"Taranaki Central Press” SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 1937. MAKING BRITONS FIT.

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 353, 6 February 1937, Page 4

"Taranaki Central Press” SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 1937. MAKING BRITONS FIT.

Britain s first great physical education plan is shortly to be established, according to a cablegram to to-day s news columns. The scheme provides for the immediate establishment of national advisory councils and a national college of physical training for in structors. It will not be a compulsory scheme but the Government desires to ensure that every child will achieve health and happiness through a thorough course of physical training which will stimulate some realisation of the need for physical fitness. Some £2,000,000 will be spent on the project during the first three years, and thereafter it will be maintained at a cost of £150,000 a year.

Though it is something new for Britain to commence a national physical training scheme, European countries have been doing this for x.ears past. Germany’, Denmark and Sweden, particularly, have had State physical training systems in existence for many years, and all three of those countries have designed certain forms of training based upon their particular needs and aspirations. Britain and the Dominions have been sadly lacking in stimulating organised physical fitness campaigns, but with inspiration and example of the Mother Country's new move, probably the Dominions will, in due course, institute similar schemes.

New Zealand should wait no longer for any stimulus in this direction. A national scheme of this nature could well be started now, even without the assistance of Jack Lovelock, who, apparently, is eventually to become some form of national physical director. The need for organised physical training was never more apparent, and. every delay is dangerous to the health of the nation.

_ Actually the present physical training of the youth of New Zealand is in a paroles condition. The Department of Education employs eight special instructors with headquarters in the four centres. Part of their work is to train Training College students and teachers, who in turn pass on that tuition to the children. The uselessness of. it is evident from the declining physical standards of the Dominion.

In the secondary schools, the position is worse. Practically no scientific instruction is given except where schools employ visiting specialist instructors, and as the majority of these are Army-grained and the Army physical training is not in any sense true physical education, the results even lhen are far from satisfactory. Many girls schools, it is true, employ specially-trained mistresses, but as there are no opportunities in New Zealand for either men or women to be thoroughly trained in physical work, it !s the enthusiasm of these teachers rather than their knowledge which is the basis of their work.

The Minister of Internal Affairs, we are told, is considering some national health and physical training plan in the future. To that end he had long discussions with New Zealand's Olympic athlete Jack Lovelock, and rumour has it that when Lovelock comnletes his medical course in England he will return to New Zeahmd to institute some form of physical instruction for the nation. But why wait? The need is urgent. Cheese-paring methods or further vacillation will not help.