THE TEACHING OF SWIMMING

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22512, 21 September 1938, Page 3

THE TEACHING OF SWIMMING

LACK OF FACILITIES FOR SCHOOLS FIGURES FOR DISCUSSION BY CONFERENCE A serious lack of facilities in some education districts for the teaching of swimming in schools ""HSwJtton a summary supplied by education boS for discussion by the Dominion Federation of School Committees Associations, at Present holding its annual conference in Christchurch.The summary has no uniform statistical plan, so that districts cannot be compared. But the figures for some districts show large numbers of s C noois 'without any swimming facilities and a large proportion of the children still unable to swim. . e „x, nri i<. In the Canterbury district 36 schools have their own baths, according to tne summary. In the Wanganui district there are 55 schools with facilities, at the school or in the locality, ana 131 with no facilities. Wellington contents itself with a list of swimming baths totalling 17. Hawke's Bay reports 124 schools with baths of their own or available, use of public baths, and river and sea bathing; 56 schools have no facilities. In Nelson, m 1930, 72 schools out of 138 had facilitiesjfor teaching swimming, nearby streams being used in most cases; at present three schools have baths and three more will shortly be provided for.

"Sheer Desperation" More than two-thirds of the schools in the. Otago districts—many of which, however, are small schools—have no swimming facilities, states the Otago Education Board, quoting from a letter to the Otago Royal Life-Saving Society. Seventy-two schools have the use of baths, lakes, the harbour, or pools; and in most of the larger towns baths are available at low rates or without cost. The board agrees that the present amount of tuition is inadequate, but' says it is unable to do more —partly'through lack of funds, but more particularly through lack of facilities.' The board considers that the State should accept the responsibility of providing tepid baths, which are required if the greatest benefit is to be obtained" in the Otago climate. "The biggest necessity is for the Government to . .place swimming tuition on the curriculum as a compulsory subject," states the Southland summary. "'Prevention through education' should be the watchword." Referring to a few pools supplied by damming or diverting streams, this report says: "These baths were provided by public-spirited individuals, built in sheer desperation in preference to treacherous river holes and dirty 'death-traps,' pools and creeks."

The education officer of the Southland Swimming Centre has reported that the district possesses: one city tepid bath serving 28.000 people; one cold pool (diverted river) at Otautau for 1000 people; a, similar cold pool at Nightcaps for 800 people; a small swimming course of running water at Lumsden, serving 700 people,, but unsuitable for teaching children; a dammed stream at Pukerau for 350 people. Winton has no swimming conveniences for a population of 1400. Unable to Swim - Only two districts, Auckland and Hawke's Bay, supply figures for numbers of children learning to swim or unable to swim. In Hawke's Bay 11,302 children are stated to be unabli to swim, out of a roll number of 15,552 at the end of last year. In Auckland 12.984 children learned to swim last season; and in the standard classes and above there are 13,678 unable to swim. The estimated cost of instruction in the last season, for all schools where it was undertaken, was £3OOO.

These reports will be discussed by ;he conference to-morrow.