EDUCATION BUILDINGS.

Shannon News, 7 December 1923, Page 4

EDUCATION BUILDINGS.

HEAVY-ARCjaiTEOTS’ FEES. PROBABLE SAYING INDICATED. The Education Department is circularising Education Boards, indicating that it will refuse to authorise further expenditure on private architects’ fees. The matter seems to have been brought to a head, by the fact that on eight large buildings for secondary and technical schools this year it has had to pay architects £I4IOOO while a further £4OOO is being similarly paid for various small buildings and extensions which' the department considers are of a straightforward character. Therefore all plans < and specifications will be prepared by officers of the Public Works Department, in consultation with officers of tjie Education Department, the. supervision i being carried out by the district staffs of the Public Works Department.

Inquiries of education officers here shoyv that the gross amount of pay in the year to private architects in respect of educational buildings is £25,000. Though there are also education board architects, the chief architect of the Works Department is a former architect to the ’ Education Department, and thus well acquainted with school-planning matters. It is anticipated that a big saving can, be made by the new arrangement because the experience in New South Wales shows that under this plan educational' architectural work is done for!a population double that of New Zealand for £9OOO t 6 £IO,OOO annually.