Hughes On Opera House

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31094, 24 June 1966, Page 11

Hughes On Opera House

(N.Z. Press Assn. —Copyright)

SYDNEY, June 23.

The New South Wales Minister for Public Works, Mr Davis Hughes, today said that estimates of 50 million dollars for the Opera House were unacceptable because there were no proper drawings for Stage 111.

Addressing the Country Party’s annual conference in Sydney he said no true estimation could be made until workable drawings of Stage ill were produced. Mr Hughes said the Opera House project was started illegally in principle for a building of its size by the Labour Government. “With such a start one can expect nothing but chaos,” he said.

“The previous government deceived the people and Parliament.”

“Skimpy” Information

“The initial costs were based on the skimpiest of information.

“The Labour Party allowed the foundation to be laid not knowing what stresses and strains were going on top,” Mr Hughes said. He told the conference he was not there to try to des-

troy Mr Joern Utzon, the architect. “We, as a new government, insisted on a building that was a work of art, and one that could be used by people.” “We insisted on a cost control and a definite pattern of development,” he said. The Minister said plans all along had shown that seating arrangements were inadequate. Symphony Orchestra He said the Opera House as planned could not be used by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, which draws a pat-

ronage far in excess of Mr Utzon’s seating arrangements. “We want it to be the home of the orchestra. “The new architects are men who have built beautiful buildings and I have great faith in them. “There are going to be tremendous difficulties, but the public’s money will be properly controlled," he said. The conference carried a motion fully supporting Mr Hughes’s stand in the recent Opera House dispute over finance in which Mr Utzon resigned.