THE NEW ENGLISH CHURCH.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2590, 9 July 1881, Page 2

THE NEW ENGLISH CHURCH.

[to the editor.] Sir, —I noticed a letter in the “ Herald ” the other day, signed by Archdeacon Harper, containing an excuse for not proceeding with the erection of the new Church. I think, Sir, the reason given is not sufficient for keeping the job standing still in the dead of the winter, when there are so many men clamouring for work in the town. The report in the “ Herald ”of the parish meeting that took place in Sophia street hall,some few weeks since, forgot to tell us how Mr Arrnson’s name was called over the coals on account of the blunders (stated at the meeting to have been made by that gentleman) that brought on the trouble with the second contract. Had the report been a faithful record of the whole of the proceedings, another face would have been put upon the matter before this. It was there said that there were plenty of architects in Timaru that could finish the job, if necessary, without going to Christchurch for professional assistance at all. lam of opinion the work could hare been commenced as well as finished by any of the Timaru architects. “ The Builder ” and also “ The Building News” contain designs of that class of building by the dozen, in fact, there is such a family likeness among them that excepting a few local conditions such as the choice of a suitable stone, and other materials to bo obtained in the district, it may be said that the same plan and specifications does for numbers of them, just the same as for convents and other like buildings. Then why send to Christchurch for a man to do a simple piece of work that can be done by local men just as well, and perhaps a little better. lam of opinion that there is a a reason at the bottom, and that is the well known “ring business” that takes so important a place in the deliberations and decisions of so many of our public men, Committee, Boards, &c., &c. You must belong to a clique, or you are an outsider, and must be shouldered off as such. Now, Sir, there are a full set of drawings already piepared for the completion of the Church that has cost £l5O already, and there is a competent clerk of works engaged. Why not let him carry on the work in the place of an architect? I presume the preference given him in the selection of clerk of works for the job warrant me in saying that the Building Committee cannot have a doubt of his abilities, as that gentleman was chosen and paid at the rate of £4 per week while I offered my services at £3 10s per week. I may observe that the very last stone job I was engaged in, in the Old Country, which engagement lasted 2£ years, had cost by that time over £200,000, and all the drawings used during that time numbering some hundreds, including the plans, sections, elevations, details full size and to scale for all the trades, passed though my hands, and frequently important measurements, sections of existing works, various checkings of existing drawings, &c., went direct from my hands to the architect to work from. The fact, I say, of a gentleman being chosen before me for the position and paid 10s per week more than I offered my services at warrant me in saying that the Committee must be satisfied with his abilities. Then why bother about Mr Armson. I consider Mr Clayton should have full power to carry on the work ; and I believe he would carry it out faithfully so long as his interest was not affected in the other way. I have been informed that Mr Harper, Mr Armson, Mr Clayton, and a few others were old chums at Hokitika some 15 years ago, hence the ring. Never mind about that. Let the work go on for the benefit of the town, and Mr Harper and his friends will be thanked by the working community. Whatever is done in the matter, I sincerely hope our Timaru Church Building Committee will not earn themselves the unenviable name that the Building Committee of the Christchurch Cathedral has, and will retain during the memory of this generation, by their sending to England on order for the furniture of the Cathedral, . when the people of this country were literally on the brink of starvation, hundreds of them being competent to make anything that may be required in the Cathedral. I may observe that I have worked in Messrs Cox’s establishment in London (I mean Messrs Cox and Son, Southampton Strand, London, the noted ecclesiastical furniture makers), and there is not the difficulty in the work that there seems to be. Any good tradesman can do it. I trust the new Church will be pushed on as speedily as possible, regardless of Mr Armson or any other particular person, else the cream of the working population will quietly move off, as they are now doing, to Melbourne, Sydney, Queensland, and the Cape, and when the work has to be done, the men required to do a really good job will be missing.—l am, &c., ROBERT HARYEY.

[We have excised a sentence of the above letter. The words we have omitted are decidedly libellous whether they be true or not true. Correspondents should remember that it is the publisher of a paper who is primarily responsible for everything wnich appears in its columns. We agree_ with our correspondent that the work in the first place should have been given to a local architect. —Ed. S. C. Times.]