CLEANING UP.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 141, 16 June 1936, Page 9

CLEANING UP.

CHIEF POST OFFICE. WORK TO BE UNDERTAKEN. REPAIRS TO STONE FACINGS. Begrimed by the weather and dust of almost a quarter of a century, the Chief Post Office, in Lower Queen Street, is the next Government building in Auckland which has been scheduled to have its exterior cleaned. Authority to-pro-ceed with the work has been received by the Public Works Department, and the Chief Postmaster was notified yesterday afternoon that steps are to be taken in the immediate future to improve the outward appearance of the building. Recently tenders were called for similarly dealing with the old portion of the Supreme Court building.

In both cases tlie work will involve the repairing of defects which have appeared on the stone work. In the ease of the post office the weather has eaten into much of the Oamaru stone work, and the work proposed will include the building up of the crumbling facings. 'Ihe damage to the stone may be observed from tlie street, and it is thought that this, apart from the action of the weather, has been caused to some extent by smoke from engines prior to the removal of the station. The effect of the smoke is particularly apparent on the sides of the building, one of which rs badly blackened. In the work of restoring the appearance of the structure, care will be exercised to ensure that the patching of the defective stone will be in harmony with the remainder of the building. The work is expected to occupy some considerable time, as, in the erection of scaffolding and the carrying through of the undertaking, it will be necessary to study the convenience of - the general public. The post office, which has a frontage to Queen Street of 180 ft, was opened for public business on November 20 !>,v the then Prime Minister, the late Mr. [W. F. Massey. . .