NOT AFFECTED BY BY-LAWS

Southland Times, Issue 23734, 4 February 1939, Page 6

NOT AFFECTED BY BY-LAWS

STATE BUILDINGS IN CITIES CROWN’S POWER TO IGNORE LOCAL AUTHORITIES The destruction by fire of the social security and other buildings in Wellington draws attention to the powers of the Crown in ignoring local bodies’ by-laws. In an interview with The Southland Times yesterday the city engineer (Mr F. M. Corkhill) said that there was no question of the Government being bound by the building bylaws. “It can ride rough-shod over us, he said, “as it is doing in the housing scheme by declining to pay the ordinary fees for building permits. It simply takes no notice of local body by-laws.” , , He added that the old theory of the Crown being above the law was being overdone by the departmental officers, and really amounted to the departmental officers being above the law. The local bodies could do nothing about it as it was of no use proceeding against the Crown in such matters. “A point that has occurred to me,” Mr Corkill said, “is what is the Government going to do about the private property that was lost because it ignored the law? It was neglect of com-mon-sense principles that caused that loss.”

The Mayor (Mr J. R. Hanan) said that the buildings that had been erected in Invercargill by the Government were of the highest possible standard. The State Fire office and other buildings erected within the last few years were a credit to the town, and no fault was to be found with the State houses. The Government had erected no wooden buildings in the brick areas in Invercargill.

CONTRAVENTION OF BYLAW COMMENT BY WELLINGTON FIRE BOARD (United Press Association) WELLINGTON, February 3. Although no formal resolution bearing on the city’s disastrous fire was passed by the Wellington Fire Board at today’s meeting, the definite opinion was expressed that the action of the Government in erecting the social security building in wood and within a brick area of the city contravened the by-laws, and was against the interests of the community. The chairman, Mr S. S. Dean, conveyed to Superintendent C. A. Woolley, his officers, and men, the board’s appreciation and thanks for the very fine work done; also to Mr C. H. Glover, city milk roundsman, in giving a prompt alarm.

The erection of a large building in such materials as were used in the security building in a closely-built area was a very serious matter, said Mr Dean. He was not criticizing the present Government in particular, for the same thing had been done by past Governments over many years. Where a brick area was created no Government or local authority should be permitted to use other than fire resistant materials.