WAR MEMORIAL

Southland Times, Issue 18836, 1 June 1920, Page 5

WAR MEMORIAL

SOUTH INVERCARGILL’S SCHEME. PROPOSAL TO ERECT £7OOO HALL. The proposal to erect a war memorial at South Invercargill took definite shape some time ago, when it was decided that the memorial should take the form of a public hall. The meeting of the local Borough Council had before it last night plans of the proposed building drawn by Mr C. Lambeth. The plans provide for council offices and chamber, a hall seating 600 people and a library. It is provided that the front wall shall be of brick and reinforced concrete; there are to be niches over the front doorway to take any figures that may be inserted, and panels of marble on each side of the door on which will be inscribed the names of the soldiers. It is estimated that the price, at the present rates for material, will be £5550. The Town Clerk stated that further costs had been estimated as follows:—Books for library £250, heating £l5O, site £l7O, expenses of raising loan £SO, first year’s interest £OSO, sinking fund £O(3, 10 per cent, .aided to interest £55, making a total of £6021. On a loan of £7OOO, said the Town Clerk, a rate of only three-farthings in the £ on the unimproved value would need to be struck to meet the expenditure, and this would be only necessary for the first two years because all earnings from the hall could, by resolution, be put into the interest account.

Cr McChesney suggested that application should be made to the Government for permission to creel the hall before money was spent on taking a poll. It might not be classed as an essentia! building. The Mayor said that sufficient time would elapse. between the poll and the preparations for it to allow this to be done. “Apart from the question of sentiment,” said Cr J. Mitchell, “it is time we got out of this old shanty.” He went on to say that the present Council chambers were a disgrace to the Borough considering the way the district had progressed. A hall would be a boon to’ those people who at present had to pay through the nose in order to get to town to amusements. He moved that authority to borrow' £7OOO be asked lor. The motion was carried.

It was also decided that, subject to the loan being carried, a half-acre site at the intersection of Scott street and Flics road be purchased at £l5O, plus survey and transfer charges.

The term of the loan was fixed at fourteen year.; from September, 11)30. Ur MeChcsney announced his intention of combating the proposal at the poll. He stated that he did not believe in raising it memorial that would be an amusement place; neither did he believe in asking soldiers to raise a memorial to themselves through the rates.