RICHMOND SCHOOL

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20168, 21 February 1931, Page 5

RICHMOND SCHOOL

STATE OF OLD BUILDING.

REPORT TO BE MADE,

The Canterbury Board of Education has decided to carry out an immediate inspection of the old Richmond School building in order to ascertain whether it is safe or not. ' r At yesterday's meeting of the Board it was reported by tho Buildings Committee that Mr H. S. Philpott had written drawing attention tp the fact that the doors on the old building swung inwards, and that in the event of an earthquake a blockage at these exits might cause a serious disaster. It had been resolved that the architect and the foreman be instructed to inspect and to report on all schools where interior and exterior doors swung inward and where chimneys had been erected over exits. The committee also reported that m accordance with the Department's instructions an inspection was to be made and a report furnished respecting all brick buildings in the Canterbury school district; the architect and an ■ engineer of the Public Works Do partment to carry out' their inspection at the earliest possible date. Mr C. 8. Thompson said that the building had to be braced to make it safe after the previous big earthquake The matter was more urgent than it appeared to be. If another earthquake were to occur it might be followed by unfortunate results so far as the school was concerned. He moved that the matter be referred to the town members of the Board and the architect to inspect the building and to report on its condition at once. "Are there any other buildings in the district that are unsafe?" asked a member. "Dozens," answered Mr G. W Armitage. Another member suggested that the Richmond School building should be pulled down.. The motion was carri«)d. The Buildings Committee informed the Board that Mr EL. J. Bignell had presented a report intimating that as the Public Works Department and the Board's architect had been instructed to report on the condition, of all brick buildings in Canterbury, it would b4 Advisable to defer consideration of the proposal to remodel the Waimate School. The report was adopted.