“A White Elephant.”

Thames Star, Volume LXV, Issue 19247, 31 October 1934, Page 3

“A White Elephant.”

AUCKLAND RAILWAY STATION TWO WINDOWS COST £SOO. (Special to Star). WELLINGTON, Oct. 31. “A perfect white elephant” ami “a colossal monument to public extravagance on borrowed money,” were the descriptions applied to Auckland’s railway station by Mr. R. A. Wright (Independent, Welling ton Suburbs), in the House of Representatives yesterday during an attack on the public works expenditure of the past. Mr. Wright declared there was no need to build such a palatial structure. He doubted whether there was anything like it, from the point of view of extravagance, in London or New York. A man had told him that two of the windows alone cost £SOO. He himself had been six times in the Auckland dining room, and had seen no more than three persons there at any one time. It was built on borrowed money, on which interest had still to be paid. The Prime Minister, Mr. Forbes, said he did not think the expenditure was out of proportion for a city like Auckland. When the Wellington station was completed Mr. Wright might find an objection to that. Mr. W. J. Poison (Government/ Stratford): The Wellington station will be in the city, at least. Mr. Forbes: I don’t believe in tho policy of saying that things are too good for New Zealand. Mr. J. A. Lee (Labour, Grey Lynn): You said that about the Arbitration Court.