THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. SATURDAY, JUNE 27, 1908. THE BUILDING PROGRAMME.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9126, 27 June 1908, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. SATURDAY, JUNE 27, 1908. THE BUILDING PROGRAMME.

At a time whsn there is something approaching a slight depression in the country and when the land hunger is acute from one end to the other of it, our "progressive" Government proposes to carry out a building programme which is to say the least a fair "staggerer." The proposals arc extraordinary, reckless, and absolutely unwarranted. A correspondent in a southern contemporary declares that "the immediate building expenditure in Wellington will run into a huge sura," and enumerates some of the items as follows: —

(1) Pulling down the present Government House.

(2) Building a new Parliament House on the site thereof. (3) Erecting new departmental buildings on the aite of the old Parliament. (4) Building new Government House on a new site. (5) Lease of and alterations to Government House at Palmerston North. (6) Altering and furnishing rooms for Governor and wife (during aess'on) in Molesworth Street Ministerial residence. (7) Transferring portion of the present Government House furniture to Government House at Palmerston North. (8) Ditto to Government House at Auckland, including deteriorating through transit. (9) Expensive alterations to present Government House for meeting of Parliament for two or three

years. (10) Fitting up rooms in old Parliament House for committee and other work. (11) Building covered viaduct be-

tween Government House and present Parliament Library. (12) Palatial public trust office, now

in course of erection on Lamblo: Quay. (13) Building new Post Office, prob

able cost about £IOO,OOO. (14) Building new railway stition

also an expensive structure. It is said that apart from furnishing the building programme outlined will run into considerably over half a million sterling, and it is held in various quarters that much of the expenditure is entirely unnecessary. Certainly th 3 financial condition of the country is not siah as to justify the Government's proposals, «md even if our finances were so satisfactory as those in power allege, there are many much more important objects than ths erection of gorgeously new public buildings to please the inhabitants of the Empire City.