State To Meet Half Air Terminal’s Cost

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28346, 3 August 1957, Page 8

State To Meet Half Air Terminal’s Cost

Announcing the Government’s decision to contribute up to £155,000 half the cost —of the Christchurch international airport terminal building, the Minister in charge of Civil Aviation (Mr T. P. Shand), yesterday chided Christchurch for planning a rather pretentious building. Tenders will be called immediately, and Local Government Loans Board approval of the Christchurch City • Council’s application for permission to raise £400,000 which will include its half share of the terminal is expected to follow without delay.

"In conveying the decision of the Government,” said Mr Shand, “I am also asked to point out that, while the building proposed is considered to be most attractive and sound fundamentally, the Government still holds the view that it would have been preferable, in all the circumstances, to have erected a substantially less pretentious building. “You will recall that early in 1955 I pointed out- to the City Council that a terminal building of the nature contemplated was likely to ■ cost in the vicinity of £300,000, and that facilities of a less ambitious nature, but still up to reasonable standards of comfort and efficiency, could have been constructed for a far less sum.”

In adopting this view, the Government, not unnaturally, had in mind the very great pressure not only upon the financial resources which it could make available for the development of civil aviation, but also upon, the technical staff available for the development of such plans, the Minister said.

Council’s Needs “However, we were assured by the City Council that its needs would be met adequately by an expenditure of £125,000. “Subsequently, the Government agreed to share equally in an estimated cost of £182.000 for a building complete with control tower and operational technical space, and until quite recently we were assured that this estimate still held good. "The sudden announcement of an estimated cost nearly double the agreed figure had naturally given rise to the most anxious consideration.

“Nevertheless, the Government recognises that there are special circumstances related to Harewood airport, including the relatively low cost of providing runways and hardstanding, and the likelihood of the revenue from the airport being adequate to meet all charges in the not too distant future. Mr Shand said that the Government recognised that it had concurred in the early stages in the action of the council in engaging an architect and preparing plans for a terminal building along the general lines of the plan now accepted. Three conditions which the Government attached to its ap-

proval have already been accepted by the council verbally, and will not affect the decision.

These are:— Certain minor modifications in the customs, health, and immigration facilities as discussed with the architect. (The Council is aware of. these and has been assured by Mr Paul

Pascoe, the architect, that they can be done with little difficulty). „ The council’s agreeing to set off against the Government’s share of expenditure the money at present owing on Harewood. (The council owes the Government £lOB,OOO for its share of the cost of runways and taxiways at the airport. This sum will be met from the £400,000 loan.)

Receipt from the ’ City Council of the acceptance of certain conditions set out in the Minister's letter of October 11, 1955, concerning the rights of the Crown in respect of the technical accommodation and facilities which were embodied in the terminal building. (These were never contested, and have been agreed

to verbally.) These assurances were given by Cr. A. R. Guthrey, chairman of the council’s works and aerodrome committee, who said yesterday that he was delighted with the decision. “Credit to Architect”

“I would no.t like it to be thought that I am condemning the design of the building, which is a credit to the architect, but with the tremendous programme of airport expenditure in front, I frankly begrudge the diversion of funds to other than utilitarian purposes,” Mr Shand said. However, the decision to build had been made, and he hoped —as one who had grown to love the city as his home—that when the terminal was completed it would be justified by the pride and interest of the people of Christchurch, added the Minister.

A Royal New Zealand Air Force trophy has been presented to the Royal Air Force College, Cranwell, England. It will be a perpetual trophy, and will remain at .the college. It will be presented, each year as a prize for Commonwealth and war studies. Each year file recipient’s -name will be engraved on a silver plate. Except for the inscription on the silver nameplate, the trophy is a facsimile of that presented last year to the Royal Australian Air Force College at Point Cook by the New Zealand Chief of

Air Staff (Air Vice-Marshal C. E. Kay).. Both trophies, mounted on a wooden base, are seven-inch-high silver statuettes depicting a Maori warrior in a crouched position grasping a taiaha (spear), seen on the New Zealand shilling piece. The trophies were presented by the RJN.Z.A.F. as a token of goodwill and in appreciation of the training which many R.N.Z.A.F. permanent commission officers receive at the two distinguished colleges. The Air Officer Commanding R.N.Z.A.F. London headquarters (Air Commodore R. J. Cohen) made the presentation at the Cranwell College’s graduation ceremony.