BATHS FOR THORNDON

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 155, 26 March 1920, Page 7

BATHS FOR THORNDON

' ; DEPUTATION TO THE CITY ' COUNCIL. , ' Aiarge -and .representative -deputation •of Thorndoii residents .waited iinon the City Council last evening in respect-to thermovision , of swimming baths to tnko ithe-place of the Thorndoii Baths. which have '.been closed by ; the council. In presenting .'the case .for the deputation, tlie Hon. J.G. Coates said that he .with . others .had ■ made use of tlie Tliorrtdon 'Batlis, and-he asked that the council, proceed .with an np-to-ilate salt-water, bath at Thorndon in place of the swimming bath now.closed. The baths-were very essential to health; they were an imperative need-rfor the children,'and in, Wat regard he quoted'the example of Germany, -where comparatively .small populations had provided excellent swim-ming-bath He also stressed the large population now and: in 'the\future at "Onslow, Wadestowiv Kaiwarra. and Northland, who could not ■ ..usjS. the Te Ar.o Baths. .'lf, more disere- ; ■:tiori was 'exercised in. tho dumping of the' ■rubbish at Thorndon -the baths .might ' •■still serve, and he hoped that the coun'"'l •ivonld not -carry out , its intention .of clos.insr , tho baths until others were provided. •Mr. .T, Ronaync said that with a little patching-up ithe Thorndon Baths would .serve ;ui:tiLsuch timo ..as others were pro-, vided. ■ 1 ' The -Acting-Mayor ' (Councillor G. Frost), in -reply, -said that the council, were unanimous 'in reoognising tho .necessity -for the provision -of hntli's-ior Thorndon, but the action was, taken .on their being advised that Hi? baths -.wow; not fit for .people to bathe , ill. If 'the Government, through tho; Hon. ,T. G. Coates, could .give 'the CityCouncil assistance to secure a site for the .baths on the reclaimed land (which' .tod been suggested by tlie.city .enyneerV ■it would-be .giving t.he council .an enor.inous amount.-of help. The matter was -before the Government at the present; time. As soon as they could i;et tho . site . ho 'promised that tho new baths .would bo speedily completed. .At present It was not fair to allow ..peo.ple .to -bathe in the present bat-hs: as they were :for 'health reasons. -Councillor W. -J. Thompson pointed, •out that tho expenditure on tho-baths for .the past year was '#180 and the reeeinfe) were only ~£lß'lss. . -Ono-of the. deputation .remarked Unit 1 .tlie poor receipts were duo-to .-rubbish being dumped-into the harbour close to tlie baths. : .It-was tacitly agreed that the matter of the .closing date would be reconsiderod. "Tho,Hon. Mr. Goatos said he would do ■ all lie could to.get the council its baths. Later on in tho evening CouncillorLuckio mentioned .that it came as a shock -to -him and other councillors to hear from 'Mr. Coates that tho ibathfi had boon fouled by the action of their own dustmen in emptying soot and-ashes , .into the harbour near tho baths. Tlie least they could do was ,to investigate that, matter, and :soo if the cessation of that sort of thing .would make the baths usable. .Ho opined -that tho act .of getting possession, of the site for the proposed new baths and their construction would be a long and laborious matter. ' The Acting-Mayor said that plans had bsen prepared, and the engineer had cmsuited with the Hallway authorities on the matter. Such delays could not bo ■ avoided. 1 Councillor L. M'Kenzie moved that •the' motion to closo the baths on March ,31 be'referred back to the Baths Com- ■ niittee, and:that tha bath's remain .open I in iha meantime. 1 The motion was oarriod.