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Group Travel. —The Physical Welfare Officers will contact industrial workers, women's organizations, and other people who desire to participate in group-travel tours and pass such organized groups on to the Group Travel Service for transport and accommodation. Industrial Recreation. —There is a notable trend in industrial concerns overseas to provide recreation for their staffs during the working-day. The services of the Physical Welfare Officers will be available to managements of industrial concerns interested, to advise, to assist, and to train staff leaders in organizing suitable recreation. Community Centres. —The Physical Welfare Officers will assist local controlling committees of community centres in beginning such activities, in designing programmes for later use by the centres, and in training staff. Playgrounds. —It is very important that all large centres of population should be equipped with proper playgrounds on which there will be qualified supervision and planned programmes during the periods when children are free to play. The Government favours the establishment of Municipal or Local Playgrounds Associations. Where these are formed (he services of the Physical Welfare Officers will be available to advise the associations, to draw up programmes for them if required, and," generally help with the organization of I > lay ground recreati on. Leaders. —It is apparent that Physical Welfare Officers themselves will not usually have time to give direct instruction to groups, as this would involve a very large staff. Consequently, where organizations desire theii* leaders to lie trained in recreational work the Physical Welfare Officers will train groups of leaders on a 100-hour course for a special Recreation Certificate, the syllabus of which is designed to meet all needs. Awards of these certificates by examination, now total 24. There will be a big increase in due course. Apart from these specially trained leadens, about 5,000 persons have been instructed sufficiently to qualify them for certain tasks in leadership. Liaison. —One of the duties of Physical Welfare Officers will be to provide suitable liaison not only between the Government and the local recreation associations, but also between those associations themselves, the local authorities, and other interested societies and clubs. The officers will assist the local Councils of Sport in every posible way and help all sporting clubs and societies requiring assistance. SUMMARY This is a long-term policy for national and community recreation in which it is proposed to continue the servicing of an organization designed to promote the physical fitness, health, and well-being of the people by:— (1) Encouraging and helping all existing organizations engaged in this work, such as Church clubs and other similar groups, Councils of Sport and other sports associations, so as to prevent overlapping of effort: (2) Assisting in the formation of physical, recreational, and cultural organizations in districts where they do not exist or are not sufficient for the needs of the locality: (3) Training of leaders for these organizations to guide and direct their activities: (4) Giving special encouragement to the formation of youth clubs with the object of moulding a proper future for the youth of the community. Physical Welfare Officers will not take any active part in the government or administration of these clubs or organizations. Particularly will this be so in the case of Youth Clubs, where the members will be trained and encouraged to assume full responsibility for the management, control, and initiation of suitable policies for their clubs. Endeavour will be made— (1) To provide every New Zealand citizen with the means of obtaining a, healthy recreative holiday through (a) group travel, (b) mountain track' systems, (c) camps, {(I) organization of beaches; and (2) To inculcate in the people an active interest in healthy recreation by means of (a) fitness campaigns, (b) local and national competitions and demonstrations, (c) lectures and demonstrations by Physical Welfare officers, (d) publications, (e) generally every avenue that will be the means of attaining the objectives of the Physical Welfare and Recreation Act, 1937. The establishment of community centres in all suitable places will be definitely encouraged. These centres will contain adequate recreational facilities to encourage youth, by healthy competition, to develop the spirit of good sportsmanship, courtesy, and manners, rather than mere development of physical strength. In addition, the community centres will tend to revive that fine practice of olden days whereby the youth and their elders assembled together to enjoy their recreation hours. The measure of financial assistance to be made available for the carrying-out of this programme will be decided by the Government, from time to time, according to its policy.

Approximate Cost of Paper.—Preparation, not given ; printing (965 copies), £lf>

By Authority: E, V. Paul, Government Printer, Wellington. —1944. Price Od.]

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