CITY BATHS.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1975, 4 February 1914, Page 8

CITY BATHS.

PROBLEM IN LADIES' MBA. The Mayor "(Mr. J. P. Lukft),' Councillor G. Frpsfc (chairrrtaii of.tlm Reserves Comiivittes), Councillors; Buddie. Barber, and Wright, accompanied by tho 'City Bii.g-iiiecr -(Mr,' W. H. Morton), visited tho City Baths at Clyde Q.tiay yestettlay afterhooii. their purpose was to endeavour to detcrinino what should bo done to meet the proposals' piit for■ward by Di\ Platts-Mills.. president of sevoral "girls' swimming clubs, and Mr. "Thomas Shields, a well-kliow'n swimming; enthusiast, who has done goad- work ill leaching hundreds of children' to stfim. Dr, Platts-Mills and Mr. Shields-.main-tain that tho depth of water in the saltwater section of the ladies' bath is too. great, inasmuch »s it is only possible Cor nou-swinimiug girls to ''bottom it' nt low' water in tlio lowest part °f the baths, attd nowhoro can it be bottomed ut high water. To provide a bath lot yoitnger girls a concrete tank \«is erected ahaut three years ago, but, being above, low-water levelj it has to .bo filled with fresh Water. -. ■

« v Mr. .Shields- explained to the- committee yesterday that when the -baths had been, visited'.a week ago at high witter the depth ■ was over aft, at the first steps. .Yesterday., at 4.3& p.m., when it ' was. supposed to. be low water,. there 'was' still 4fi. of water in the lowest part of tho big baths, and that was a prohibitive depth to ehildron. who .could not swim. Ko thought that there should bo a' natural shelving bottom, and'astiitablo depth far non-swimmers'. A ■mistak-o-. had, he thought, been flinde in building the conoreto tank across tho shore end of the baths. If that had not Wen done an artificial beach might have been constructed. Mr. /tViitou mentioned that a protest Was being made by sonic regular attend.mits at the baths against any .schemo that would shorten tho length of water availahle for racing purposes. He- oxhibited the petition (which contained : about half a doao-ft li-amos) to the committee, 'Personally ho was opVio'sed to any alteration. - fh-eso new -ideas, life stated, eiiia.uatcd.fro.iii people who only came to -tlie baths about three or four times a year. ~..., Mr.' Morton guardedly stated that, if 'anything wore done in front of tho-ooii-ere'to tank > it would certainly short* ll the length of tlio baths for racing purr poses, and whatever Was done would be costlr,' It might ho possible to redi.ico the'depth by'redainiliig , with stones *ind sand, but"it was impossible to .say how the action-of the tides would affect' tte sand.' . Mr. "Wilton stated that a- number of steii.es had once hecil deposited eloso te tho concrete tank, .hut they had been .'carried out half-way to the end of the baths hv the tide. .After an Inspection of the men's bath, the- committee decided to ask Mr. Mor* ■ton to report oil'the matter.