Provincial Courts: New Scheme Mooted

Northern Advocate, 27 July 1938, Page 9

Provincial Courts: New Scheme Mooted

The Whangarei Chamber of Commerce is in receipt of the following iiom the secretaiy of the New Zealand Centennial Exhibition. Provincial Courts. It was the intention of my directors to submit for the approval of all Provincial Committees a suggested lay-out plan of the Provincial Court block as soon as all provinces were ; ii a position to state definitely the areas which they proposed to take up; the design of individual courts being entirely a matter for Provincial Committees.

Proposals have now been made to my Directors by the firm of Messrs Fletcher and Love, contractors for the erection of the Exhibition buildings, embodying a comprehensive lay-out of the whole of the Provincial Court block. The proposals have been thoroughly investigated and have received the enthusiastic approval of my directors subject to all Provincial Committees being prepared to adopt them. With this end in view my directors have appointed Mr J. R. Simpson to act with Messrs Fletcher and Love and to visit you at an early date to explain the whole scheme. Briefly the scheme is to lay out the whole of the Provincial Court block as a model of New Zealand, each Province and city being located thereon in its relative geographical position and in each area will be portrayed working models, scenery and other exhibits typical of the respective provinces. The whole scheme, which is most novel and unique, has teen excellently reproduced on coloured plans and pictures which will be submitted when our representative visits you. The scheme as planned by Messrs Fletcher and Love is quite flexible and will permit of the incorporation in your area of any ideas which you or your architect may put forward. To put the scheme into operation it will be necessary for the Exhibition Company and the contractors jointly to finance the complete cost—not only the cost of space but the cost of operating the court, staffing it and maintaining it in all respects right throughout the period of the Exhibition. The total costs involved will be considerably greater than they would be if each individual province took up space separately and arranged all details in connection with its own court. However, > because the scheme is such an attractive one and will be productive of such excellent resulits the company and the contractors are prepared to face the increased expenditure, provided that each Provincial Committee will contribute to the funds of the Exhibition Company the total sum which it was prepared to spend on the provision and maintenance of a separate Provincial Court.

My directors feel quite sure that when you have had an opportunity to .study the scheme at first hand and have it explained you will approve of it as enthusiactially as they have done and that you will appreciate its outstanding advantage as follows: — (a) A novel and unique design embracing features which will do justice to every province and to New Zealand as a whole. (b) Limitation of cost to Provincial Committees to a definite fixed amount. (c) Provincial Committees will be freed almost entirely from the worry and trouble of planning and erecting courts, collection and arrangement of exhibits, staffing, supervision and maintenance of courts.

Time is getting short; there will be an enormous amount of preparation work to be done to give effect to the proposed scheme and it is therefore necessary that a final decision should be reached without delay. My directors hope therefore that as soon as you have been given an opportunity of studying the scheme at first hand that your committee will consider the proposals and make an early decision. Messrs Fletcher and Love, or our representative, Mr Simpson, will comcommunicate with you direct to fix a da.te for an interview.

In submitting these proposals to you my directors confidently trust that you will co-operate in every way and that you will be able to advise them to that effect at an early date and at the same time state the total amoimt that your committee is prepared to contribute towards the total cost, and the period over which you would wish to make payments. You will appreciate that until this information is forthcoming a final and definite decision cannot be reached by my directors.