PHYSICAL WELFARE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 2 May 1938, Page 7

PHYSICAL WELFARE

PERSONNEL OF SPORTS COUNCIL ADVISORY ORGANISATION STATEMENT 'BY MINISTER (By Telegraph —Press Association.) WELLINGTON, April 20. The personnel of the National Council of Physical Welfare and Recreation, appointed under the legislation passed by Parliament last year, was announced on Saturday by the Minister of Internal Affairs, Hon W. E. Parry. The responsibilities imposed by the legislation on the council have a wide range in the promotion, encouragement and control of physical education, training, sport and recreation among the people. The council will act in an advisory capacity to the Government. The council is to consist of the following: — OFFICIAL REPRESENTATION The Minister of Internal Affairs, the Hon W. E. Parry (chairman). The Under-Secretary of Internal Affairs, Mr J. W. Heenan, C.B.E. (de-puty-chairman). The Director of Education, Mr N. T. Lambourne. An officer yet to be appointed by the Minister of Defence .to represent the Naval, Ministry and Air Forces of New Zealand. SPORTS’ BODIES REPRESENTATION Dr T. Harold Pettit, Auckland. Miss Agnes Kennedy, Auckland. Mr L. J. Blake, Whangarei. Mr W. H. Moyes, New Plymouth. Miss K. McKenzie, Napier. Dr C. E. Hercus, Dunedin. Mr T. Meredith, Invercargill. Mr Fred G. Dunn, Christchurch. Mr A. C. Kitto, Wellington Mrs R. S. Mclnnes, Wellington. Mr C. F. Schadick, Westport. Mr M. H. Wilks, Taumarunui. All parts of the Dominion —cities, borough, counties and town districts —are embraced in the legislation under which the council will act. Power is given to the council to appoint district committees to make, on its behalf, investigations and inquiries and to exercise any function the council thinks fit. In addition, local authorities—city councils, borough councils, county councils, town boards, and all types of public bodies, such as harbour boards, hospital boards, domain boards—all sports bodies not formed for private profit, and institutions as, for instance, the Young Men’s and the Young Women’s Christian Associations and the Boys’ Institute, are linked up with the work to be done. The Minister of Internal Affairs is given authority to make grants and local bodies are empowered to raise and expend moneys on equipment of gmynasiums, playing fields, swimming baths, bathing places, holiday camps, and camping sites, and other buildings, premises and places for physical training, exercise, sport and recreation, or as centres for the use of clubs, societies, or organisations including in their objects the physical well-being and recreation of the people and social activities. RECREATIONAL FACILITIES. “An important and essential stage in bringing into effect Parliament’s legislation has now been reached,” said Mr Parry in announcing the personnel of the council. “I am certain that the men and women selected to administer the Act will quickly gather, in their work, the confidence of the public, the sports bodies, and participants in all forms of sport and recreation. The members of the council are chosen, not so much on account of their connection with any particular sport, as for their ability to render service to sport and recreation as a whole. That is an important aspect and one carrying weight in the appointments made.” Stress was laid by the Minister on the appointments to be made of district committees to serve the council in the needs of the districts represented, and in the encouragement and development of the scheme of the Act. "Particularly must the country districts be looked after," Mr Parry said. "Too often in the past have the country districts been neglected in the making of provision for recreational facilities. The council will apply itself to the creating of centres where most forms of sport and recreation can be given full sway. In these centres the committees work will be valuable and doubly valuable when the council makes its survey which will be its first function. There is work a-plenty for all to do and something to be achieved from it for the people and by the people.” COUNCIL'S SCOPE The Minister said he would place great faith in the initial review to be made by the council of the existing facilities for physical training, exercise, sport, and recreation generally in New Zealand; in the making of recommendations of the need for new or additional facilities, and the manner in which any such facilities should or could be provided. The council was also to gather and collate and make available information as to those facilities; to examine and consider proposals for and make recommendations on the physical well-being of the people; to direct public interest to the national value of physical welfare and recreation; to disseminate helpful knowledg: and to advise generally. The council was in an advisory capacity to the Government. It would examine all proposals for the increase of facilities

for the physical recreation and welfare of the people and its recommendations would go before the Government. “Everywhere today there are changed conditions of work and a new leisure,” continued Mr Parry. “Science and invention have made this an age for the greater use than ever before of machinery. New Zealanders, rightly characterised as a strong, virile people, whose aim is to see their country evei in the vanguard of progress, are readjusting themselves to the new era in line with the peoples of other modern nations. Into the new movement of the times in New Zealand —in all countries—comes prominently the question of how best to utilise the new leisure to maintain the bodily health and physical fitness of the people. OUR BEST FRIEND “It is said often that good health is the best friend a man or a woman can have. The statement is a fact which cannot be disputed. With that knowledge always in mind, there cannot be doubt of the good intentions of the scheme now to come into operation —a scheme which it is hoped will so co-ordinate the sports activities in the Dominion as to bring about the full use and improvement of our recreational facilities for the people. “In the working of the Act there will be no purpose to curb or curtail the enthusiasm and activities of any voluntary recreational organisation. The work of such bodies is valuable. The aim of the council will be to help them —to give aid where needed and where possible. That is the spirit of Parliament’s legislation —to encourage and extend effort to create a fit body and a healthy mind to meet economic and the other problems of life of the day. A healthier womanhood and manhood of the Dominion is worth seeking to obtain; it stems idleness and sickness and it is one of the cardinal aims of the legislation.” The Minister said the Act provided for the appointment of 10 non-offleial members the National Council of Physical Welfare and Recreation. Twelve have been selected, and he expressed the hope that Parliament would be able to see its way to amend the Act giving full powers of membership on the council to the two provisional appointees. The latter at present would take their seats at the council meetings, but would not, of

course, exercise voting powers until Parliament agreed to their appointment. The necessity for 12. instead of 10, unofficial members, as the Act stipulated. arose out of consideration of geographical representation.