THE CITY HOTEL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23364, 2 December 1937, Page 9

THE CITY HOTEL

' ; INAUGURAL DINNER NEW PREMISES FORMALLY OPENED TRIBUTES TO LICENSEES The outstanding service rendered to the community by the City Hotel and Its present licensees Mr and Mrs L. P. McCormack, who have held the licence tor a longer period (13 years) than any previous occupiers of the premises since the early sixties was strikingly emphasised at the inaugural dinner in connection with the new hotel which was held last night when the guests of the evening were the directors, shareholders and friends of City Properties, Ltd., the owners of the freehold of a site that has hela • hotel since the earliest days of Dunedin’s progress. Mr L. F. McCormacx was in the chair and there was an attendance of about 70.

Modern Accommodation

Mr J. R. Bartholomew. S.M., proposing the toast of the directors of City Properties, Ltd., complimented them on the courage and vision that lay behind the heavy expenditure on the new premises. The City Rot? 1 would remain a monument to their enterprise. It was a definite asset to the city which should be generally valued. It had been said by visitors that hotel accommodation in Dunedin did not reach the best standard, inai reproach had now been removed by the erection of the magnificent building which had been opened that night. It was a model of construction and equipment, and the sumptuousness and comfort of its furnishings and decoration completed a picture of modernity. The suites which he had inspected were such that if one were privileged to occupy them he need not seriously regret' the expulsion from the Garden of Eden. In conclusion, the speaker tendered his congratulations and best wishes for a prosperous future to Mr and Mrs McCormack, . Mr Arthur Barnett, replying on b_half of the directors, said that he was absent from New Zealand while most of the work was being done, but he could recognise the merit of the labours of his colleagues. Actually no real kudos was due to the directors, in spite of their fortunate blend of lawyer, doctor, and merchant. They all had supreme faith in Mrs McCormack and her ability as a chatelaine to make the hotel what it should be —the best hotel of its size in New Zealand. She would earn the plaudits of the public for what Was. in all modesty, a real hotel.

, Task of Reconstruction Dr Norman Speight proposed the toast of “ The Architects,” and in doing so congratulated Messrs Mandeno and Fraser on the completion of an arduous and difficult task. Demolition and reconstruction together made up a pretty problem, yet he thought that .the finished work was a success and a credit to the architects. Personally, he felt that a good job had been done, and the more he saw of it the more he regarded it as an asset to Dunedin aihd to the proprietors and the licensees He sympathised now With the architects for the manner in which they had been harassed and tried by the direc-tors,-and added that the public who would use the hotel in the years to come would have reason to bless the combination of artistry and utility that was comprised in the premises. Mr H. Mandeno. replying on behalf of the architects, said that-there had certainly been many problems In the construction of the new hotel, and there had been not a few discussions on various points, but he thought they would all finish up, good-friends, despite the fact that the directors had not yet seen the bill for “extras.” He paid, a tribute to the licensees for the assistance given by suggestion and’demonstration. and concluded by expressmg_the sincere hope that Mr and Mrs McCormack would have a successful and prosperous lease of the modern hotel which they had done so much to build U Mr D. A. Solomon proposed the toast of "The Contractors and Sub-contrac-tors.” and said that for almost, a year he had watched the evolution of a new and up-to-date hotel cut of an old and obsolete house, and when he looked at the completed premises to-day he could not but admire the work that had been done. The man in the street had been very voluble about what should have been done. He knew just where every mistake had been made, but even he would admit to-day that he did not know everything and that a task beset by innumerable difficulties had been successfully accomplished. He had great pleasure, Mr Solomon added, in congratulating the contractors and subcontractors. >- Mr Fraser, in reply, thanked the proposer for his complimentary remarks about the work of the contractors and sub-contractors, and referred in appreciative terms to the forbearance and reasonableness of the McCormack family during the most trying period of rebuilding. Back Through the Years Mr P. W. Stabb proposed the toast of “The Old and New City Hotels.” prefacing his remarks with a reference to the first hotel in Dunedin—the Commercial Inn, which opened its doors in, 1848, under the name of Mr W T. Watson. The ground rents] was £BS a year, paid by Mr Watson per medium of a country house worth £6O a year and an upstanding mare worth £25. The only trouble was that shortly afterwards the unfortunate Mr Watson was found drowned in the harbour, and later his estate was adjudged bankrupt. In 1866, however the City Hotel came into being as the Glasgow Arms under the management J,a Mr Crawford, and it carried on until 1876 when it assumed the style of the Citv Hotel under which it had carried on for 60 years. Michael Murphy was one of the early licensees, and on his death in 1882 his wife. Nancy Murphy carried on. Mrs Murphy secured a 50 years’ lease of the land at a rental of £2OO per annum, the rate to be adjusted by arbitration at ten-yearly intervals. From 1926 to 1936 this matter of adjustment became a vital subject, and the judgm°nt of Mr Justice Sim in the Supreme Court with regard to the case became the foundation of many similar agreements He was not sure who actually built the old City Hotel—Mrs Murphy or Mr J. Nixon—but it was known through what short tenancies the hotel was held until Messrs Fred Carter (1918-19); William Ou->k‘(l9l9-20) and Sam. Dunne (195n.g3) occupied the premises.ln 1924 Mr and Mrs McCormack took over, and their period of 13 years was the longest enjoved by any licensee of the hotel. The speaker paid a tribute to the foresieht of City Properties. Ftd.. and spoke of the work of Mr Charles Speight as busine'-s man and nhilanthronisl and of Mr Saul Solomon a? a leading light of the Dunedin Bar. This company took over th” p r onertv in 1919 an ’ stood out of the interest on its money for many years, because it knew it had a go'od’thinc'. It had waited, and now it was able to give Dunedin a first-class hotel. The licensees were

