Letters to The Editor

Press, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23131, 21 September 1940, Page 17

Letters to The Editor

TO CORRESPONDENTS Owing to the necessity for conserving space, correspondents are asked to make their letters as brief as possible. Only letters considered to be of outstanding importance may exceed 200 words,—Ed., “The Press.”

Farmer (Rakaia). —Correspondence closed. Commercial User No. 2—Correspondence closed.

funds and a continual delay in the completion of the building. In your report of -yesterday it was stated that the Takahe is to be lost to the public if the small surr of £2OOO is not raised to find the materials to finish the work. Two thousand pounds would be but a drop in the ocean compared with the amount really needed to provide materials and furnishings, pay outstanding accounts and • other liabilities in connexion with the.work.

Four years ago it was estimated that the work would be completed in 18 months, and £1250 would cover all the cost for materials. The Citizens’ Committee found twice this amount, and the money was squandered in pulling down and rebuilding work that should never have been touched. Fifteen months ago the old kitchen was pulled down and the tea rooms closed in order, so we were told, to expedite the completion of the work. This was to take six months. All the stone was cut and only the setting remained, and the tearooms would be open for Christmas. The chairman of the trust made a statement which you published at the time, showing how little revenue would be lost in the meantime. Well, another Christmas is nearly here, and there is still stone to cut, and, if another £2OOO is raised, other parts of the work may be pulled down; and this has been contemplated—in fact, started. So, Christmas after Christmas will come and go and there will still be money needed and more work to finish; therefore, until the work comes under other control the people of Christchurch should not be misled into lending support to this project. In reference to the reserves controlled by the trust, to my mind, the sooner they come under the City Council, or revert to the Crown, the better it will be, for they have been absolutely neglected since the death of Mr Ell. .

As to the statement that the interior work will be spoilt if the building is not roofed, well, it comes rather late, as for the last few winters very little has been attempted to make what is covered weatherproof. For this purpose the Minister for Railways would, as he has done before, lend a tarpaulin. , In conclusion, may I state that, much a, I would rejoice to see the Takahe completed, I feel that this is not the time to make an appeal for funds. Every penny we can spare should be devoted to war purposes and surely these tradesmen can be found employment in more essential undertakings. It is more than 23 years since the Takahe was started, so, when the war is won, let us set out to complete it as a thanksoffering.—Yours, etc., M. S. DOUGLAS. Cashmere, September 19, 1940.