ADVICE FOR FOXTON

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2139, 4 May 1914, Page 6

ADVICE FOR FOXTON

SWIMMING BATHS A NECESSITY.

Mr. Thos. Shields, of Wellington, the well-known swimming and life-saving enthusiast, draws attention to tho unenviable name Poxton is earning as the scene of drowning accidents. The last

instance is that of the man Win. Teviotdalo, a man in the prime of life (40 years), who perished m an attempt to savo the life of a lad namod Morgan in the Foxton River last week. Mr. Shields states that there was another Foxton case about a month or six weeks ago, and all would remember tho serious drowning fatality on the beach there of two years ago. Mr. Shields states that there was perhaps no means of preventing such accidents, but there wa3 a moans of preventing them having a fatal termination on each occasion. He attri-

butes tho fatalities to a lack of know ledge.

"There are no baths either at Palmerston North or Foxton," says Mr. Shields, "and therefore no interest is taken in swimming, lot alono life-sav-ing and restoring the respiration of the apparently drowned. There is, or -was, an old bath at Palmerston North, which, I 'understand, ha? fallen into disuse, and no one ever bears of it. If there is ono tiling that every town should possess as a first essential it is adequate baths, where young and old can learnto. swim, .and acquire a knowledge of the right thing to do in an emergency. I am pleased to say tbat a great many cities and towns aro recognising this, and have made- or are making provision for it/ but tho neglect of others is almost criminal. Foxton has a fine river, and I should not imagine that it would be a very difficult or expensive matter to erect baths near by.. They havo not got baths, and therefore do not do much swimming (though there is a bit of surf bathing on tho beach in' the summer months). If such places were provided with baths I would bo only too pleased, to go up and lend all tho assistance in my power to teach the young how to swim, and restore lifo to tho partially l drowned. ■ It is an awful tiling to me to seo good lives lost in tho way they arc simply through the want of a "iitfclo easily-acquired knowledge."