Civic centre and library

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32880, 1 April 1972, Page 16

Civic centre and library

Sir, —The Mayor is a hard ] player to follow. “Tradition" 1 is his ace in the Hagley Park I and Mayoral habiliments' games, hut counts for noth- ' ing in the Town Hall game, i The Concise Oxford clearly < gives the Town Hall as the 1 centre of civic business, a 1 description based on long 1 tradition but, according to 1 the Mayor, civic business is ] not in the tradition game but 1 in another, where the ace is 1 “central position.” To con- ’ fuse the matter further, cen- ’ tral position was a worthless card in the swimming pools game. Add to the above the library game and the Post ‘ Office game, and we finish with a precarious hopping from one stepping-stone to another which can hardly be called orderly progress.— Yours, etc., J. DUGDALE. March 31, 1972. i < Sir, —I am surprised that 1 you should publish Glen Metcalf’s claim that the library staff, with the exception of the City Librarian, favour the present site. Did 1 he canvass the 60-odd mem- 1 bers of the staff for their opinions? If not, on what grounds does he base his l claim? I have just discussed the matter with several senior staff members, and each of them denied the assertion, being quite happy to trust the judgment of the City Librarian who, in the words of .one of them, “has made an exhaustive study of library siting.” A glance at the map shows that the present library site is well placed to serve Riccarton and Fendalton. What about all those city residents to the east about whom the council was so concerned when locating the Games swimming pool?—Yours, etc., PETER THOMPSON. March 30, 1972.