TURUA TOWN HALL.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVII, Issue 4987, 14 June 1926, Page 2

TURUA TOWN HALL.

CONTRACT LET. COMPLETION IN .TEN WEEKS. Turua will have an elaborate, and up-to-date town hall in three month’s time. The directors of the hall company at a meeting on Thursday evening accepted a tender for the erection of the building, and the successful tenderer,- Mr E. A*. Chester, of Nctherton, signed the contract immediately. It provides that the structure is to be completed in ten week’s time. Two tenders were received, namely, Mr E. A. Chester, £2097, and Mr A. E. Aberhart, of Turua, £2190. A gratifying feature is that the successful tenderer is a Hauraki Plains man, and tha,t he will employ as many Plains tradesmen as are available, thus the money wil stay in the district. Provided he has fine weather during the first, three weeks the contractor is confident that the work will be completed on time. Mr Chester is well-known in the district as a, man capable of carrying out the work, ,as he had done extensive alterations to the Turua 'factory a few years; ago. The plan of the building is practically the same a r s that at first adopted by the provisional directors of the company. Mr Larson, the builder of the Kerepeehi Hotel, was engaged to advise the company, and he had several improvements incorporated and minor alterations made to provide a better and more attractivelooking building at practically the same cost as the binding previously designed. Plans that can be understood by laymen will be exhibited in the course of a few days.

The proposal to have a town hall in Turua dates back several years. The Town Board first handled the matter, and eventually w,as given authority by its ratepayers to r,aise a, loan for the purpose. The difficulty df 'raising a loan for such a small amount compelled the abandonment of the project by the Town Board, and the settlers of the district then formed a public company to finance the proposal. Practically every settler in the district has shares in the company.