PROPOSED HALL OF INDUSTRIES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11842, 20 December 1901, Page 3 (Supplement)

PROPOSED HALL OF INDUSTRIES.

. AN ELABORATE SCHEME. There has of late been considerable discission with reference to the proposal to erect in Auckland a permanent Chamber of Commerce and Hall of Industries. The surplus of the recent Auckland Industrial and Mining Exhibition is now in the hands of the Chamber of Commerce, as the nucleus of : a fund for this purpose, and negotiations have been proceeding with the Harbour Board for a site in Commerce-street on which the Chamber could, when sufficient funds are available, erect a suitable' building. Sketch plans of a building "to cost some £5000 have been prepared for the Chamber by Mr. R. W. De Montalk, architect. These have been generally approved as suitable for the type of building which has so far been under consideration, but fresh interest has been infused into the question by 1 the suggestion of a much larger scheme by Mr. W. J. Napier, M.H.R. The idea Mr. Napier puts forward is .to incorporate a number of interests of a public character and erect a large and magnificent building on the commanding site at the corner of Queen and Quay Streets, adjoining the railway [ station and the. Northern Roller Mills. The suggescion now made by Mr. Napier is that ' a large building to cost some £25,000 should be erected on this site, to accommodate the Government Tourist Department, the Chamber of Commerce, and a technical school, with rooms for the accommodation of those interested in shipping, such as' are provided by the Wellington Harbour Board oil the Queen's Wharf, Wellington. For such a purpose as this he hopes the Harbour Board could lie disposed to grant the site free, though its value is something like £20,000. The cost of the building would, of course,, have to be met by the other interests which would be served by its erection. ■ The whole of Mr. Napier's scheme as outlined above is now in the hands of a Special Committee of the Harbour Board, consisting of the chairman (Mr. Alfred Kidd), Messrs." M. Niccol, A. ,H. Nathan, W. Gunson, W. J. W. Philson, and W. 1. Napier. The probable outcome will be a conference between this committee and the Chamber of Commerce, and then, Sir Joseph Vv ard, the Minister in charge of the Tourist Department, may be approached, .jo that the Government view of the matter may be ascertained.