PALMERSTON NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 838, 9 June 1910, Page 6

PALMERSTON NEWS.

A TEPID BATHS PROPOSAL. MANAWATU ART SOCIETY. (From Our Special Correspondent.) Palmerston North, Juno 8. At « meeting of the Borough Council last night tho engineer submitted plans and estimate of cost of a public tepid swimming bath. The plans provide for a building, to be situate at the rear of the Opera House, 116 ft. long and' Soft. wide, tho water-tank being 100 ft. long by 35ft. wide. The water at tho deep end will bo Bft., and at the shallow end 2ft. 6in., tho latter part lo be specially walled off for small children in which to learn to swim. Provision is made foist dressing rooms on the top of which will' be seating accommodation for spectators during competitions, etc. The estimated cost is set down at ,£3BS'O, which includes cost of apparatus for heating tho baths. Councillors thought the schemo rather pretentious and were afraid that the cost would be fatal to the proposal. With a view to reducing the cost it was suggested that the roofing might be left out, some councillors maintaining that tho baths would be better if open to the sky. The engineer thought, however, that this would be a mistake, and, eventually tho matter was left over to enable moro information to be obtained on the question as to whether the roof is really necessary.

The weekly meeting of the local Literary and Debating Society was held last night, when there was a good attendance of members and visitors. The programme for the evening took the form of an "election campaign," there beiug half a dozen candidates of widely different political 'opinions. A very enjoyable ovening followed. Next week the society will debate the question: "Shall we accept the Carnegie grant for a Library?"

Last night tho Borough Council referred an application, from Mr. T. Stagpoole for a portion of the gravel reserve at Terrace End on which to build a literary institute, to the Public Works Committee to go into the matter, the council being decidedly favourable to the proposal. Mr. Stagpoole is taking a keen interest in promoting the Boy Scout movement, and it is chiefly in connection with this that he is taking steps for the erection of the proposed institute. He has. been promised considerable support from local residents, and providing that the Borough Council will grant the site at a nominal rent, the institute for Terrace End will soon bo an accomplished fact.

The Palmerston Beautifying Society has arranged a comprehensive programme of tree-planting for the season, embracing a number of street's. Numbers of residents have also expressed their willingness to contribute funds to plant tho particular streets which they are interested in, and at last night's meeting of the Borough Council .£SO was allocated for tree-planting. This -sum will be used principally in subsidising private contributions for the purpose, the council being of opinion that residents should be encouraged to beautify their streets.

Mr. Maurice Cohen' presided over the second annual meeting of the Manawatu Art Society last evening. The report submitted by the secretary had been an unqualified success. Great interest had been manifested in it, and the attendance had .been so good that the society had been enabled to keep the exhibition open a week longer than was originally intended. The expenses had been very heavy, leaving the society with a small debit balance, which, however, would be covered by a few outstanding subscriptions. It was decided to call' a public meeting on June 16, when officers for the ensuing year will be elected.

Tho district nurse reported to a meeting of tho committee last evening that 6he lias paid forty visits during the month of May. Thero had been one birth and one, death among the patients, and five patient? had been discharged as cured. The nurse had been away on leave, and during her absence .the work had been carried on by tho Sisters of St. John's Ambulance Nursing Division.