Is Still On
p. 33 · Read in the full issue
[?]Ore Delay In
[?]Uth Seas Hotel
[?]ut the Beer Is Still On
70RKING drawings, sketch plans ' and schedules of quantities for the South Seas Hotel, Suva, ;t Morris Hedstrom Ltd. £15,000. [’his was disclosed when the firm Dlied to the Licensing Court for •enewal of its provisional licence, e hundred sheets of working iwings were produced in Court evidence of the firm’s activity the construction of the new hotel, dr. E. Gough, Assistant General nager of the firm, said that the Club Hotel had to be pulled down er being seriously damaged in last hurricane. Work had ■tially proceeded on the new ith Seas Hotel to replace it when earthquake of September, 1953, ised them to revise their plans, [e said specifications of quantities ild be ready by December and ders should be in by the end of mary. If a tender was received r the amount estimated, he ught a very comfortable hotel ild result. Once the tenders were there would be no delay in com to a decision.
Ir. Gough said he did not think t any possible development be en his company and another ipany would affect the decision, provisional licence for two years i granted Morris Hedstrom Ltd.
I the licensee of the bar, which low operating without any house ommodation, was granted a pro onal licence up to June 30, 1956, which time a decision regarding new hotel would have been ie. he bar portion of the hotel has n constructed. It has been at itively tiled and the sanitary ingements are of a high standard, oining the bar concrete pillars he height of one storey and steel iforcement rods remain as they e when work was stopped, [ile-a-minute, a rapid-growing heal creeper, has covered most the piles and, as one resident ically observed, at least hi des some measure of progress in isforming the shell of the build into a beauty spot.
Editorial Note
Hien the earthquake hit Suva in tember, 1953, the bar of the new th Seas Hotel had just been ipleted and liquor was being I from there under the old Club el licence (the Club Hotel was lolished in the hurricane of uary, 1952).
All work on the remainder of the new hotel ceased and when the Club Hotel licence came up for renewal at the end of 1954 (15 months later) lt was refused, pending assurances from Morris Hedstrom Ltd. that the hotel building would be proceeded with, and pending also certain installations in the bar itself.
After being closed for some months, the bar started functioning again about April this year.
In December, 1954, the Company stated that construction of the hotel would commence in early 1955, and would be completed in 1956 at a cost of £250,000. It would provide accommodation for about 65 guests.
The failure of the Company to proceed with the erection of the hotel in 1955 has aroused a good deal of local criticism—mostly be cause Suva does most urgently need additional hotel accommodation, and does not need additional liquor-bars Shortage of hotel accommodation in Suva is gravely handicapping the tourist traffic, which could bring large additional revenues to Fiji, The company, however, points to the fact—established throughout most countries outside of Fiji—that under present-day costs of material and labour, the erection and opera tion of new hotels are generally not economic.