NEW PREBBLETON HALL.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXV, Issue 16602, 14 July 1914, Page 8

NEW PREBBLETON HALL.

OPENED BY THE HON R. H RHODES.

In the presence of about fifty people yesterday the Hon R. H. Rhodes, as member for Ellesmere, officially declared open the new public hall which has been erected at Prebbleton. The hall lias been built in wood by Messrs Prebblo and Haynes, of Prebbleton, and is 70ft by 30ft over all, with a floor space 'in the main hall of 60ft. The cost was approximately £SOO, and already there has been raised by public subscription over £2OO to meet the expenditure. \ Mr,E. Adam, chairman of the Hall Committee, presided, and briefly welcomed Mr Rhodes, remarking that the committee appreciated the Minister’s kindness in visiting the district to be present at the ceremony. Mr C. J. Mori and, secretary to the committee, then gave a few details of tho Hall’s history. The movement to provide a new hall had arisen, he said, out of a motion by Mr Walter Haydou to the effect that the library should be extended. A public meeting had been called, and the project had grown into a movement to build' the new hall to replace the old building, which had grown past, usefulness. To save the expenditure of money on the purchase of land it had been decided to place the ball on the library 6ito and to utilise the old library portion as a library and refreshment-room in connection with the hall. Subscriptions had' been invited, and among the first received had been £SO from the Hon R. H. Rhodes. To reduce the debt on the hall a bazaar would be opened after the official ceremony was performed, and the balance that would remain afterwards had been guaranteed' by tho members of the committee and others in the district.

Before opening the hall officially, Mr Rhodes briefly addressed the gathering, and said that he was glad to he able to avail himself of the excuse to leave Wellington and liis departmental duties and to visit Prebbleton. He had many recollections of the old hall, particularly so in connection with a Hunt Club ball some twenty-five years ago. For a long time he bad been interested in the fences of tho district, when he had followed the hounds frequently. but of late his interest had changed' entirely, and he was pleased that the change of boundaries had brought tho district into his electorate. The erection of tho hall was a sign of Prebbleton*s prosperity, and ho hoped that the district would continue to progress as it had done. There was a debt on the hall, it was true, but in tho surrounding districts other halls had' been erected and in all cases with a debt. Many of them were now free of any encumbrance of that kind, and quite recently Halswell had raised £2OO in a bazaar, so that Prebbleton need liavo no apprehension on that score. Ho wished the district every success, and he hoped that the hall would be of profitable use to all people in the district. Mr Rhodes then performed tlm official ceremony, after which ho attended the bazaar before returning to Christchurch.