MOVING IN

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 9, Issue 88, 19 June 1946, Page 5

MOVING IN

"LOAN AND MERCANTILE COMPANY BUILDING RENEWED AND READY ' The night of Wednesday, May :30, 1945, is one well remember~ed by Whakatane residents. On «that night, the Bay of Plenty offices of the N.Z. Loan and Mer- • cantile Agency Company were . almost completely gutted by fire. Now, after a sojourn of over « twelve months in the Winter Show Buildings, the staff and t stock are being moved back into ; their former premises, which have been completely renewed * on modern and up-to-date lines. “The interior of the offices, upon work has been proceeding for .some months, present an attractive The whole layout of the •downstairs part, which was formal- .. ly divided into one large room and a : smaller room containing' produce i and tobacco respectively, has been ‘ completely remodelled. The front 1 part is to be given over to a showroom. Immediately behind this, a partition has been erected to form -the front wall of built-in offices, whilst behind these again, are two rooms containing fixtures to be used : for tobacco and groceries. The re- . mainder has been set aside for produce. A special built-in rack has . also been made to contain the tyres . Jheld in stock. Upstairs, an even greater change /is noticeable, for the whole architectural design has been altered. The -low ceiling has been removed, and a gabled one containing skylights ! formed. The old light well has been -removed and a large office to con--rtain all the machines in use installed. . A modern system of ventilation assures a constant supply of fresh air an even temperature. Perhaps the greatest advancement ' will be the new fluorescent ‘day- . light’ lighting which is to be installed in the near future. As stated, the Company is at pre:sent ih the process of ‘moving in’, - and it is expected that the Winter • Show Buildings will be entirely vacated by July 4. .