BEACH WEAR

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 81, 29 December 1934, Page 12

BEACH WEAR

“Shorts” Vogue For Men Bathers SPECIAL DESIGN Makeshift Garments May Cause Trouble In sjpite of the popularity of bathing shorts for men and boys, doubt has arisen in Wellington as to the legality of the new vogue. Though shorts have the official sanction of swimming control organisations and apparently are not disallowed under the City Council by-laws, short-wearers have been approached by the police. A number of bathers at Island Bay, who were in the habit of rolling down the upper portion of their costume to enjoy the sunshine, were on several occasions lately warned by the local constable that they were committing an / offence. When they refused to comply with the order to cover themselves more modestly, they had their names taken, although they maintained that the Wellington City Council had rescinded the by-law insisting on neck-to-knee costume. ( “Breach Committed.” “These men have committed a ■breach of the by-law,” said Constable Baker, of Island Bay, to a “Dominion representative yesterday. “I have every intention of reporting them.” Mr. J. Kelly, of the Island Bay Surf Club, who, was one of the swimmers concerned, stated that he understood it to be permissible to bathe in a pair of woollen shorts, as had been recommended by the New Zealand Surf and Life Saving Association. The City Council had considered the matter, said Mr Kelly, and had referred it to the surf associations to lay down a sensible ruling as to what was “decent” dress. Mr. Kelly recalled a case which came befofje the Magistrate’s Court last year, when a man who walked down Willis • Street clothed, like Ghandi, in a loincloth, had been charged with indecent ' exposure. The charge had been dismissed. . Sub-Inspector Roach stated that the by-law left It to the discretion of the public to behave in a decent manner. Decency was a question that differed in individual cases. The police constables had received instructions to check anything that savoured of indecency. It is a common usage on the beaches around Wellington for men to strip to the waist for sun-bathing. This is in accordance with the recognised view taken in English and European resorts, where beach-bathing is more popular than ever before. At a recent meeting of the New Zealand Surf and Life-Saving Association, it was decided that, in the opinion of the association, a decent costume for men comprised a pair of woollen bathing shorts alone. It sms stated that, in Sydney and other Australian resorts, the same opinion prevailed. Most modern costumes were merely shorts, adorned with shoulder-straps, as a sop to “Mother Grundy.” Simple woollen shorts were considered by reasonable people to be a becoming and adequate garb for men. Entirely Different. Such bathing shorts are on sale in Wellington, and, this summer, large numbers have been sold. It was point- % ed out yesterday, however, by a representative retail supplier, that the bathing trunks, modelled on thp fashion in vogue overseas last summer, and sold for use as such, are entirely different garments from the abbreviated trousers which formed part of the now out-of-date two-piece men’s swimming suits.

“From my observations at the various, Wellington beaches, I have realised that many men and boys, in adopting the new fashion, have economised by simply retaining the foundation garments of their two-piece suits,” the retailer told “The Dominion.” “These trunks or trousers were never intended to be worn in this way, and, in my opinion, it is the wearing of them that has given rise to any objection that is now being voiced. “The same thing applies to the practice of turning a one-piece swimming suit into trunks, simply by removing the shoulder straps and sliding the ■ upper portion of the suit down to the waist The resultant covering is both scanty and ugly. “Bathing trunks designed and manu- * ' factured for use as such are in an entirely different category. They are properly cut and designed as adequate garments, comfortable 'and attractive to wear, and not the least offensive to the modern code of decency.” What By-law Says. Councillor H. A. Huggins, chairman of the By-laws Committee of the City Council,stated quite clearly that the old by-law providing for neck-to-knee costumes was rescinded over 12 months ago,"when the city by-laws were consolidated. Generally speaking, the new by-laws which were substituted provide for costumes which secure ordinary decency, .without defining specifically the type or design of costume that might be considered decent. One by-law on the matter affects persons using a public swimming bath. It provides that every person over ten years of age shall, when swimming or

standing or sitting about the platforms, be attired in “a proper and sufficient 1 bathing dress.” What could be interpreted as such remains, very largely, a matter of opinion. Councillor Huggins was asked what he thought of the men wearing trunks only about the beaches. “Well, I’m not a prude,” he said, “but I should say that men wearing the scant V-piece trunk were scarcely decently attired.” By-law 25 deals with bathing on beaches open to the public. “No person shall bathe in any place open to the public, or open to the view of the occupants of any house in the city unless such person, whilst so bathing, and whilst proceeding to and from the water shall be so clad in bathing attire that no part of the body of such person shall bo indecently or offensively exposed.” In this instance the draftsman of the by-law has, perhaps wisely, refrained from defining precisely and particularly what design in bathing costume is essential to avoid a breach of the by-law. It is left the bather to decide whether he is or is not exposing any part of his body “indecently or offensively.” • ’ Reports of Bathing in Nude. One point about the by-law may be important. It is that referring to the bather “whilst in view of the occu- I pants of a housw in the city.” Only I during the last week there have been

reports of parties bathing in the nude in Oriental Bay in the early hours of the morning.' By no stretch of imagination could such pranks be considered “decent,” and it is for the authorities to see that such “incidents” are not repeated. It has become quite a common practice for men to swim, 101 l on the sand, and even stroll round the seaside roads at Day’s Bay, Lyall Bay, and Evans Bay in trunks only. On Sunday last some of those brown young men were reminded by the custodian at Day's Bay (Mr. W. Dick) that their dress was “insufficient.” Those approached took no notice of the admonition. Possibly it will take a magisterial decision to decide the type of costtime that is “decent.” At the same time, it must be borne in mind that what was considered .indecorous in 1900 is not so regarded to-day. As in most other things, the public’s idea of decency in bathing costumes has undergone a very radical change, even in the last live years, ns manufacturers of such garments could testify.