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now has 300 members, mostly past the years of youth. To-day the programme includes indoor bowls, dancing, picnics, camping, group travel, and parties for shopping mornings and pictures. The community spirit of friendship pervades that club. In several districts week-end camps for industrial girls have been successfully organized and conducted by the Department's officers in association with committees set up by the woi'kers. The benefits of these breaks from toil have been recognized by employers as well as the girls. The question of an extensive development of this camping provision for industrial girls is receiving attention. It is an ideal which should commend itself strongly to employers and to the trade-union movement. The Department's officers have helped appreciably in the promotion of spectacular inter-house competitions of young women employed in factories, shops, and offices. School Recreation Card System The Education Department maintains an efficient physical-training scheme for pupils of primary schools; secondary schools also usually have satisfactory provision. The Department of Internal Affairs takes, a helping part when the young folk are leaving school. With the co-operation of teachers, the pupils state their preferences in games on cards issued by the Department. The Physical Welfare Officers make good use of these cards in gaining new members for the clubs concerned. The boys and girls are helpfully encouraged to take part in suitable games. Learn-to-swim Campaigns In co-operation with executives of swimming centres, the Department's officers have promoted and conducted learn-to-swim campaigns. A good example of this enterprise was seen in Otago country districts last year. Instruction was given to about 2,000 persons—men and women, boys and girls—of whom 650 passed a test. The others gained varying degrees of skill. Resuscitation Classes In association with the Royal Life-saving Society, the Department's officers gave instruction to a large number of resuscitation classes. This course was linked with the war effort, for it included treatment for shell-shock and the effects of gas from shattered mains and from contact with broken wire carrying electrical current. Supervised Recreation for Children In several towns a start has been made with supervised recreation for children during school holidays. A notable example of success was in Auckland, where the Physical Welfare Officers, at the request of the local Sunday School Union, arranged and conducted suitable programmes of recreation, three hours a day, for 2,000 children in Victoria Park. This beneficial enterprise will be developed more later on when additional officers and trained voluntary leaders become available. Revivals and Formations of Clubs In some localities where war conditions had caused some recreational clubs to lapse and others to decline towards extinction point, the Department's officers have achieved revivals by arousing interest among public-spirited folk and giving a lead in the new movements. In many other cases the officers have been prominent in the formation of new clubs. Cultural Clubs Staff shortage and war conditions have not permitted much activity in the promotion of cultural clubs, whose programmes include drama, debating, music and singing, ballets, and so on. However, a beginning has been made. One particularly successful club has been formed at Tauranga. Coaching The Department's officers have given much-appreciated service in coaching for swimming, field athletics, tennis, basketball, baseball for girls and women, football, boxing, wrestling, and other sports. They have also taken a leading part in the planning and organizing of tabloid sports, for which a bright future is promised. Church Youth Movements The principal religious denominations have youth movements, which have been making notable progress. As the result of correspondence and a discussion with me by a deputation from the Council of Churches, the Department's attitude and policy are now clearly and fully understood. I stated originally that the advice and expert assistance of the Department's officers were readily available, wherever possible, for the planning of recreational programmes and the training of leaders for religious organizations as well as for other groups. Executives of churches' youth movements have recognized the benefit of this co-operation. Already the Department's officers have trained—or are training—■ 540 leaders, chosen by the churches. PROPOSED DEVELOPMENTS IN NATIONAL RECREATION In order to provide greater facilities for recreation in the post-war years it is proposed, as soon as conditions permit, to proceed with or foster the following steps, which are more particularly mentioned under the appropriate headings in the subsequent paragraphs:— (i) The provision of facilities for holidays for industrial workers: (ii) The development of the Group Travel Service on a national basis: (iii) The construction of mountain track systems and encouragement of Youth Hostels and Tramping Clubs:

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