FUTURE OF THE SQUARE.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 20086, 15 November 1930, Page 14

FUTURE OF THE SQUARE.

THE MAYOR'S PROPHECY. several new shelters "There are some people who think that because of the litigation over Cathedral square and the order'made by the Supreme Court this week that the City Council has suffered a defeat " said the Mayor (Mr J. K. Archer), 'in responding to the toast of "City Fathers" at the reunion of the Christchurch Returned Soldiers' Association laßt evening. "They think that the City of Christchurch is going to suffer great inconvenience. The fact of the matter is that the- dispute was not one concerning the Square as a whole, but a comparatively small piece of laud in the centre. "You can take it from me that, notwithstanding any findings of the Supreme Court, the City is not .going to suffer, b,ut gain, in the matter of public conveniences. "I am not going to discuss the legal aspect —I am not a lawyer—-but I speak as the Mayor, and in this I have the whole of the City Council behind me irrespective of Party. The Chief Justice in this matter was absolutelyn impartial, and did justice to the City, but the lawyer who represented Mr Gould misrepresented the City in one or two particulars.' I don't know how much he was expressing his own opinions or those by whom ho had been retained, but he did not accurately state the facts. Criticism of Solicitor. "He suggested to the Chief Justice that we as a City Council were delaying in making provision for women's restrooms until the cas'e had gone to the Court of Appeal, and if we had won the case, we would not have gone on with the"'. This is totally wrong. We have known for years that the present conveniences'and rest-room are inadequate, and several months ago the Council bought an expensive property to provjde Christchurch with a suite of rooms which will cost more thousands of pounds than the present ones cost hundreids. No matter whether we had won or lost the case we \vere going to provide them. "It was also put up by the solicitor for the other side that we were trying to play a game on behalf of the Tramway Board. That is incorrect. Wo are trying to help the Tramway Board, as we are endeavouring to assist all local bodies with which the Council comes in contact, and it would be a very good thing if it tried to help us a little more. Though we have been trying to show it cvory courtesy, as we have been doing with every other local body, we have not been fighting its battle, but that of the citizens of Christchurch., We are going to win the battle, no matter what the Court says." A .voice: This is not a political meeting: Numerous other interjections assailed the Mayor, considerable uproar developing. "New conveniences will be built in the Square," he continued, "and they will be twice as good as those existing to-day, and a parcels office and restroom as good as in any other, city in the Dominion will be made. Although the present tram shelter will be removed, either three or four new' ones will be built in the Square. "If the time ever comes for the trams to be taken out of the Square, the shelters will go, but we are not going to expose passengers using the trams to every kind of weather. In this I shall have the backing of tho majority of the _ councillors and of the citizens of Christchurch."