NEW TOWN HALL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 3038, 20 May 1926, Page 2

NEW TOWN HALL.

TENDER FOR £BOOO ACCEPTED. BRICK BUILDING TO BE ERECTED. A special meeting of the Borough Council was held in the Council Chambers on Tuesday night. Present: Ilis Worship the Mayor (M. E. Perreau Esq.), and Crs. McMurray, Woods, Thompson, Winstanley, Rand, Parkin, and Walker. Mr. M. Varnham, architect, was also in attendance. The Mayor said that the meeting was a most important one in the history of Foxton. It was convened to receive tenders for the reconstruction of the Town Hall. The Town Ilall Committee had opened the tenders, nine in all, that afternoon and there was not a great difference between the prices, which fact assures the Council of a good job being done. The committee recommended that the lowest tender for brick work be accepted. The tenders were then read, alternate prices being given for the reconstruction of the hall in brick and concrete. Cr. McMurray favoured the errection of the hall in concrete. All up-to-date buildings, he said, were erected in concrete. Brick work was out of date. Concrete made a far stronger job. Cr. Walker said he had read of the collapse of several concrete buildings. Personally lie preferred brick. Cr. Winstanley also advocated the erection of the hall in brick. All the largest chimneys, he said, were erected in brick. Should a crack or fault occur in brick it could be remedied, but not so with concrete. All the big factories in the Old Country were constructed of brick. Bricks made a quicker and better job. Cr. Thompson spoke in favour of bricks. Cr. McMurray: The Government has adopted concrete work. Cr. Winstanley: What about the local police station? Cr. Woods considered bricks looked) far 1 - better and withstood earthquakes better than concrete. Cr. McMurray moved a motion that the building be erected in concrete. This was seconded by Cr. Walker, pro forma, but on being put to the meeting was lost, Cr. McMurray alone voting for it. The Mayor then moved, seconded by Civ Walker “that the tender of Mr. F. Needham, of Palmerston N. he accepted to erect the Town Hall as per plan and specifications for the sum of £BOOO, time limit for completion to be six months, from date of acceptance of tender. The contractor to be willing to permit the Council to undertake furnishings and other fittings in the hall while his work is proceeding.” Before putting the motion to the meeting the Mayor said that the Council had not yet obtained the sanction of the ratepayers to raise a loan for the carrying out of this work, but he did not_ anticipate any difficulty in this direction. Personally, he could recommend the Council to accept a tender and get a start made with the work. If they waited to obtain the sanction of the ratepayers before proceeding another month would be lost and they would miss the Christmas business which would mean a big loss in revenue to the new hall. The motion was then put and carried unanimously. It was also resolved that steps lie taken to place a loan proposal before the ratepayers to borrow the sum of £OOOO, for a term of 10 years at a rate of interest not exceeding 0 per cent, per annum with a sinking fund of .one per cent. Cr. Woods was elected a member" of the Town Hall Committee during the erection of the new building. The question of hall furpishnigs was also dealt with. It was decided on the suggestion of Cr. Winstanley to include a foundation stone in the list of furnishings being prepared by the Town Clerk. Mr. M. Varnham was appointed clerk of works. The action of the Mayor and Crs Parkin and Walker in accepting 121 seats at 7s 6d each and releasing contractor from balance of order was confirmed. It was decided to offer £SO for a piano for the hall. The following are the tenders received, the first quotations being for brick and that in concrete being given in parenthesis:— H. Dickel, Palmerston North £8212 (nil); Trevor Bros., Palmerston N. £8,270 (8,308): Townshend, Palmerston North £8594, (£8334); Burne and Neilsen, Feilding £8348, (£7,857); G. C. France, Levin £8421 (nil); T. W. Hunt, Foxton, £8714, (£8557); Husband Bros., Wellington £lO,llO (£ll,110); F. Needham, Palmerston N. £BOOO (£7995); Anderson and Williamson, Palmerston North, £8256, (£8,000).