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Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 115, 20 June 1914, Page 8

The Cbristehurch members did not cut much of a figure yesterday when the municipal authorities conferred with the Minister for Internal Affairs regarding the proposed transfer of the Provincial Government Buildings to the city. Mr Davey Avas the only one that seemed to have a good grip of the matter, and showed a disposition to seriously contest the Minister's utterly unreasonable suggestion that the Government should be presented with an acre and a half of land equally close to the Square, in exchange for the historic property in question. Any one who knows the city at all well will not re? quire to be told that an acre and a half of land as close to Cathedral Square as the Provincial Council Chambers would

be worth a lot more money than this particular site, because any suth area would possess more valuable frontages for business purposes. If the sentimental value of the Provincial Government Buildings is not to be taken into consideration, the city would do better to purchase another site altogether for the Town Hall. It would be unnecessary to buy anything like an acre and a 'half! But as Mr Davey pointed out, half an acre of land ought to be quite big enough to meet the requirements of Government departments in the matter of new buildings for a long time to come. The more businesslike way to go about the matter would be to obtain a valuation of the Provincial Council site, and if it is at all reasonable the city should buy it. The Government could then purchase another site for departmental'buildings' with the money if it chose to do so. What is wanted is the : best offer the Government can make consistent, with justice to the taxpayers as a whole. The Minister's proposition of: an exchange of an equal area is absurd and impracticable, and the local members might at least have been unanimous in telling him so.