PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLI, Issue XLI, 10 September 1921, Page 7

PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS

HEAVY RETRENCHMENTS. OLD FURNITURE AND CHEAP CARPETS. 1 (By Telegraph.—Special to the Star.) I WELLINGTON. Sept. 9. ' Economy is making Ifself evident in the precincts of the new Parliament Building. When the furnishing was originally considered about £20,000 was .mentioned as the figure necessary to equip the national building in a style in keeping with its permanence and importance, but the actual expenditure is little more than one-third, owing to money-saving devices which have been adopted. Your correspondent brought under> the notice of the Hon. J. G. Coates, Minister of Works, a statement tnat one carpet had been provided for Mr Speaker's room costing £400. The Minister agreed with the suggestion that such expenditure at this juncture is unwarrantable, extravagance. '1u view of my instructions. I don't believe it," he added. The Minister arranged that the Government architect (Mr. Campbell) should submit to your correspondent and himself details of furnishing expenditure and estimates. This was done, w,hen it appeared that the

total outlay on new uaryeis iuk m« whole building is only £1100, and that one exceptionally large room has a cairpet costing £60. The corridors, which have to be provided with sounddeadening material, are covered with ruberoid roofings cheap felt, and cocoa- j nut matting. Every piece of old furniture from the farmer chambers and lobbies and Ministers' rooms which is serviceable though shabby has been transferred to the new building, with the result that the former £20,000 estimate, which dwindled to £7000 as the result of more economical plans, now stands at £4890. The latter sum will completely furnish the new building. It has been necessary to equip 45 rooms, besides the lobbies and legislative chambers. "The-furnishing committee," said the Minister, "was chary about completing the furnishing but I took the re- | sponsibility of going ahead, because it was needless extravagance keeping a large number of rooms idle in the new buildine when they could be used, leaving other rooms available for departmental use instead of paying thousands of pounds rental for private buildings. I don't think that anybody can find fault witn this policy. Many thousands of State documents can now be safely stored in Parliament Building basement. There has not only been economy in furnishing without regard to appearances, but nothing has been done in the decorating rooms, which a/re all bare plaster. Three Ministers' suites will be available this session, leaving four suites at the entrance hall and Cabinet room to be finished by next session.'*