OLD POST OFFICE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22512, 1 September 1936, Page 13

OLD POST OFFICE

FUTURE USE OF SITE finality not reached CONFERENCE WITH MINISTER The Minister of Public Works, the Hon. I{. Scmple, will visit Auckland shortly when he will discuss with the City Council the proposal that the council should acquire the old Shortland Street Post Office site for the pui pose of widening the proposed road from Short,land Street to Fort Street and enabling the council to extend the Victoria Arcade block. 1 he Mayor, Mr. Krncst Davis, stated at the meeting of the council last night that the Public Works Department had prepared valuations of the alternative sites for Government building purposes which had been inspected in Auckland. When all the figures were available it would be a question of conferring in Auckland and endeavouring to arrive at a mutually satisfactory agreement. Mr. Davis said the possibilities in tile present negotiations for the acquisition of the area were:— (J) The Public Works Department might agree to erect its administrative offices on the site in Chancery Lane, which was owned jointly by the Government and the council. {2) The Government Life Insurance office might be induced to rebuild on its Queen Street frontage and provide ground-floor accommodation for the post office. (<i) The council could negotiate for the acquisition on reasonable terms of the balance of the old post office Kite in Shortland Street. Pending the conference with the Minister and the officials of his department, said Mr. Davis, the finance committee of the council had appointed a special sub-committee, comprising the Hon. B. Martin, M.L.C., Mr. A. Bosser and himself, to deal with the valuations and to discuss the question with representatives of the Chamber of Commerce, the Institute of Architects, the Beal Estate Institute and the Mi •uster. The Mayor's report was adopted.

LIBRARY LOSSES BOOKS NOT RETURNED TOTAL OF 71 VOLUMES The loss of 71 volumes from the lending departments of the central library and the branch libraries in the year ended March 31 was reported by the chief librarian, Mr. John Barr. at a meeting of the City Council last night. He said the books had not been returned by subscribers who had borrowed them, and efforts to retrieve them had been unavailing, although the means adopted included sending two ordinary letters and a registered one. The value of the books when new was £2O 9s Id. but use had considerably reduced their value, Mr. Barr added. Of the total 54 were novels or juvenile books. Last year 72 volumes, which cost £lB lis od, were lost in the same manner. Authority for the losses to be written off was given, by the council.

WEST COAST ROAD HIGHER COST OF WORK DUE TO INCREASED WAGES The original estimate of the cost of improving and sealing a portion of the Waikumete-West Coast Road lias been exceeded owing to increased labour costs, and contributing local bodies are being asked to provide a share of this increase. Reporting to the City Council last night, the city engineer, Mr. J. Tyler, said advice to this effect had been received from the Glen Eden Town Board. It was stated that the increased cost had been approved by the Main Highways Board, which had proportionately increased its contribution. Formerly the amount to be found by the local bodies was approximately £IOOO. of which the City Council had agreed to pay 15 per cent, or £l5O. The local bodies' proportion would now be £l2lß and the council's share would amount to £lB2. The council agreed to provide the extra £32.

UNFINISHED WORKS

RELIEF UNDERTAKINGS FURTHER LOAN NEEDED Proposals for raising a loan of £10,400 bv way of special order to complete the subsidised relief works at the Stone Jug, the Gillies Avenue Reserve and the Waikumete Cemetery were submitted to the City Council by the Mayor, Mr. Ernest Davis, last night. By this means the works, which would involve the introduction of the 40-hour week, should be completed in about four months' time. In the li>."i4 unemployment relief loan of £68,000, the sum of £20.000 was allocated to the Stone .lug work, £13,000 for Gillies Avenue and £5600 for the Waikumete Cemetery. The Mayor said it had been found that the unexpended balance of loan monies, amounting to £5770, was not sufficient to enable those works to be finished, and the council was faced with the necessity of raising the equivalent of 10 per cent on the sums allocated, or £3860. The introduction of the 40-hour working week would involve an additional expenditure of £3llO. The total cost of completing the three works was estimated at £21.110. of which an estimated subsidy of £7040 would be available. Mr. Davis said that, as a result of conversations he had had with the Prime Minister. Mr. Savage, and the Minister of Finance. Mr. Nash, be had asked that the Government should pass special legislation authorising the council to raise the sum required bv special order and the Treasury had been instructed to make provision for the necessary authority. It was not proposed to raise the 10 per cent on the original loan, but to obtain the £IO.IOO reouired by special order. The report was adopted and it was decided to instruct the City Solicitor to prepare the necessary legislation.

SCAFFOLDING TIMBER USE AT GRAFTON BIUDGE The need tor about 165,000 ft. of scaffolding timber in connection with the Grafton Bridge reconstruction work was reported by the stores purchasing officer at a meeting of the City Council last night. It was stated that it would be necessary to purchase the requirements immediately from available stocks m Auckland. The council agreed to call quotations for the supply of the timber. The acceptance of a quotation was referred to the Public Services Committee, with power to act.