THE TOWN HALL QUESTION.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 16653, 14 October 1919, Page 6

THE TOWN HALL QUESTION.

MUNICIPAL OFFICES SITE

COUNCIL TO DISCUSS MATTER

FURTHER

Tho committc© appointed by the City Council* to consider tho question of office accommodation and oiganisation of tho staff, reported to tho Council last evening that it had hold one mooting, and found that tho staff was very uncomfortably housed, and much overcrowded in tho present building, so much, so as to render some of the rooms unhealthy. Tho oommitteo rcoommended tho Council to erect a block of offices on tho corner of Worcester street, opposite tho Clarendon Hotel, with equal floor space to tho present Council Chambers. Tho two buildings could bo connocted by an arcli. Tho architectural features of tho arch, would, of course, bo settled lator, but thero was no doubt that'tlio whole would havo a very fino effect. Other matters which tho committcohad under consideration would bo dealt with in duo course. Cr. Agar, chairman of tho committee, in moving tho adoption of the report, said tho committco had con'.o to the conclusion that if they must remedy the defects existing thero was no alternative to tho recommendation open. Tho need for office accommodation was

so urgent that ho hoped tho Council would pottle tho matter that night. Cr. Nicholls moved as an amendment that the report bo referred back to the committee. Mentioning each councillor by name, Cr. Nicholls said Cr. Flesher must well remember the time when he was idling among tho flax bushes—(laughter)—and Cr. McKellar must romembcr when ho idled among thcra —(moro laughter). "When Cr. Nicholls had got as far as Cr. Harper. Cr. Agar, who had been criticised, said

tho recommendation was not C. P. Agar's, but that of a comimitteo of seven of the Council including the Mayor, among whom was but one dissentient.

Proceeding with his speech, Cr. Ni-cholls said ho folt sure the deputymayor (Cr. Boanland) would not tender for such a building. He (Cr. Nicholls) camo horo as a boy of fourteen —' Councillors': How long ago was that?

Cr. Nicholls replied by indulging in reminiscences of his "cow-spanking" days on the banks of tho Avon, pointing out liow improved the banks were now to what they wero then. Cr. Hunter supported the committee's recommendation. "Wo havo been talking about a Town Hall for years," he said. "Cr. Nicholls will not see it. I—may." (Laughter.) If the Council wero imbued with the same spirit of enterprise and pluck that characterised the founders of the province they would soon secure a Town Hall But they did not possess it, therefore they had to do the best they could to provide accommodation f6r tho staff, and in the interests of health and the general welfare of the staff the erection of a building across the road was the only solution. Or. Herbert seconded the amendment. He referred to the crowded condition of the existing offices. Building on the other side of the road would be simply a case of biting off their nose to spoil somebody else's face. Ho advocated the straight-out erection-of a town hall.

Cr. Peek supported the amendment. In the course of his remarks he said he had a faint suspicion that some of their departments were over-staffed. He considered that if they built across the road it would postpone the erection of a Town Hall indefinitely. (Crios of "Oh, no.") Cr. Williams said that if it was a question of the site across the road and tho better housing of the staff then tho site had to give way. The staff had been carrying on their work well, and no business house would accommodate its staff as the Council's was. The Council wanted to plunge the citv into an expenditure of about £20,000 to £25,000 for a new building, and leave the ratepayers to pay it. He was up against the question of a town hall being used also for municipal offices. Further representations should be made to tho Government for a reasonable price to be named for the purchase of the Provincial Chambers, failing their granting the Council the right to build on to the present chambers if the Council gave up its claim for all time to build on the sit* opposite. He supported Cr. Nicholls'a amendment.

Cr. Armstrong said he was sorry that he was unavoidably absent from the last meeting when the matter was being discussed. He recognised that there was an urgent need for additional office accommodation. However, he could not eee that the Council, because it was unable to get the site it needed alongside the building, should want to build opposite. The people were not yet given the opportunity of saying whether they wanted a town hall or not. Tho people should be given that opportunity. If they decided that they did not want a town hall, then it was time for tho Council to build across the road.

