The Waipawa Mail WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1939, THE STATE AND BY-LAWS

Waipawa Mail, Volume LXVII, Issue 62, 8 February 1939, Page 2

The Waipawa Mail WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1939, THE STATE AND BY-LAWS

JF the positions and responsibility had been reversed and if a nOll- - Government had erected the Social Security bitilding in AVellington in disregard of city by-laws, one can imagine what scorching- condemnation would have come from some erstwhile Labor councillors. The temperate protests made by the Mayor and the chairman of the Fire Board were aihply justified. Both the Mayor and the chairman quite fairly pointed out- that other temporary building's had been erected by previous Governments and also, under permit, by private citizens, though the Council in recent years has tightened up its control in this respect. But the Social Security 'building', from its position in relation to adjacent buildings, its material (at least in the construction stage), and its size, was probably more dangerous than any of the temporary structures that preceded it. The statement made by the Minister of Public Works (Mr Semple) does not afford a sufficient excuse for disregarding city by-laws. Especially does this apply to the attempt to shift part of the blame by stating that “the previous Government had shamefully neglected the building of Government offices.’’ After all, the temporary structure was being erected three years after the Coalition Government vacated office, and the present Government has the use of two very large buildings, Railways and Government Life, the former of which was begun under the previous Government. The important lesson of last Thursday’s disastrous fire is, however, that no authority, even the Government, should set at naught the wise and necessary fire-prevention by-laws of the municipality. The Government is legally above the municipality in this matter, but this freedom from control is warranted only by the assumption that the Government will do voluntarily all, or more, than the by-laws demand. The immunity may legally permit (lie Government to do less, but morally it places it under an obliga--10 private citizens. Fortunately the lire, (hough disastrous, resulted in no loss of life; but the loss in property to the Government and private owners is heavy enough to be an emphatic warning against repetition of! the error. At this time of heavy building costs and shortage of accommodation, any destruction of buildings by (ire is a severe communily loss, not lessened, though its incidence is changed, by insurance. Having regard to these facts the City Council may well support the chairman of the Fire Board in inquiring • more particularly what type of temporary building is to be erected on Aotea Quay.