PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS, OLD AND NEW: RETURNS RELATIVE TO EXPENDITURE, ETC.

Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1913 Session I, D-11

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1913. NEW ZEALAND.

PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS, OLD AND NEW: RETURNS RELATIVE TO EXPENDITURE, ETC.

Return to an Order of the House of Representatives dated the 12th September, 1912. Ordered, " That there be laid before this House a return showing in detail— (1.) (a) The amount paid on Frain's contract at the old Parliament Buildings ; (6) the value of plant and material taken over by the Government as an asset against such payment; (c) the actual cost of cancelling Frain's contract, after deducting the value of such plant and material from the total payment. (2.) (a) The cost of removing debris from old Parliament Buildings after the fire ; (b) the cost of removing, repairing, storing, and returning furniture saved from the fire ; (c) the cost of renovating the old Parliament Buildings, including the cost of providing the Committee-rooms at present in use in those buildings ; (d) the cost of erecting an additional story for departmental offices in the portion of old Parliament Buildings destroyed by fire; (c) the total cost of refurnishing the old Parliament Buildings, including the departmental offices located there ; (/) the total amount spent on the old Parliament Buildings since the fire, exclusive of ordinary maintenance charges since the fire ; (17) the amount spent on the old Parliament Buildings, after deducting the amounts referred to under headings (a), (b), (c), and (/); (h) the probable annual rental that would have to be paid in Wellington for the accommodation at present used in the old Parliament Buildings as Committee-rooms and departmental offices. (3.) (a) The total cost of alterations and additions to the present Parliament Buildings, the cost of the new Legislative Council Chamber and the tube to be shown separately; (b) the cost of furnishings and fittings in the present Parliament Buildings ; (c) the total amount spent on present Parliament Buildings exclusive of furniture, fittings, and ordinary maintenance charges (including painting and repairing); (d) the estimated annual rental that would have to be paid for suitable temporary accommodation for Parliament, and the total amount that would have had to be paid since the fire in December, 1907. (4.) (a) The estimated cost of acquiring Quinton's corner, widening Bowen Street and Charlotte Street, and the construction of new Museum Street, including the raising of a portion of Sydney Street, and also the footpath from Sydney Street to Hill Street. (5.) (a) The estimated cost of the first portion of the new Parliament Buildings to be erected, sent in by the Government Architect along with the prize competitive design for the Parliament Buildings, including foundations and alterations to the grounds ; (6) the total quantity of concrete and excavation in the foundation for the first section of the building to be erected, also the estimated quantity (i) of concrete, (ii) of excavation when finished, and (iii) the cost of roinforcing-steel used in this portion of the foundations; (c) the cost of alterations to the grounds, including reading within the grounds ; (d) any estimate submitted by the Government Architect subsequent to the estimate sent in with his competitive design and showing the total cost of the section of the Parliament Buildings proposed to be erected at present, including cost of foundations and alterations to grounds and cost of widening and forming streets ; (c) the value of land acquired by the Government in Sydney Street and old Museum Street. (6.) (a) The total expenditure on new Government House; (6) the cost and valuation of land acquired by the Government for Government House site ; (c) the cost of furnishing Government House and other buildings connected therewith; {d) the cost of other buildings connected with Government House; (c) the cost of Government House, exclusive of the items {a), (6), and (c) under heading (6). Also, that there be laid before this House the report of the Parliamentary Committee that took evidence on the subject of erecting new Parliament Buildings in 1908, printed on page ii of Paper 1.-14 of the session of 1908."—(Hon. Mr. R. McKbnzie.)

Return. 1. (a.) The amount paid on Frain's contract at the old Parliament Buildings .. £8,828 (6.) The value of plant and material taken over by the Government as an asset against such payment .. .. .. .. .. .. £2,036 (c.) The actual cost of cancelling Frain's contract, after deducting the value of such plant and material from the total payment .. .. .. £6,792 2. (a.) The cost of removing debris from old Parliament Buildings after the fire .. £453 (6.) The cost of removing, repairing, storing, and returning furniture saved from the fire.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. £84 (0.) The cost of renovating the old Parliament Buildings, including the cost oi~) providing the Committee-rooms at present in use in those buildings I „, n „„- (d.) The cost of erecting an additional story for Departmental offices in the por- j tion of the old Parliament Buildings destroyed by fire .. J (c.) The total cost of refurnishing the old Parliament Buildings, in. luding the departmental offices located there .. .. .. .. £811

