PUBLIC BUILDINGS

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 39, 16 February 1933, Page 13

PUBLIC BUILDINGS

PREPARATION OF PLANS

ARCHITECTS* APPRE- . CIATION

"It is gratifying to us as architects to know that this important public building has been "thought worthy of' this ; award, more particularly as , the .Government thought fit to call in outside assistance for-a class of work that has.hitherto been kept in the hands of the Public Works, Department.'' The speaker was Mr. H. Mandeno, Dunedin, and these remarks were made during the course., of his presidential address delivered last night to the" annual general meeting of the New Zealand Institute' of; Architects. He was ref erring to the award of the Institute's gold medal to Messrs.' Gummer and Ford, Auckland, for their design of the new Auckland Tailway station. The hope was expressed by Mr. Mandeno that the Government would see fit- to continue this policy of seeking oiitsido assistance. "It appears to me," he said, ' 'that we may now reasonably expect the Government to place more design work in the hands of private- practitioners. We regret the cause-foi" the drastic cutting down of-the Public Works Department, but now" this has been done we trust that the Government will never again permit this department to be built up to }ts previous proportions, but that- it will realise that the Department should be .maintained purely in an advisory capacity and not'be permitted to enter into unfair competition with and usurp the. position that'should be held by the private architect, engineer,, and contractor. The position has been' very Strongly, stated in the reports of the _p_conomy Commission and the chambers •of commerce, and by members of Pafliariient and- others, and surely in the face of these damning statements no Government will have the temerity to again put forward such a policy." 7 Later in his address Mr. Mandeno, referring .to the Dominion building bylaws, said: "These have not, yet been placed on the Statute Book, due chiefly to the fact that the Government seems unable to disassociate the Bill from Public Works interference.' If the Public' Works Department functioned purely as an advisory body there might not-be the same danger, but so! long ias it is our chief competitor you can readily imagine our fear at the idea of giving them still greater control of building." -