The economy in the capital cost of the Lambton scheme has already been referred to in paragraph of this report. The total capital cost was £4,300, all of which was met by an allocation from the Durham district fund.

The building stands on a site provided at a nominal rental by Lambton and Hetton Collieries Limited. The bath itself measures 70 feet by 30 feet, and is fitted with a diving-stage and springboard; there are 32 dressing boxes, 3 shower baths, a slipper bath and lavatory accommodation. At one side of the building is a laundry for washing towels, and on the other side an extension is contemplated in the shape of committee rooms, a cycle shed and additional dressing accommodation, which will probably cost a further £1,000. The water, which together with the necessary heating is supplied free of charge by the colliery company, passes through an electric filter before reaching the bath.

The scheme has not yet been open for a whole year, but so far as can be judged from the figures available the annual cost of maintenance will be in the neighbourhood of £650. The necessary funds to meet this have been guaranteed by the mineworkers, but so far the receipts have been just sufficient to meet the outgoings. Adults are charged 4d, and children 2d. for the use of the bath (including a towel), a 1d. extra being charged if a bathing dress is borrowed; in addition an arrangement has been made by which the Local Education Authority contributes a lump sum and obtains facilities for the children from six schools in the locality; receipts are also obtained from teaching fees, club subscriptions, swimming galas, etc.

On the expenses side the most important item is the staff which accounts for about two-thirds of the total; five persons are employed—a manager and his wife, a bath attendant, a laundry maid, and a paybox girl. Electric lighting and power for the filter account for about one-sixth of the cost, and the rest is made up of rates, taxes, etc., and incidental charges.

The bath is open every day (except Sunday) from 10 a.m. to 8.30 p.m. summer and winter.

The plan illustrated opposite has been based on the scheme described above, but is intended to indicate the directions in which improvements might be made in accordance with the experience gained at Lambton in the past year, and is suggested as an economical model which might be followed by any local welfare committee desirous of promoting a swimming bath scheme. Further information can be obtained if desired on application to the Advisory Branch of the Miners’ Welfare Committee.

The model plan differs from the Lambton scheme in the following particulars

(1) The swimming pool is 5 feet longer and thus accords with the Amateur Swimming Association regulations for racing and water polo; four lengths represent 100 yards.

(2) The drainage point is placed at the edge of the bath instead of some distance from the edge, and would therefore be easier and cheaper to repair. It is the point at which repairs are most likely.

(3) The dressing-room accommodation is so arranged as to provide 66 cubicles as compared with 32 in approximately the same area.

(4) Lavatory accommodation is provided in the dressing-room section of the building as well as in the bath section. This is an important point.

(5) An ablution room fitted with 16 shower baths is introduced between the dressing-room section and the bath section to enable all bathers to clean themselves before entering the bath.

(6) Provision is made for adding a gallery, if funds permit, above the ablution room. The gallery would be provided with separate entrances, as indicated, on either side of the bathers’ entrance ; this arrangement has the advantage that spectators would not carry dirt into the bath section on their boots.

(7) Provision is made for covering the bath with a floor in the winter months, to enable social functions to be held and thus add to the revenue available for upkeep. Experience indicates that in the winter, even if the water is kept at a high temperature, the bath is not likely to be much used by bathers.

No exact quantities or estimates have yet been got out for such a building, but there is reason to believe that the total capital cost, excluding the gallery, would not exceed £6,500, a figure which would compare very favourably with many of the bath schemes already in existence. The building, as illustrated, is rather long (about 6o feet) but if the site would not allow of such a length, the design could equally well be T-shaped, the ablution room and the dressing-room section being placed at right angles to the bath section.