£30,000 More To Complete Otago Centennial Memorial

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29108, 21 January 1960, Page 14

£30,000 More To Complete Otago Centennial Memorial

(New Zealand Press Association)

DUNEDIN, January 20.

Members of the Otago Museum Trust Board tonight had private discussions with the Minister of Internal Affairs (Mr Anderton t at the museum in an effort to gam Government assistance in completing the centennial memorial wing. When the £122,665 contract was let for the wing in March last year, £18,832 of items were deferred to keep within available funds--the lift (£4800), subdivision of the mezzanine floor (£4032), and the heating system i £10,000) It was estimated that another £30,000 is needed to complete the project, the board’s chairman (Mr W Fitzgerald) said tonight. The extra money will be needed for the provision of display cabinets and furniture

In Otago’s centennial year, 1948, the cost of the memorial project was estimated at only £60.000 Suoscnptions and other funds were gathered for it. but progress was held up on the building until 1955, when the Otago Museum Trust Board Act finally gave rating powers to the museum and placed it on a sound financial footing. In 1956 it was found that the cost of the building had risen to £90,000, and in September that year, new plans were decided upon, and the estimated cost of the wing had risen to £144,000 in 1957.

A Government grant of

£40,000 was obtained later tn 1957.

Tenders were called in November, 1958, and six tenders were received by the closing date in September The firms exceeded the architects’ estimates by many thousands of pounds. The firms who submitted the three lowest tenders were invited to revise their tenders and finally the Fletcher Construction Company was awarded the contract, with the three items deferred.

As the wing is hoped to be completed by the second half of this year, the board is concerned at the need to consider the deferred items and provision of furniture for the wing.