NEW LONDON OFFICES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19298, 10 April 1926, Page 10

NEW LONDON OFFICES.

PURCHASE BY GOVERNMENT. FINE SITE IN THE STRAND. COMMODIOUS CORNER BLOCKSOUND BUSINESS INVESTMENT. [BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT. ] WELLINGTON. Friday. Questioned on the subject of the Dominion's new offices in London, the Prime Minister said: —"It has been, recognised for some time that the present building in which the High Commissioner's office is situated is not satisfactory from the point of view of accommodation or storage room, nor is the building in such a prominent pcfeition as to impress tho general public with the importance of this Dominion. It is not a corner site, and the adjoining premises are a theatre and an hotel. " The acquisition of a building which would, from a locality and accommodation standpoint, fulfil the requirements of the High Commissioner's office, situated in a position where window displays of New Zealand produce, etc., would come prominently before the British public, has therefore been kept in view, and I am pleased to state that the negotiations for the purchase of such a building have now been concluded." .Mr. Coatcs said the building purchased is a prominent one, situated at the corner of the Strand and Agar Street, a few hundred yards nearer Trafalgar Square than the present site, and in proximity to Charing Cross station. It is a very substantial structure, consisting of a basement. and six storeys, having a frontage to the Strand of approximately 50ft., and a return frontage to Agar Street of over 100 ft. The floor space is approximately 31,000 square feet, compared with 23,000 square feet in the present building. It would, however, be possible to add further floor space to the new purchase with minor structural alterations. Large Library and Store. The building contains a magnificent and imposing library, covering an area of 2500 square feet, compared with 850 square feet in the present building. This would, of course, result in greater accommodation and comfort for New Zealand visitors and the many people interested in New Zealand visiting the High Commissioner's Office for information. The storage basement covers an area of 5900 square feet, compared with approximately 3500 square feet now available, and this extra accommodation will fill an urgent requirement of the High Commissioner's Office. On the ground floor there are five largo windows, in comparison with two in the present building, and these would enable tho display of New Zealand produce, scenery, etc., in a much more efficient and prominent manner to the public than in tho present building. At present a portion of the ground floor is used as a cinema theatre, and it. is proposed to utilise approximately 1000 square feet of this as a private cinema for the display of New Zealand films, an attractive and valuable form of advertisement for the Dominion. Asked regarding the price, the Prime Minister stated; " The purchase price for the property, which includes the freehold of the land and the building, is £157,000. It is anticipated that there will be no difficulty in disposing of the lease of the present building at a price satisfactory to the Dominion, and the increasing valuo of property in London, which should still further advance on the completion of a scheme for widening the Strand, makes the acquisition of the new property a firstclass investment for tho Dominion. Purchase to be (Proud Of. Briefly, the Dominion now has (1) an imposing corner site with five ground floor windows for advertising purposes, and m more suitable environment; (2) extra office accommodation, with room for expansion over present requirements; (3) a more suitable arrangement of rooms, enabling grouping of the different sections of the High Commissioner's staff, thus facilitating the work considerably; (4) addition to storage room in the basement, which was urgently required; (5) a small cinema, which will be of great value for advertising and propaganda purposes; (6) a large library giving comfort and convenience to visitors to the High Commissioner's office; (7) a freehold building of substantial structure, well lighted and in excellent condition. The property being freehold, with a commanding position, should improve in value as time goes on. "I feel confident that all who have a knowledge of the locality will agree that we have been able to secure at comparatively low cost a very valuable freehold property, splendidly situated in the centre of London, of which in the years to come New Zealanders may well bo proud, and which will do credit to the importance of New Zealand as a progressive British Dominion."