HOUSING PARLIAMENT.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1849, 8 September 1913, Page 7

HOUSING PARLIAMENT.

SIANY DELAYS. THE NEW BUILDING IN 1916. : PRESENT POSITION. The slow deliberation of public procedure lias seldom boon bettor exemplified than in the case of the Legislative building which. is to rcplaco tlio unsatisfactory and inadequate struoturo in, which Parliament now transacts tho" businoss of tlio country. A great deal of monoy has been spent in attempts- to make' the prosont Parliamentary buildings fit for the purposo \Vliioh they sorve, but the final result leaveß a great deal to be desired. The Chambor allotted to tho Lower House, in particular, i 3 unsatisfactory. _ The floor-space is inadequate, tho ceiling is low, and the galleries are cramped.. At the best of . times,' when tho House is sitting, the air is bad, and on nights when debate runs and many strangers are present, tho place becomes an inferno of bad air.... Repeated 'experiments havo made the House a veritable museum of ventilation devices, but the only result was .been to demonstrate conclusively that t'ho problem of efficiently ventilating a hopelessly overcrowded- room is insoluble. . Another result of the existing state of affairs is that the lobby itself is a highway for the of strangers even when tho House is sitting. In all the rambling building thero is hardly a corner where members can gather undisturbed for a quiet talk. In the-old House tho lobby was a comfortable and . secluded lounge, in which mombers met ' find talked, forgetting party differences. Tho deprivation of this common meeting ground has not tended to improvo tho tone of'political relations in or out of 'tho House. A Long Walt. Whon Parliament moved into a temporary homo after the partial destruction by fire of its regular habitation, in December, 1007, it was expected that it would be comfortably housed again in a few years, but one delay lias followed upon another, and oven low, when tenders are being called to _ the' construction of a new building, it is obvious that, it cannot be ready for occupation until the session of 1916. In the Publio •Works Statement last year it was indicated that tho new building would bo ready, for occupation in the session of 1915, but delays that have occurred since that time havo put this out of tlie question. ■ So far as Bite and foundations are' concerned, tho construction of the new 'building might start to-morrow. The -transformation of the grounds of old Government House into the trim rango of lawns and drives which now give tho building site an open aspect to the street was practically completed months ago, and the foundations have long been completed. The foundation stone W the new building was laid by Lord Islington in the early part of 1912, just beforo tho •Ward' Administration went out of office. Further Difficulties. When tlio present Government came into office in July, 1912, the foundations wero completed, and one oil a number of competitive designs of tho projected building had been' adopted'. An early commencement of building operations seemed to be-in prospect, but some further difficulties arose. Tho adopted plans, which are based upon the prizo design by Messrs. Campbell and Paton, wero reviewed andi ultimately modified by the omission of ' the, ornamental 'domes. It was not until Juno', ladt; that thoso details were settled, and tenders wero invited. ' At that .time September 1 was named as .tlio final day for the receipt of tenders, but tho time has sinco been extended, first io September 15 and lator to the end of this month. Upon consideration, the Government decided to employ a quantity surveyor to schedule the materials required for tho building, and so. simplify the task of contractors desiring _ to . tender. The schedules of quantities are not yot in hand, but it is expected that they will be received in< a day or two, If no further delays occur, tenders will bo in hand at tho end of tho month. It is permissible to forward tenders by telegraph, provided thoy are also delivered in tho ordinary way, on tho day appointed. at any district office of tno Public Works Department. Tiro or 1 three days! will bo allowed for tho ar- , rival of tenders at tho head office, and , they will thon bo referred to the Ten- , ders Board, which, in the importance of the occasion, will probably ( hold a special meeting to considor them. Tho quantities being scheduled, the task j of tho Tenders Board, like that of the j contractors tendering, will be simplified, and a tender will probably be selected £ for acceptance at the first meeting. The t board will then mako a recommendation rj to Cabinet. Under normal circumstances £ a contract should' bo let by about the r middle of Octobor. • • j When Building Will Begin. 1 An'actual commencement upon building operations will probably be mado J about two months lator. An immediate commencement, as soon as the contract has been let, is impossible, because somo of the first material required, steel girders and similar things, will have to be e obtained from England. Enterprising contractors, when tendering for tho construction of a big building, which necessitates tho importation of matorial from !i abroad, usually send away their orders in advance on tho understanding that ■< "thoy shall be fulfilled on receipt) of a t cablegram. This will probably b" been done in tlio present instance. -The f time allowed for the completion of that ' portion of +he building covered by Hie t pending contract is 24 months. Contractors are required to lodgo a deposit ? of £2500 when tendering, and to enter „ into a bond for a like sum. A pona-lty ? of £20 per week is to bel imposed for failure to complete the contract in tho f time specified. 11 The building about to be erectod was a fully described in The Dominion somo " •fcimo ago. It consists of more than half of the whole structure which is intended oventually to house the Legislature. The principal sections of the building that are beine held over in tho meantime aro the library and Bellamy's. - I