NEW POST OFFICE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21993, 30 June 1933, Page 7

NEW POST OFFICE

WELCOME ANNOUNCEMENT ' EARLY START AUTHORISED WELLINGTON RAILWAY FACILITIES EXTENSIVE PROGRAMME OUTLINED (Per Unitep Press Association.) WELLINGTON, June 29. The Government hag decided to proceed with the erection of a new Post Office building in Dunedin, and has also approved of the initation of a scheme embracing the final stages in the rearrangement of the railway facilities at Wellington. Making this announpement to-night, the Acting Prime Minister (Mr J. G. Coates) said that the decision to proceed with these works was in accord with the Government’s policy in respect to both public and private developmental works throughout New Zealand. Mr Coates stated: The Government has had under the closest review numerous projects, many of which, for financial reasons, had been deferred during recent years. It is considered that the present time is most opportune to proceed with these two major works within, of course, the scope of the finance available. The co-operation of the Unemployment Board in this direction will in addition to promoting the employment of more men upon productive works, tend to stimulate the building and allied trades, which have been adversely affected by the economic disturbance. This, in turn, will have a beneficial effect on industry generally.

In the decision to make an immediate commencement with these works, advantage has been taken of a further factor, namely, the favourable pfice level upon which constructional costs can now be computed and the knowledge that, whereas a rise in the price of world commodities is essential to economic recovery, this, when it does come, must have the effect of increasing the final cost in respect to local constructional programmes, in addition to a saving in capital costs and interest charges upon the capital invested in these essential buildings. Similar advantages accrue from the arrangement made with thd Unemployment Board with respect to the supply of labour, in that to the extent that the taxpayers contribute towards the subsidies paid by the Unemployment Board they will be relieved of taxation which would otherwise have been necessary over a long period in interest and public debt redemption charges. Co-operation with the Unemployment Board in the application of its subsidy scheme to public buildings not only opened up the way towards the speedy commencement of the buildings concerned and their earlier use for productive service, which constitutes economy in initial capital costs, but also offers, a solution of the problem of finding ways and means of. going'on with these works within the scope of the limited funds otherwise available. Had it been necessary to provide the whole cost of the contemplated programme from loan funds a further indefinite period of delay would have been unavoidable. . Mr Coates said that before a final decision was reached with respect to a. permanent station for Wellington action was taken to reduce the cost to the lowest possible figure. A thorough overhaul of the original plans had been made and various modifications had been decided upon by which the estimated, cost had been reduced from the £483,000 originally planned to £350,000. After making allowance for the contribution which was being made by the Unemployment Board it had been found possible to finance thi balance over a four-year period. A programme of work over that period was accordingly being arranged and the necessary alterations to the original plans were now in hand. It was intended to let the work by contract and it was expected that tenders would be called early in September next, closing towards the end of October. The work would be commenced very soon thereafter, and in the meantime the department would carry out the work of clearing the site for building. V

NEW POST OFFICE BUILDING Ih a supplementary statement dealing with the Dunedin Post Office building and the Wellington railway facilities, Mr Coates gives some details of the proposed works. The new Post Office, he says, will occupy a block fronting Princes street, and will have eight floors, exclusive of the basement accommodation in which the parcels branch will be located. The ground floor and upwards to the third floor will be reserved for other post and telegraph requirements and public facilities incidental thereto. The remaining four floors will ultimately house all the other i Government departments now accommodated in various buildings throughout the city, and this change will in itself constitute an appreciable convenience to the public as well as a saving to the taxpayer. The foundations of the Post Office building and the retaining wall to the ground level have already been constructed NEW WELLINGTON STATION “ The necessity for the new station building in Wellington is well known, and it has for long been realised that a permanent scheme for putting the railway facilities in Wellington on a satisfactory footing involves more than the erection of a new station building. This led to the formulation of a scheme for the complete rearrangement of the terminal facilities, and this was included in the programme of railway improvements originally drawn up. Coupled with a rearrangement of the terminal facilities was a new railway outlet from the city by a deviation which Would join up with the existing line near Tawa Flat. The commencement of the scheme was made with the reclamation in Wellington and the driving of the tunnels on the deviation. The position is that the reclamation has been completed, the new goods shed erected and brought into use, and the tunnels and formation work on the deviation will be completed during the current financial year. As to the method of working the new line, it was decided after a full investigation to adopt electric working. The electrification will embrace the section of the line between Wellington and Paekakariki. The capital cost is estimated at £277,000 up to date. An examination of the relative costs of steam and electric working shows, after taking depreciation and interest on capital into account, about £SOOO per annum in favour of electric working. Other con-

aiderations operating in favour of electricity were the superior standard service, particularly through the tunnels on the deviation, one of which is nearly three miles long, and the virtual elimination of the Pukerua grade so far as operating is concerned. This latter circumstance arises from the fact that an electric engine can haul over that grade a load as great as a steam engine is able to work over a line northward of Paekakariki, A good deal of preparatory work in connection with electrification has been done. The Government has had before it the following alternative plans: (1) To provide a temporary station building and the greatest possible measure of permanent lay out; (2) to complete the permanent scheme, including the station building; (3) to continue working as at present. ' With respect to the last proposal it has been demonstrated that it is impracticable to work the Tawa Flat deviation from the present station at Thomdon. The physical condition of the present stations at Thorndon and Lambton is indeed too well-known to need any emphasis. They have long since passed the stage when they can afford any satisfaction to the public, while the conditions from the operating point of view could scarcely be more unsatisfactory. A similar position obtains in regard to the locomotive depot facilities, while the whole layout involving the working of the two stations is both inconvenient and uneconomical. The No. 1 plan would enable operations to be concentrated in, one station, but would inolve the continued use of the Lambton station buildings and the provision of a temporary station building’ additional to the accommodation afforded by Lambton station. This scheme would have necessitated considerable and probably costly repairs to the existing Lambton buildings, and this cost, as well as that of a temporary station,, would involve a substantial loss when the permanent scheme was eventually undertaken. Moreover, the temporary scheme could not be satisfactory either from the public or • the operating point of view'. Thus it is obvious that a scheme of that nature should not be adopted unless it were found to be really impracticable to undertake the permanent scheme. Consideration of the No. 2. plan of a permanent scheme resolved itself mainly into one of w'ays and means, though other factors of importance also entered into the matter. One of these factors was the desirability of undertaking, any necessary but hitherto deferred works as an avenue of useful employment. The Unemployment Board is anxious that building work should be stimulated, and has agreed that the principle ,of scheme 10 shall apply. It is estimated that the permanent scheme will provide wmrk for between 300 and 400 men over a fouryear period, and a large proportion Of these men would be artisans who w'ould be employed at their normal trades. The undertaking will therefore have much more merit from every point of view than some of the works which have had to be undertaken as a charge against the Unemployment Fund in prder to procure work for unemployed men.