ~ keys-.always available—one at the Kk Ora. Tea Rooms and one at Mr 11. -A. Campbell's shop—so that any member wisiung to use the pavilion can. do so ot any time and on any day. This was 1 * made quito plain in the Press report* of our meeting and also in the eveninc papers' "Brighton Notes." If W. Read will ascertain the names of the thrc. members unablo to gain access to the pavilion, I will be only too pleased to - inform them personally whore to-obtain', the keys. Allow mc, also, to oontrattic--the following comment:—"Members of tho Management Committee are mostly non-resident .... and it is only when any member of the committee is pre* sent that tho ordinary member can-get \ into tho pavilion." This statement $5 absurd, and shows lamentable ignorance, as nine of the thirteen on the executive are Brighton residents, and, 1 as I have already pointed out, a mem- * bor can readily gain admission to tfie. pavilion withou*- the presence of a Committeeman. .. 'As a matter of fact, the pavilion Vaa open at the time of the fatality,"" and the small reel used by Mr "wank, junr*.. was obtained without any breaking locks, and although the reelhouse itself was broken open, the reel, -contained therein was not j apparently taken into the, water.—Yonrsr ctoir * , F. A. U. CJOOKSON, %1 ■ Vice-Captain Surf Clnb.,*C. New Brighton, January 28th. -^1^