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Return — continued. (/.) The total amount spent on the old Parliament Buildings since the fire, exclusive of ordinary maintenance charges since the fire .. .. .. £10,841 (g.) The amount spent on the old Parliament Buildings after deducting the amounts referred to under headings (a), (b), (c), and (/) (h.) The probable annual rental that would have to be paid in Wellington for the accommodation at present used in the old Parliament Buildings as Com-mittee-rooms and departmental offices .. .. .. .. £2,000 3. (as.) The total cost of alterations and additions to the present Parliament Buildings ; the cost of the new Legislative Council Chamber and the tube to be shown separately— Legislative Council Chamber .. .. .. .. .. £3,423 The tube .. .. .. .. .. .. .. £560 Main building and furniture .. .. .. £10,447 (b.) The cost of furnishings and fittings in the present Parliament Buildings (included in 3 (a)) .. '.. .... r . .. £4,981 (c.) The total amount spent on present Parliament Buildings exclusive of furniture, fittings, and the ordinary maintenance charges (including painting and repairing) (not including the tube) . . .. .. .. £8,889 (d.) The estimated annual rental that would have to be paid for suitable temporary accommodation for Parliament, and the total amount that would have had to be paid since the fire in December, 1907 — Suitable accommodation was unobtainable, but if obtainable, the annual rental would probably have been from .. . . £5,000 to £7,000 The total amount that would have been paid since the fire (probably) £35,000 4. (a.) The estimated cost of acquiring Quinton's corner, widening Bo wen and Charlotte Streets, and the construction of new Museum Street, including the raising of a portion of Sydney Street, and also the footpath from Sydney Street to Hill Street .. .. .. .. .. .. £15,500 5. (a.) The estimated cost of the first portion of the new Parliament Buildings to be erected, sent in by the Government Architect along with the prize competitive design for the Parliament Buildings, including foundations and alterations to the grounds. (The Government Architect's estimate included normal foundations only (to a depth of 3 ft.) and did not include altera ions to grounds) .. .. .. .. .. .. £109,807 (6.) The total quantity of concrete and excavation in the foundation for the first portion of the building to be erected, also the estimated quantity-— (i.) Of concrete .. .. .. .. .. .. 5,707 cub. yd. (ii.) Of excavation when finished .. .. .. .. 14,392 cub. yd. (iii.) The cost of reinforcing-steel used in this portion of the foundation .. .. .. .. .. £97 (c.) The estimated cost of alterations to the grounds, including roading within the grounds .. .. .. .. .. .. .. £16,500 (d.) Any estimate submitted by the Government Architect subsequent to the" estimate sent in with his competitive design and showing the total cost piin WO f of the section of the Parliament Buildings proposed to be erected at pre- „, „» -„„ sent, including cost of foundations and alterations to grounds, and the rd'inp 't cost of widening and forming streets. (The Government Architect's ~ , a estimate does not include the foundation, nor alteration to grounds or streets) J (c.) The value of land required by the Government in Sydney Street and old Museum Street .. .. .. .. .. .. .. £8,500 6. (a.) The total expenditure on new Government House '. .. .. .. £57,846 (b.) The cost and valuation of land acquired by the Government for the Government House site (including cost of road through College ground constructed in lieu of paying compensation for land taken) — Cost .. .. .. .. .. .. .. £10,393 Valuation .. .. .. .. .. .. .. £9,250 (c.) The cost of furnishing Government House and other buildings connected therewith .. £6,222 (d.) The cost of other buildings connected with Government House .. .. £2,444 (c.) The cost of Government House, exclusive of the items (a), (b), and (c) under heading 6 Chas. E. Bennett, Accountant. Public Works Office, 9th July, 1913.

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Report. (Vide 1-14, Session 1908.) 1. The Committee appointed to inquire and report as to the most suitable site for the erection of new Parliamentary Buildings have the honour to report that they have duly inquired into the matter, and have examined the following witnesses: viz., Messrs. John Campbell, Government Architect; Jackson Palmer, Chief Judge Native Land Court; H. J. H. Blow, Under-Secretary for Public Works ; J. M. Bathan, Registrar-General of Lands and Deeds ; G. F. C. Campbell, ValuerGeneral ; A. Hamilton, Director of Museum ; P. Heyes, Commissioner of Taxes and Superintendent Government Advances to Settlers Department ; and Charles Wilson, Parliamentary Librarian. 2. The evidence of these witnesses is attached to this report, and, in the opinion of your Committee, clearly shows that the site presently occupied by Government House and now temporarily used by the Legislature has great advantages over the site bounded by Hill Street, Molesworth Street, and Sydney Street, on which were erected the recently destroyed Parliamentary Buildings (afterwards referred to in this report as " the Molesworth Street site "), and that no other available site in the City of Wellington is equally suitable. 3. The evidence also shows that further accommodation for the various Departments of the public service, and also for the Parliamentary Library and the Museum, is urgently required, the building in Lambton Quay being already fully occupied, and affording barely sufficient accommodation for the officers (numbering 670) employed therein, although to relieve the pressure a number of suites of offices scattered over various parts of the city are rented by the Government at a cost of £3,117 per annum. 4. Your Committee find that to extend the building on Lambton Quay would be to increase the already serious risk of destruction by fire, to which not only the building itself but also the valuable and irreplaceable public records stored therein are now exposed. 5. Your Committee regard it as imperatively necessary to make provision for suitable fire-proof buildings, and they find that this can best be effected by erecting such buildings on the Molesworth Street site. 6. They recommend that this be done, and that as soon as possible all the Departments now accommodated on Lambton Quay be gradually transferred to buildings to be erected on the Molesworth Street site. 7. So soon as this is carried into effect the block bounded by Lambton Quay, Featherston Street, Bunny Street, and Whitmore Street, on which the present wooden building stands, could be leased to the public in building allotments for a total rental which would provide interest on a large capital sum, the present value of the land being estimated by the Valuation Department at £264,000. 8. Your Committee therefore report that, in their opinion, the new Parliament Houses, including a new Library building, should be erected on the Government House site, and that the Molesworth Street site, including those portions of the old Parliamentary Buildings not destroyed by fire, should be utilized for departmental buildings and offices, and the old parliamentary lawn-tennis ground as a site for a building for the Museum, the Lambton Quay block to be eventually dealt with as above indicated ; the sections and intersecting street-lines being laid off as shown in " Plan No. 2 " as prepared by the Public Works Department : always provided that satisfactory arrangements can be made as between the Government and the City Council. 9. Your Committee de.sire to point out that the arrangements thus proposed will entail the necessity of providing a new site for Government House, the selection of which does not come within the order of reference. 15th September, 1908. Wm. J. Steward, Chairman. Approximate Cost of Paper. —Preparation, not given ; printing (1,500 copies), £2 17s. 6d.

By Authority : John Mackay, Government Printer, Wellington.—l9l3. Price 3d.]