Town Hall Competition

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31082, 10 June 1966, Page 10

Town Hall Competition

Sir, —In a previous letter of mine on the town hall competition I suggested that the judges’ decision should be final. That was in the reasonable belief that the published conditions of the competition had been observed. The statement by the president of the Quantity Surveyors’ Institute of New Zealand implies an irregularity in that an assistant of the judges was a member of a firm which had been engaged professionally by certain of the competitors. A reassurance from the Town Hall committee that there has not been an infringement of the competition rules would seem to be overdue.—Yours, TOM TAYLOR. June 3, 1966. [Cr. H. G. Hay, chairman of the Town Hall committee, replies: “The professional adviser appointed by the town hall committee to advise on the architectural competition (Mr R. C. Muston, of Wellington) considers that no irregularity or conflict of interest whatsoever has occurred in respect of the engagement of a quantity surveyor to assist the panel of assessors. I agree with this opinion. All five finalists in the competition have notified the competition secretary in writing that they have no objections to Mr C. Toomey, quantity surveyor, of Wellington, fulfilling his assignment with the judging panel. I take this opportunity of pointing out that the president of the Institute of Quantity Surveyors has not written to the City Council seeking an interview with me, as stated in a previous newspaper report.”]