AUCKLAND UNIVERSITY.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 66, 17 March 1908, Page 3

AUCKLAND UNIVERSITY.

THE CHORAL HALL SITE. At yesterday afternoon's meeting of the Auckland University College Council, the registrar was instructed to forward the following reply to Mr. H. Brett, regarding the purchase of the Choral Hall: "I am directed by the University CoUege Council to acknowledge receipt of your letter to us of the 14th ult, ana, while thanking you fur the information therein contained, to reply to the second and third paragraphs of your letter, which may be. read to reflect upon the actiou of the councii and the acung-chairmau in connection with the negotiations with you concerning the purchase of the Choral Hall. "The facts are shortly: The Government some months since paid the Council £1000 with which to purchase the Choral Hal. Negotiations were opened with you, and after some correspondence an arrangement was arrived at by correspondence to pay you the sum mentioned. Au agreement was accordingly prepared by the Council's solicitor based upou such correspondence and submitted to your solicitor, and subsequently a conference was held between yourself and your solicitor and the Council aud its solicitor, to discuss alterations made by your solicitor in such draft agreement- The chief matter of discussion was the sum of £500 which the Council proposed to pay as a deposit, and on account of the purchase price of £4000. Your view of the payment was that ou your immediate surrender to the Council of a portion of the Choral Hall site (to enable the Council to build upon it a school of mines) the £500 should belong to j-ou absolutely, and that whether circumstances enabled you and the Council to perform or not perform the agreement in its integrity. No decision as to the ___»00 was i then come to at this conference, the actingchairman being advised to ascertain from the (io-vcvmient the Council's position if the £500 was paid, and the agreement com- j plefed with your solicitor's alterations and additions. In reply to a telegram sent by the acting-chairman, a reply was received — 'As soon as agreement is arrived at with trustees of Choral Hall property effect will be given to the legislation passed last session.' At this time the Choral Hall site was by Act actually vested in the Council, but the Act had not been seen by the Council or its solicitor, nor had your solicitor seen it, nor had Information reached Auckland as to the language used in such vesting. At a later date and all parties having had ail opportunity of inspecting the Act in question, the £300 was paid to you ou the condition you desired. The Council has not directly or indirectly, either by its members or aeling-chairmau, or solicitor, made any application or taken any step that could or might in any manner interfere with or prejudice the rights you claimed when the Act in question was passed. On the contrary, the Council, always bearing in mind your generous donation to the Council, has scrupulously refrained from any action which might endanger your position and claims, and the good relations in this mntTer existing between you and the Council. The action of the acting-chairman was tnken on the advice of our solicitor, and is unanimously approved of by the Council, rind 1 venture to remind yon the completed agreement Is in the exact form nnd language proposed by you and your solicitor."