Power Board Presses For New Building

Chronicle (Levin), 18 August 1949, Page 4

Power Board Presses For New Building

Tne Horowhenua Electric Power Board is to make 'a further attempt to secure a permit" to proceed with the erection of its proposed new building in Queen street. The chairman, Mn T. G. Vincent, and managing-secretary, Mr. R. A. Frederikson, were to have today made personal representations to the Building Controller. If that failed, the board decided to make direet representation to the Minister of Works, Mr. R. Semple. This decision was made at the board-'s monthly meeting in Levin yesterday after the chairman had deplored the inadequacy of the pre-? sent accommodation in the Municipal Buildings. "It is time, we° did something more about our new office building," he said. "We have the money and we have the land. While we wait we are paying. a lot of money in rates and rent to the borough. "The sooner we get on with this the better. Some of these offices are terrible places to ask people to work in," the chairman added when ' mentioning the inadequacy of the draughting room and the fact that in some of the rooms artificial light was used all day long. He had noticed that the Auckland board had built an "enormous place" in Newmarket which was to a large extent office accommodation. "If Auckland can get it, then good luck to them, but I think we should be in, too," he said in reeommending a deputation to the Minister. The managing-secretary said in reply to a question that the last official reply from the Minister had been some time ago, but the board had sounded him frequently. The nearest the board had got to satisfaction was in its first application" The last answer had been that the position in regard -to inaterials was worse now than ever before. Steel was now much more plentiful. In fact, the engineer had required 20 tons recently and had got it by merely ringing up on the telephone. It had arrived with no trouble at all. A start should be made before the sanatorium, as there might be labour difficulties then. He did not think thar these mate rials were really as short as the peonle were. made to believe, said the'chairman. He knew that large quantities of Belgian steel were obtainable today. It was, decided that the Building Controller be approached first, after which a deputation could be sent to wait on the Minister when the power boards' conference was on in Wellington. i . The board made its original decision to build in 1938, when plans were prepared and land was purchased- in Queen Street. The outbreak of War was responsibie for a delay until August, 1945, when new plans were submitted. Permission to build was not granted and from then on there have been numerous approaches and much eorrespondence between the board and the Building Controller, but each time the answer was that the position was "worse than before." The building, originally planned, was to occupy an area of 7000 square feet, providing for a modern two-storey frontage with the rear part of the building a single storey. The upstairs portion was to house the engineer and technical staff and the ground floor was reserved for office accommodation, board room and d&splay window. The cost was estimated at that time at £17,500. It is anticipated that the requirements in the main materials for such a building will be 40 tons of steel, 45 tons of "cement, and 9,000 square feet of timber, advised the managing-secretary.