BEACH BATHING SCANDAL

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVIII, Issue 81916, 18 January 1907, Page 2

BEACH BATHING SCANDAL

.MATTiOi; fill! IAIiIIiDIATIO (JOKUIOCTIOX. It is only a few year., since, for the sake of common decency and in Ihe interests of the morality of Ihe com ni.iiiitv, .he ,\n( i'lymoulh Imroiejl, Council allocated llbl) for the Imi d iug of a binning; abed al the mouth' of the lleiiui Khor. As ir.-ual m muniiipal euierprise, the CIOII grant car, only a means to an end, and was no! siiliicicnt k> meet the requirement of (he ea>t wan I people. The tills baUiug shed developed into a Imi d oig ee.-Liu;: more like .CJilHi, with ii, separate dressing; boxes and'elaborate -sinitary arrangements, A fouiinit.ee comprising several well known red denls of file east ward co-operated with the borough .councillors repie seiiiiiu; tlieiii, and (here was niiurli cn-!hu-iis;,i disp avert whilst .lie mouev was being spent. If nicmorv serves us right, the committee discussed "old plan'.-, for the beautilication ot I iie gonads surrounding dm shed and dreamed visions of hi- reienue lo be derived and I he by j.rolils to .iconic from this vcrv thoughtful expeu peuditiire of Hie public nionev in the llllelesls of the wild* Walked .sailwater bathing and were unwilling or mialiie to use the more elaborate and exl"iisive enclosed baths at the loot of Woymoikh street. A member of the Borough Council who had been coiniecled witn the (.renter or Ic.-s failure that attended the establish

ineut ..r tin: l.a.hin- sheds ;u the f.n.t of I hi' dill's, later m front of the olii railwa.v station, and more recently on the vi'iiiiiiiim u-iill nc,i- ll u . IVr minus Hotel, told Hi,, ,-jist t-ii.li-i's llml Hi,.;, would Inn-,. l„ eNou-ise «,,-;,.(, M 1 porvision. or tin' drcspiimslied in sh'iui of i,,.ii,j; ~ i„„ u ,|i; Ml ia ~ i,:,, ss in- lo Iml no*, would S „o;| become tlio ri'soi't of people who wore lad;, m;; i.i any sens,, of decency. 'l'lie eoniioiltei pr.m.sed to supervise arvpiired, and said (here was no clianee of tli-.' place Loin- used for any purI'"-" "tlu'i- than that for whieli it was 'nlcn.lcd, and for Hie weal of the whole coniiniuiitv. That was a few years ap.i, when the project was new'. Tin: noveliv -'-"" "ore oil', us far as ilie commit ice was concerned, till- supervision he came ;.|-iiilua! y less, eventua llv living away. The revenue dwindled until the whole season's receipts totalled the nia-nilicent Mini of live .sliilliie.-.. the price of the h're of one key for ■he sea-son. lint (lie number of baieers diil not decrease Oa (lie contrary, it seems to have increased. -U any rate, there is more of it vi, ih <■. The removal of almost every I lvslriciion has resulted in a state of I aiiairs that rellecls m no favourable iiiauner ou the committee in ciiai"o. I ami constitutes a -rave .-caudal audi a di-cj-ai- to tlie coiuiiiunbeY. That fully warranted' l, v (he evidence ;;lea-ne,| by a Daily Vow., reporter who mad- oiiiiiiirVi iii ||,-. loea it v. The complaints made are in substance thai some of ,he youne. fellows wi:o vi>it (lie p'ace nave lost all sense of decency, and Unit tlieir conduct has been M i ol.jeetionab'e at limes that ladies are now obliged ,o shun the I'lcalilv which-has Ion"' In the af

Icriioo,, resort ~ft]„. people living- u, that part of ti„. town. |i„ys ami i'ei>. and. in fu'l '\iew of Ilu- ladies sewim: and resting on the frrnss near .he shore, undress on tlic sands and I'iiHie in the nude. The shed is opened at times l>v a young man who. if he mends his wavs. sliali ,-onlinue to he nameless, as finds we arc eoucerned. Dressed ill Ihe slighted of costumes. j, 0 disports himself on his pom- along the sands, miieli (o the aiinovauc,. of ,| h . visitors I he shove. And this with perhaps fortv or liftv children, voiiug- "iris

mid young hoys running in sight, Lmlii's and girls who veiituro into the sea ni'.' often postered by thoaltcntions of young fellows who, at the time of the former entering tlic water, were at i|iide a respectable distance. Apropos a cerlaiii individual wlio uses the shed, it his liis'ii noliml for several days ln-.nl her, thai whilst the brainless youth was in the dressing-shed, little girls and big girls, little boys ami big boys, ran m and out like bees at their hive! invest igiliou by reputablo citizens lm cmvinceil us that the house erected fo" di o nicy bills fair to ho-onie a holbad of niis-'hief. At the present nnment, we arc disinclined to -say more,. The apathy of tiie controlling authority will, we hope, come lo an en I to-day. There is an evil to remedy the moral welfare id' scores of children lo con.Her and protect. It mu s | be