Or. Sullivan said tbo Council should recognise the fact that the public werei up against the proposal to build on the river bank. The public would olway9 regret it if the sit© across the road were built upon. The time was not yet opportune for a town hall. The housing question tad to come first. Then there was the question of labour to be thought of. At the present time labour for building was scarce ,and l'koly to be so for some time. He wouldi liko to see a town hall oventu ally set up, but believed that it would bo time enough, for it in the next ton years. He gnvo notice to movo:—-"That the Council consider the advisability of renting or leasing the Choral Hall until such time as another suitable building could bo obtained."

• *Cr. Harper considered tho committee should produce an alternative to their scheme. There were miles of river banks in Christchurch, and he thought it a pity tho Council could not build at) the back of its present premises. Ho was opposed to building on tho section across the road because it was unbusinesslike, and furthermore h© objected to building ther© for sentimental reasons, the Captain Scott statue being there. Could not the eommittoo secure a section in some other port of tho city? Or. Flesher supported the committee's recommendation. Most of tho opposition to it came from supporters of the town hall project. (Crios of "No.") So long as ho was a member of tho Council he would oppose the erection of a town hall, ag it would involve a capital cost of £200,000 and an annua) losg of £10,000.

Cr. Herbert: How do other cities manage it? Cr. Flesher said that in Wellington they had nearly as much revenue coming in in rents from endowments aa Chri6tchurch received from rates. If Christchurch had such reserves it could afford to waste its money on a town' hall. Drainage was far more urgent) than a town hall, and if they could! afford a town hall they could afford tc> rate th© people for drainage. Mr Hi G. Ell, M.P., and other members oP Parliament had opposed the extension of the Council building on its present site. For the Council to buy a section would mean that it would lose the rated on such.

Cr. Jameson: Not necessarily, Cr. Flesher added that there was no doubt as to the necessity for accommodation for the staff, and if the street were archcd over they could have a beautiful structure.

Cr Langloy supported the r«y£ mendation in order to do away « .til. rabbit in pal chambers, which were a Let them vote for something pra& and let sentiment sleep in «ie r>oeW» •*£ r -^ meson J ns £ ed , tho it had discussed the advisability off-t inc. over the Gas Company's which could he connected with tW sent Council Chamber bv an ureh suggested to Cr. Flesher that fi, J* an excellent site where the£** used to be; upon which to enJ£ W# three or ionr-stnrey structure wfcj SSto 3 y ncc °ntmodate Cr. Andrews said ho thought the mitteo m. ? ht take a little consider the question, and to iSLJ upon members of Parliament 58*5 they °pnosed the Council building the land attached to the site or*? present Chamber, the Council worij k? compelled to po across the road w 1,6 The Deputy-Mayor (Cr. J. \y" land) said he felt quite sure th# mittee was acting upon the right St in mnbn, their recommendation thought it would be n cood thi«» t the committee to n llow K CouM detormino whether it would hav® Town Hall entirely npart from $1 municipal offices or not. The settlmJ , this question for all time ! siderably simplify the position. F or n£ reason he thought it would bo a «5 thing to refer the matter back to tt committee. He thought it wa ß ui.r sentiment too far when a few n»2* bers of Parliament prevented the Com* cil from building forty feet on theSft srlo of Worcester street Tim ru lyyl tho rigbl ♦, bS'-o^. o^ side, and nothing could prevent it H 2?ni' 1 u ™ n r ,ts m,nd 40 bu f<u2 still it did not want to opdora 4v_ wish of tho ratepayers. PP^M **

Cr. Agar said the committee hid achieved what it wanted, and for the Council's consent for mittee to take the report back forte" ther consideration. ■ This was agreed to, and Cr NiMwdi. was added to tho committee