VICE-REGAL RESIDENCE.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 990, 3 December 1910, Page 5

VICE-REGAL RESIDENCE.

t . .., , ... —_ -? , . [WHAT IT COST. '' ! ' ' 1 O ' . 'While the 'Public • "Works Estimates swero uuder consideration in the House of Representatives last night Mr. P., ; .'• M. -B:'. Fisher moved the reduction of i' : 'the : item "Government House, Welling-, "ton, £30,000" by, £1 in order to allow ' ' the Minister; for Public Works to fulfil a promise he made earlier in the] r session to give information relative to '. .the cost of .the erection of the newresi- ■ ' dence. '•' V In reply the lion. R. M'Jvenzie said . tho total cost of. Government House up .to September 27 Jast was £53,423, including. tho cost of removing the old . Mental Hospital and the cost of furi\ flushing to September 27, and there had '! . • ibeen very little since. t ••. f -Mr. Fisher said the House was orig- •; finally informed that the building would - ■: cost. £25,000. and it had cost £53,000. ■Mr" .T? Jl'Kenzie said , the actual cost ■ |of Government House was £26,847. Having secured this information Mr. - iFisher withdrew his motion. Mr. Pearce (Patea) then moved as an amendment that the item "new Govern- ; ment House, Wellington, £30,000," be reduced by £2 as a protest against the Extravagant waste that had taken place ; in regard to the scheme. ■ . ]^ 4 Massey said ho thought there ,j?as no necessity for tho site of Government House to be changed. ; The Hon. R. M'Kenzie said after ■ the firo no other scheme was possible. 'As soon as tho old Government House was altered it could'not. be turned again into a vioe-regal residence. He thought that the new. residence was .equal to anything in the Southern Hem- . ' isphere. V Mr. Pearce said that the old site was much better than the new sito. A grave Munder had been made. Mr. Luke (Wellington Suburbs) declared that the new Government fiouso . -. «te was the best possible in tho city. ' Mr. Nosworthv (Ashburton) described the whole scheme as "tommy-rot." Mr. Luke: What is wrong with tho sito? . , . . Mr. Nqsworthy: It is in a smoky bole; it is.in the worst possiblo position. The amendment was rejected by 39 rotes to 23. '