LADY SWIMMERS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 228, 1 February 1911, Page 5

LADY SWIMMERS

THEIR MODESTY IMPEACHED. Christehurch, January 30. A chorus of indignant protests from members of the Canterbury (Head) Centre of the Royal Life-Saving Society and from swimmers generally has been excited by a letter published in Saturday, evening's issue of the Star, questioning the propriety of the costumes worn by the lady swimmers at the carnival neld in the municipal tepid baths on Thursday evening. Twelve ladies took part ia the event, and the writer of the letter described their performance as a display of "unoiushing boldness," and he also complained that the ladies had lain "on the edge of the municipal bath to be gazed at by hundreds of people." ,A reporter who made some inquiries regarding the matter learnt that the costumes worn by the ladies were of . the pattern approved by the principal swimming associations of the world. The town clerk told the reporter that he had received a report from the custodian of the baths, Mr. G. E. Billson, who stated that the costumes to which objection bad been taken were exactly similar to those which he had seen , worn by lady competitors at scores of swimming carnivals in different parts of England. Tkey were identical with the pattern defined b) T tne rules of the Amateur Swimming Association of England. Mr. Billson added that the statement that the ladies had lain on the edge of the bath exposed to the public gaze was absolutely untrue. Mr. K. Bassett, chairman of the Canterbury Centre of the Life-Saving So- ' ciety, expressed his opinion that the statements made in the letter were quite without justification. As an official of the carnival he had had every opportunity of observing the propriety or otherwise of the costumes worn, and lie had certainly observed nothing that laid the event open to criticism. The costumes worn by the ladies were similar to those approved by many of the swimming associations of England and of Europe, and were of a design which he would have thought not even the most fastidious would have criticised. The deportment of the swimmers had been most modest and la<ly-like) and he regretted very much that the members of the Ladies' Swimming. Club, who had given an attractive and entertaining item of uie programme, should have been subjected to such groundless rebuke.