MUNICIPAL CHAMBERS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIII, Issue 7, 6 December 1932, Page 6

MUNICIPAL CHAMBERS

VACANT FRONT PORTION. REOCCUPATION DECIDED UPON. Acting upon the suggestion of the Alayor (Air A. E. Manstord) the Palmerston North City Council last evening decided to renovate the portion .or the Alunicipai Chambers fronting ; Square vacated following the Napier earthquake, and to make arrangements for the reinstatement or tne staff there early in the New tear. Three dissenting votes were recorded. The Mayor stated that after an examination had been made subsequent to the Napier earthquake, it had been estimated that an expenditure or £4OOO would be required to recondition the whole of the Alunicipai Chambers and make them safer, but a fair time had since elapsed, and if they had to wait for the £4OOO to recondition the building he was afraid that they wait a long time. Palmerston North was not on the fault line of earthquakes, and ho considered the time opportune to take action to the occupancy of the front part ot the building for that section of the stall which had vacated it, causing a great deal of inconvenience. The engineer had prepared an estimate of the cost of the renovations necessary in view of the reinstatement of certain departments to their old quarters, and the cost was £l2O. He moved that the work be put in hand to permit of reoccupation early in the New Year. He did not think the danger from the building was any greater than that ot others. . . Cr. H. B. Free inquired if conditions had altered and the building had become safer. He asked if the council, was going to incur a risk that was considered great when the building was vacated. There had been no provision made for strengthening it. It was merely proposed to give it a coat of paint and apply some wall-paper. The Alayor stated that the building had been considered dangerous 24 hours after the earthquake scare, but opinions might have altered since then, though he was not going to say any building was safe from earthquakes. He was in the Council Chambers for several hours daily and was not asking' anyone to do something he would not carry out himself. Cr. Free stated that in view of the remote likelihood of letting the premises a.t present occupied by the staff in the Library Buildings, he would not favour returning to the former offices until they were strengthened structurally. It seemed to him that they were taking an undue risk. The Alayor reminded Cr. Free that the building was inspected during the height of the panic following upon the Hawke’s Bay disaster.

Cr. Free said another report should be obtained before reoccupation of the building was decided upon. Cr. R. L. C. Aitchison supported this view, adding that the council seemed to lie accepting an undue risk. It was decided that the building should be renovated as proposed and prepared for occupation. Crs. Free, Aitchison and Tremaine dissented, and voted against the Alayor’s motion.