NEED FOR CAUTION.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 303, 16 September 1908, Page 6

NEED FOR CAUTION.

Taxpayers will be interested to learn that there is every prospect of further expenditure of at least £400,000 on public buildings. The Parliamentary Committee appointed to inquire into the question of tho most suitable site for the erection of Parliament buildings to replace the structure destroyed by fire last year, presented its report to Parliament yesterday, and its conclusions are sweeping. The present Government House site is regarded as the most suitable one available, and the' Committee supplements this opinion with the information that it is imperatively necessary to erect fireproof buildings for the accommodation of- Departmental records, ■ and the housing of Departmental officers. The site suggested for this building is the old Parliament Buildings site; and on portion of this grdund, the Committee points out, museum buildings could be erected. No proposition is, made ...regarding a. site for Government House. The cost of the building scheme indicated by the evidence called by the Committee totals the sum of £400,000. The new Parliament buildings, according to the evidence of the Government architect, can bo erected at a cost of £180,000; the new Departmental buildings would cost another £180,000; tho museum building £7000; and a new Government House equal, to requirements can bo built for £25,000, which does not include tho cost of the land.

As a set-off to these large, sums it is stated .that the site at.present occupied by the Departmental buildings on Lambton Quay could be subdivided and leased at a rental of £13,000 per annum, the estimated capital value of the land being £264,000. If to this be added £3000 a year at present paid for the rental of offices for Government Departments in Wellington, and which would be saved by the housing of those Departments in the new buildings, the total set-off to the heavy expenditure hinted at vnnlrl W>. on paper, £16,000 per annum. We speak of this amount as being on paper bounce wc entirely discredit the very ! sanguine opinions expressed by the Government officials as to the rentals procurable, and which it is probable the Prime Minister intends to use to cover up the extravagant proposals which it is evident will be submitted to Parliament. To pretend that the large block of land in question can be placed on the market and find lessees at once is utterly absurd. To attempt to prophesy the length of time which the sections would remain on the hands of the Government earning nothing would bo a rash venture, but past experience has shown that many years must elapse before the requirements of the city would absorb this large area in this locality. And in the meantime whore would bo this £16,000 per annum 1 It is not our intention, however, to.go fully into this subject on the present occasion. The proposals of the Government have not yet been submitted to Parliament, and although it has been plainly enough hinted that Sir Joseph Ward's ideas on the subject are of a nature to cause cautious people some concern, the exact lengths to which'it is intended to go are not known. When; the details are submitted wo hope to see a pruning of any needless extravagance, but wo must confess to a strong, doubt of witnessing anything of this nature if the matter is hung up until the closing hours of the session.