OUR PUBLIC BUILDINGS

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13279, 11 September 1906, Page 4

OUR PUBLIC BUILDINGS

The statement made by the Minister for Public Works to Mr. Fowlds in regard to the projected additions to the Departmental building in Auckland is a reluctant admission of the inadequacy of the existing accommodation. Mr. Hall-Jones " understands" that the rooms in the present Public Works Building " are now very fully occupied and in some instances a little overcrowded.'' We suppose that this is as much consideration as the chief town of the colony with its hopelessly inadequate public buildings of every kind and degree can expect to receive until no man is considered fit for the Cabinet who has not a sufficient acquaintance with all the principal parts of New Zealand. But although it will be some little gain to have the additions in question promptly made this patchwork policy does not remove the legitimate grievance of Auckland. As we are .continually pointing out, the city is spattered all over with little Government offices, which it was not possible to cram into the Custom House.. Would it not be sound and economic business to house them in a new central building which would be sufficiently capacious and a credit to the country 1 ? It is only when citizens have business with the Government that they know how extraordinarily unsatisfactory the whole present arrangement is. There are half-a-dozen Go-

vernment registrars, an official as-; signee, inspectors of all kinds, anextensive. Crown Lands-business, all manner of Agricultural Department officials—veterinary, dairy, biological, poultry, fibre, and so forth— official valuers, an insurance business, public trust officials, a district health officer, and a variety of other Civil servants, other than those engaged in the Customs, post office, and public works. We have not even a coroner's court in Auckland. There is not one single office that is adequate to its constant use. The Government ought to give the matter its honest and impartial attention and take the steps that will lead to the centralisation of its numerous offices in Auckland, and to the providing them with the sufficient accommodation they all lack.