THE TOWN CLOCK

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 17920, 26 October 1932, Page 6

THE TOWN CLOCK

PLANS FOR REPLACEMENT * HAITI BRIDGE TOWER ESTIMATED COST £4OO A plan prepared by Air Leslie H. Reynolds for the erection of a tower over the Kaiti bridge to carry the town clock removed in the demolition of the Post Office tower is to be considered by the works committee of tho Borough Council. Air Reynolds’ plan •provides for the erection of a steel and wood tower of handsome design, lo four legs of which would stand on •piles on either side of the bridge, but separate from the structure itself, and tallowing ample headroom for traffic over the bridge, and his estimate of •the cost of the tower is £4OO. A suggestion was made at last evening ? .s meeting of the council that the cost of erecting the tower should be raised by public subscription, but it was agreed that any appeal would be premature until the council had given lull consideration to the proposal. An indication that the council might ■expect no assistance from the Government in the re-erection of the clock was contained in a letter from the chief postmaster, Mr D. Black, which read as follows: —‘‘I am directed by my head office to inform you that it is regretted that the department is unable to undertake auy expenditure In housing the clock. It is not now tue policy of the Government to jiroirle clock towers on post office buildings. The provision of public timepieces is considered a function of public bodies. r -Furthermore, the erection of a new tower on the building would simply reinstate the earthquake hazard which •has been removed by the demolition of •the tower. Apart, however, from ’.tie question of 'Government poßjy and' public safety, there is the question of expense. The 'provision of n tower us desired by the council, together with the cost of reinstating the clock and chimes, would involve an expenditure of probably £IOOO. lam directed to add that the department’s finances will not permit of the expenditure of such aq amount.” THE MAYOR’S INQUIRIES The Mayor, Air D. W. Coleman, AI.P., explained that as previously mentioned iu the press he had interviewed the Postmaster-General and had also asked an urgent question in the House of Representatives in regard to the future of the clock, and had received replies on the lines of Mr Black’s letter., The Postmaster-General had promised to give the matter further consideration, but Mr Black’s reply now apparently gave the Postmaster-General’s final decision.

The engineer, continued Air Coleman, had handed him a plan prepared by Mr Reynolds of a clock tower over the bridge. No definite estimate of the cost had been furnished, but Mr Reynolds considered that the whole scheme would cost about £4OO. The council would > have to consider whether it could afford to erWt a clock tower, ■and he nioved that the matter should be referred to the works committee for a report at the next meeting. fCr. 11. 11. DeOosta suggested that the council should open a public subscription list, but the Mayor explained that his idea of referring the matter to the works committee was for it to go into the question of cost before any attempt was made to raise funds.

Cr. DeCosta said that if the council could raise £4OO by public subscription it would be able to supply any further finance necessary. “Everyone wants the clock back,” he added, “and the only way is bv public subscription.” Cr. W. Cave seconded the Mayor’s motion, remarking that Cr. DeCosta’s suggestion was premature. The council should first go into the matter of the site and the most suitable type of tower.

Or. J. W. H. Holmes agreed with Cr. Cave, and added that if the council did decide to erect a tower on the site suggested he believed that it could count on subscriptions from the mercantile firms in the vicinity. The Mayor’s motion was carried.

The council also received from the Masterton borough engineer details of the sound amplifying system mentioned at the last meeting in a letter from a Masterton electrical firm, the engineer stating 'that the system had proved highly satisfactory, and it was agreed that this matter also should be referred to the works committee.