NEW MUNICIPAL OFFICE AT RICHMOND

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 145, 5 August 1904, Page 2

NEW MUNICIPA L OFFICE AT RICHMOND

THE OPENING CEREMONY. A representative gathering of the residents of the borough of Richmond assembled yesterday olternoon for the purpose of witnessing the opening ceremony :inr.oimection with the new :;iunicipal [ offices which have been erected in the central part of the borough. Amongst those present were the Mayor of Nelson, and the Mayor and Councillors of the Borough of Richmond. Apologies for absence were received from the ex-Mayors of Nelson and Motueka. The building, ■which is a plain and substantial one, was ttuilt by Mr W. Wilkes according to plans which wove well prepared bv Messrs Bethwaite and Houlker. The building is 23 feet wide and 58 feet long, with a height of ceiling of 14 feet. The Town Clerk's Ofhce is 10 feet by 15 feet, and the •dimensions of the Council Chambers are 30 feet by 20 feet 6 inches. At the back of the premises there is also a workroom 10 feet square. In the Council Chamber there is a mantelpiece of elegant design, it being panelled with pressed wood mouldings. Mr Croucher (Mayor of Richmond) in his opening address said that some time ago there was something in one of our papers which made it appear to the readers that he and Councillors had negleoted some public duty in not having some ceremony in putting down a founda tion stone in that building. He went on to say that there had to be certain arrangements for this work, and in any case it could not well be done on wooden piles. However, they were not careless to their public duties, and they thought it advisable to reserve any formal or opening ceremony until the building was completed. They were there that afternoon to see the first public building erected out of Richmond public money. Jt was an important ceremony, amd as important as the opening of the Nelson municipal building. At the open ing of the Nelson building a good deal was said regarding Public Works — what was to be done, and what was necessary to be done. He believed that all that could be done in Richmond was done, and with economy and the studying of j the interests of the ratepayers the place would progress. He thought it would be well to have gasworks there at Richmond, and if the matter was well taken up it would pay , and it would increase the prosperI ity of the place. During Ms forty years' residence he did not think there had been more than 40 or 50 additions to the rate- ' payers in Richmond , about tike I same as when he first came there, i He did not speak in a despondent [ manner- When their progress was , slow they should be very careful . with their finances.. They had put . up. the building with an overdraft . and they did not want it called ; -'overdraft'' hall. When the Rich- ' mend Council had an overdraft it \ was always paid off, and he recapitulated several works done in the borough out of an overdraft- They i hoped to pay oft the overdraft on i that building— (Hear, Hear.)— and < they would do It out of the ovdin- , ary rates. Richmond should be < made a residential place. :.i this was done then perhaps it would go ahead a lit'tlo better. If they got the Promier's sympathy, they hop- [ ed to got their object with regard to railway matters carried out. With regard to this ho referred to extra trains and the extension of the line. At the opening ceremony of the municipal building.? in Nelson Colonel Pitt suggested that, the city should have a town hall for amusement ; but to I show that tho people of the district were alive to this requirement he (the speaker) referred to the fact that they had bought that picturesque nlnce— the Richmond Park, That was brought about by tha Influential and- business, people of Richmond. There was a property lor amusement J It would be one of Nelson's, beauty spots. Commercially nothing could be done for Richmond than had been dpne. In conclusion, he said that the Councillors and himself were vej-y pleased with the construction of the building. The arch'teet had <k>«e his work well, and he had not found any complaints. The builder had also, giyw every satisfaction Jn the carrying out. of bis. work. Mr J, Piper (Mayor of Nelson) thanked the RrieHwtond Council for their kind invitation to him to be present, a»wi he looked upon it as reciprocity, and that word was verv often iri people's minds. Mr Croucher attended tho Nelson City Council's function of the opening ot " Overdraft Hall," as ho «■ j~"Y* . ."'•" ,l - «a.o, turn ii, afforded him {the speaker) great pleasure to be there that afternoon He only knew of two Councils in the whole colony that had not an overdraft. The. Carterton Council had no overdraft at all. That was a masterly W ay of doing business Richmond was a small community and possibly would be for some time, until they were absorbed in the greater Nelson, and that might take place at some future date. Richmond was prospering:, and Vv-ai>d-by they might have'eUc^ic cars running from. %lsn, • to I .' a Vesi^ tial plaop ot manufacture *•*-- lUafc. me ?i *,W*' 01-Kfefonond had spokfti of tho gas. question. If the Richmond people wanted gas the Nelapn Council had some plant it would like to sell to them. In Enelan;d there was the Monde gas which was made of the rubbish coal which cost 3d a. 1000 feet. He referred in encouraging terms to the satisfaction this gas was u'v'iig and it was up (a m^dertr requirements. One advantage wHs 'that ! ii **5 OT£s*tf '*•*?>s?«■* ''-$ 'snake % wluoh should suit iU wquirS me-Us of the borough, and in * proportion to the siao of tho place it was quito as good as Nelson's £iOOO nail, as Nelson's hall was to Well ingtoa's £50,000 one. Richmond's success was Nelson's success The ratepayers of Richmond 'miX grumble like the ratepayer S^fii Nelson, but after aU tfifr &ldth»t !Sn %WW«°nferoace at Welling ttm, tte considered that Conference set an example to the Parliaments of New Zealand. In conclusi^v ho wished the borough, of Smond much sawffl. <A®a»S). t * m(mt! tula<te<d the Council and the inhnJwtants of Richmond upon h a vin ff thoir new municipal buildh>gat las? after waiting 13 or 14 years. PerJM.ua one reason of the delay was? the tact of the difficulty tf"pYoS ■n^.f'J'^ 0 - Ha t°^V-a.t\Uated them IW l i 6t haVo SOt'a- better th V H ? Spoko of the capital wav ho business of the Richmond Comk ell was conducted. This tooi. ■ ws? Not w t^'^rjirt. (A voice' 7 SSS? *.• !V^. ht6> "-> 'Mr Talbot, PrbcpQcUnA*'. 'said ' Richmond, ta A Tike' the %U wIS "Uie. R*chSn 9i nd. peop^ aiwky* W fWP ?^Wl.fw Nelson, Ho only* l^lad ft nd) \vis-hed. that prosperity vwiW attend thO Richmond district He beUeved that if trains were ««C ranged, they would have people rl nhJSo " GW b !" Id, . ,l ff omWst heaity cheers and enthusiasm. The people th«r, e«t«red the building, where afWHOqh tea was dispensed. i