LAW COURTS HOTEL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23866, 21 July 1939, Page 7

LAW COURTS HOTEL

RECONSTRUCTION OF HOUSE DINNER TO LICENSEES MR AND MRS STEWART HONOURED After nearly two years spent on reconstruction work, the Law Courts Hotel was reopened to the public last night, when the licensee. Mr Alex. Stewart, and Mrs Stewart were the guests of honour at a dinner given by the architect, Mr H. McDowell Smith. The dining room, with its rich furnishings in black, grey and red, accommodated approximately 80 guests, who, through the speakers of the evening, paid a tribute to Mr Stewart and his family for the reputation he had built up during his long term as proprietor of one of the best-known houses in the city. Following the dinner, Mr McDowell Smith, who presided, proposed the toast of Mr and Mrs Stewart in a novel manner. Even if he were a good speaker, he said, he could not nope to do justice to the toast, so he wished to call on Mr Roderick Cameron to sing the toast. Mr Cameron, in seven or eight verses, mostly of a humorous nature, honoured Mr Stewart in a fashion that mere words could not have expressed. In a brief reply. Mr Stewart said that it was 45 years since he first went into the hotel business, and during that period he had had a very happy time. About two years ago he had thought it time that the old hotel should be remodelled and rebuilt. He had been told that it would cost a great deal of money, but an old friend of his. Mr Savage, said that money was of no value and should not be buried in the bowels of- the earth, so he had decided to go ahead with the work.—(Laughter.) He was now very gratified that the work was done, and that the house was remodelled as a modern hotel should be. __ Mr Stewart proposed the toast of The Architect” (Mr McDowell Smith). An architect, he said, was very goodon paper—(laughter)—but without his craftsmen he was no good at all. Mr Smith, however, had put down ms ideas on paper, and with the aid 01 his craftsmen had done his work nobly and well. ~ , Mr Smith briefly replied. The toast of “ The Builders, Sub-con - tractors. Tradesmen and Furnishers, was proposed by Mr Harvey Stewart, who said that it was very gratifying for them all to look over the hotel as it now stood and see the manner in which the work had been carried out. The workmen had been loyal and faithful to their duty, and the work was a credit to the sub-contractors, tradesmen. furnishers, and all concerned in the rebuilding of the hotel. Without their co-operation the hotel could not have been what it was to-day. and co-operation had been a feature of the whole work. The faithfulness to duty of all involved had made easy the task of the architect, who. himself, had created a magnificent edifice. As it stood to-day it was a monument to their work and an asset to the city. Replying to the toast. Mr R. Mitchell said their task had been made easy by the help of Mr Stewart and his family It had been a great pleasure to work for them and under Mr Smith, who had given so much thought to his plans He also thanked the sub-contractors, tradesmen and the furnishers for their help and co-operation. Mr W. Garrett, representing the subcontractors, said that it was with regret that Mr Stewart had decided to pull down the old hotel in which he had built up such a fine reputation but he and his associates had designed a building worthy of the city. He wanted the best, and they had all tried to give it to them. It was a magnificent building, and a credit to New Zealand and the licensees. The toast was also replied to by Mr J. Clark, representing the tradesmen, and Mr T. Wight the furnisher. Mr Smith then handed to Mr Stewart the keys of the hotel and at the same time presented to him a miniature of the hotel in gold, mounted on a wooden base, and taking the form of an inkstand. He hoped Mr Smith said, that the miniature, which was the work of Messrs C. Moller and Sons would be a memento to Mr Stewart of the days of building. A clfick was presented to Mr Stewart and a handbag to Mrs Stewart, on behalf of the sub-contractors, the presentation being made by Mr A. Mitchell. The following toasts were also honoured; —“ The Provincial Council,” proposed by Mr P. Rintoul and replied to by Mr H. Speight; “The Ladies,” proposed by Mr A. Paape, and replied to by Mr J. Young. During the evening, a musical programme was presented by Miss Mackay, and Messrs R. Mitchell, A. Mitchell. R. Cameron and S. Falconer. Miss L. Rintoul played the accompaniments.