CITY’S NEW GARDEN

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 344, 3 May 1928, Page 16

CITY’S NEW GARDEN

MAYOR OPENS DOOR CITIZENS’ GENEROSITY The new winter garden and palm court, which cost £10,681, were handed over to the city, free of debt, by Sir George Elliot yesterday afternoon. THE gratitude of the citizens of Auckland was expressed by the Mayor, Mr. G. Baildon, to the people who had helped with the finance and the actual work. He said that the duplication of the old winter garden —built out of portion of the surplus accruing from the Auckland Exhibition of 1913-14—had been made possible by the generosity of Mr. William Elliot, while others associated with him had provided the funds for the erection of the pergola and courtyard, connecting the old building with the new. The palm house had cost £5,256 and the pergola and terrace walls £5,425. MAIN SUBSCRIBERS Mr. William Elliot, the Mayor said, had given £4,000 toward the palm court and had done great work to collect the rest of the amount. The following were the other main subscribers:— £250 each, Sir'George Elliot, Messrs. H. T. oGldie, S. Vaile and Son, A. S. Bankart, V. J. Larner, W. R. Wilson, C. V. Houghton, F. C. Mappin, John Marshall, John Court, Fred W. Wilson, Joseph Butler, J. W. Tattersfleld, Winstone, Ltd., and two anonymous donors; £125 each, Messrs. 3ST. A. Nathan, E. H. Davis, W. C. Leys, J. L. Wilson, Eliot R. Davis, David L. Nathan, J. M. Wilson, and Miss Cameron and Miss M. Cameron; £IOO each, Messrs. Percy H. Upton, George H. Fleming, J. J. O’Brien, A. B. Donald, Ltd., and Wilson’s Portland Cement Company; £BO, Kamo Brick Company; £SO each, Messrs. A. J. En trie an, W\ B. Leyland, H. Jenkins, David Dingwall, George Niccol and Mrs. Roy Wilson; £26 ss, Hutchinson’s (Wholesale), Ltd.; £25, Messrs. W. J. and G. M. Ralph; £lO, anonymous. In addition interest of £7O. had accrued. The Fletcher Construction Company had erected the building at actual cost, and Messrs. Gummer and Ford had designed the palm house and supervised its erection free of cost. Other firms had done incidental work at actual cost. The old winter garden had been renovated at a cost of £7OO, said Mr. Baildon. Another improvement to the site would be the making of a fernery to cost £1,500, at the back of the pergola. The sum of £I,OOO had already been collected by Messrs. H. E. Vaile and H. Goldie. “THE REAL CREDIT” Sir George Elliot said that his brother and Messrs. Goldie and Vaile had joined forces to get improvements, but the real credit belonged to Mr. T. E. Pearson, superintendent of parks, who had suggested to Mr. William Elliot that an unknown beenfactor who was thinking of leaving £4,000 in his will ought to give it before he died. “It is the desire of the subscribers that Mr. Pearson should be given a free hand in the beautifying of this area,” said Sir George. “I am stire he will make the palm house and pergola things of beauty, joy and delight.’’ The Mayor guaranteed that Mr. Pearson would be given a “fairly free” hand.

Sir George handed the key to the Mayor, who opened the door of the palm house.