THE CLOSING OF THE TOWN HALL.

Evening Post, Volume LXX, Issue 71, 21 September 1905, Page 4

THE CLOSING OF THE TOWN HALL.

The intimation received by the Town Clerk from the builders that the organ for the Town Hall has been completed and will shortly arrive in Wellington should be a direction to the City Council to make such preliminary preparations as will prevent unnecessary loss of time or money. It has already been stated at meetings of the City Council that the coming of the organ will mean the closing of the Town Hall for a period of at least two months ; and this intimation has been made to all persons who have engaged the Town Hall during tho months of October, November, and December. That is to say, the hall has only been let to such persons provisionally, tho condition imposed by the Town Clerk in booking an engagement being that if the organ arrived during thoso months the hall would not be available for public purposes whilst the instrument was in. course of erection. The situation now is that the greater portion of the organ will arrive from London at the end of the present month, and the builders have sent out two experts to erect tho instrument as speedily as possible. But is it necessary that such a large and popular place of meeting as the Town Hall should be put out of service for eight or nine weeks! There is the financial aspect,' as well as the question of the public convenience, to bes considered. A large number of engaged ments has already been booked for October and November, and i! these and other engagements are cancelled the Corporation will be tha loser by a sum running into several hundreds of pounds. This is no guess, work ; a number of engagements has been actually entered upon, and in addition to tho ordinary demand there will be the special claim on the Hall arising out of the General Election meetings. The City Council jnight vrell consider whether the work of erecting the organ cannot proceed without interference with the letting of the Town Ball. It is suggested that by the .substitution of the Concert Chamber for the floor of the Town Hoii as a workshop, and by giving the two English experts a little additional labour to cirry the parts of the organ, as required, from Iho Concert Chamber to the Town Hall, any difficulty could be overcome. The Concert Chamber should berve the purpose almost if not quite as well as the Town lla.ll itself and tho city will be at a minimum of loss.