THE GLOBE. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 32, 1879.

Globe, Volume XXI, Issue 1745, 23 September 1879, Page 2

THE GLOBE. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 32, 1879.

The new City Council have made a start in the direction of dealing with the question of the municipal offices, which has been left as a. legacy to them by their predecessors. "We hardly think that they comprehend the whole bearings of this important matter, and, for this reason, after careful consideration of the reasons advanced by the proposer of the resolution, we are much afraid that the matter will end in as great a -fiasco as it did under the late Council. Let us see what the decision of the Council amounts to. In the first place the property of the Corporation in the designs ceases absolutely and at once. They are to be returned to their owners, and this too, without the committee who are to select one from amongst them having an opportunity of seeing them. This having been done, the Committee of the whole Council are to study the reports of the quantitative surveyors, and on these and these alone select the design which shall be carried out. "We would desire to point out here that these reports were never intended as critical essays on the respective merits of each of the designs. They are simply what they purport to be, calculations of the quantities in each, with the relative cost. The gentlemen who drew them up were only instructed to do this and they acted accordingly. Now how tho Committee of Taste, who are appointed to select the best design—the one not only snitable from good arrangement of rooms, &c, but also from some pretensions to architectural beauty—are to decide on this information alone we are at a loss to understand. It seems to us absolutely impossible on the face of it, and can only result in disappointment. The resolution, as now framed, does not meet- the case, and if acted upon will, we feel sure for the reasons above given, land the Council in a dilemma. The Committee may select one of the designs on the somewhat haphazard principle involved in doing so on such a basis as a simple report as to quantities. The result will be that, having selected, they will find themselves in this position—that they still have to ascertain the opinions of the ratepayers as to the amount of money they shall expend. It would therefore have been by far the best course to have adopted the resolution moved by Cr. Cherrill, which, without any sacrifice of tho dignity of the Council, would have enabled them to consult the ratepayers on two very important points, viz.—generally the character of the building to be erected, and the amount of money to be expended. "We take it that the intention of the resolution was not that details should be discussed, but that certain broad principles should be laid down upon which the Council could work, and proceed to carry out the project. They would then be in a position to go in for selecting a design with the knowledge—which under the present proposed scheme they do not possess—of how much money they can spend. This appears to be the most sensible way of proceeding, because every step is then taken with the full knowledge of being able to uphold it. But with the proposal of Cr. Ayers it is different. The committee of the whole may select a design costing, say, £35,000 or £40,000. They have then to go to the ratepayers to ask them to vote for a loan to this amount. Supposing they object to do so. The committee is in the position of having, after communicating with the architect, which is part of the project, to tell the author of the selected design that they cannot go on with it. The whole of the time and labour of the committee would thus be thrown away, and the Council, as a whole, placed in a somewhat ridiculous position. But, all this would be obviated if, at first, the amount the citizens would vote for were ascertained. The committee then, with this knowledge before them, and on a better basis than quantity reports, could approach the work of selection with far more confidence and chance of success. "We hope the Council will reconsider this matter. It is one of such grave importance to the citizens as a whole that the time spent on its most mature consideration, would not be wasted. It is far better to go back, while we can, than to find later on that we have made a mistake and yet are powerless to retrieve it.