greatly indebted to the directors for the facilities that had been given them in the new hotel. The beautiful surroundings. the atmosphere of repose and luxury, and the possibilities of service and comfort were the outcome of the high ideals of the hostess of the hotel, whose liberality and generosity would always make her a perfect chatelaine, but a poor business woman. She was prepared to sacrifice everything to the convenience and comfort of her guests. That was not business, but it certainly had its results. Mr L. T. McCormack thanked the mover for his proposal of the toast and the references to his parents. He said it was with mingled feelings. that the younger members of the family learnt of the impending demolition of what was their home. To-dav however, the attitude was one of pride in a new and better place than even the City Hotel was before And. without boast ing, he could say that there were a great many people who regarded the City Hotel as a “home away from home.” He could assure them that his narents would in the future see to it that the City Hotel always remained such a haven. The Licensing Situation Mr W, F. Sligo, proposing the toast of “The Press.” said the connection between the press and the occasion was represented in the function of tne press always to encourage and recognise enterprise, especially enterprise oi the kind that was undertaken by the licensing trade which in the present industrial conditions was. equally with the press very definitely under fire Sir James Hutchison, responding on behalf of the press, said that no section of the press in New Zealand was lacking in a realisation of the need for a revision of the licensing laws. The difficulty was that the ghost of Prohibition still stalked the earth, and. Governments were afraid to move in the matter. The press was always ready to support any proposal that aimed at bringing the licensing laws of New Zealand into conformity with the demands and needs of the public. He congratulated JWir and Mrs McCormack on the new building that was now theirs, and said that no one who had travelled could fail to recognise the need for more modern hotel accommo dation in New Zealand. Tourists deHanded that hotel accommodation should approximate nearly at least to that which they were accustomed to in other parts of the world Lately there had been a definite improvement in this respect, because licensees were no longer haunted by the spectre of tri ennial polls which might threaten then investments and their livelihood In conclusion. Sir James congratulated the directors on their modernised premises and Mrs McCormack on the tributes that had been paid to her Mr D A. Solomon proposed the toast of “The Host and Hostess.” and said that for many years the City Hotel had been renowned for its service, its hospitality, and its outstanding cuisine Such reputation was reflected in the marvellous service that night, and he could only commend to those present the genius for hospitality of the-'r hosts Mr L. F. McCormack and Mrs McCor mack replied, the latter paying a welldeserved tribute to Miss Vera Pollard for her work in the execution of the furnishing and designing of the interior.