NOTES.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18229, 13 November 1924, Page 8

NOTES.

(By Builder.) "Builder" invites contributions from readers on any matter of interest which they might like to propose. Correspondence on subjects of interest ivill also be accepted.

A total of 30 building permits has been issued to date for the month of November by the Christehurch CityCouncil. Of these 15 are for the erection of houses.

There is a vast amount of building going on in and around Dunedin. Numbers of residences are going up in all the suburbs. It is an eye-opener to see them. Several very handsome residences of the bungalow type have recently been erected in the outskirts of Oamaru, Building in this town is increasing, and, in addition to residences (no fewer than fourteen of which are being erected in the borough), several large two-storey premises for business purposes are being erected in the main street.

Mr G. Bull has secured the contract for the erection of a storeroom for Messrs Indcr and Coulter in Tuam street.

The British Government Committee which has been appointed; to J investigate and .repoTt on new .materials and methods of building will, no doubt, consider in due course the cast-iron houses which a Rotiierham iron founder proposes to erect, says an English trade paper. Meanwhile the rather cynical comment of a Liverpool builder represents the average practical man's attitude towards the new method. , "I sec," said the builder, "that evidence in favour of cast-iron houses is found in. the discovery of cast-iron coffins in excellent condition, nearly 100 years old, under St. James's Church, Sheffield. It is an unfortunate comparison, and, in my opinion, a useful warning. The walls of a house must be porous to bo healthy!" All the same, the proposals are not to be dismissed with a jest. Many an invention which sounded impossible when first mooted, has proved in application to be perfectly sound.

Messrs Ellis and Hall are calling for tenders for the erection 'of a house in Hereford street. Tenders will close at 4 p.m. on Monday. :

Mr Joseph Wells, M.A., the ViceChancellor. oft Oxford University, has been giving in the London ''Evening News "his chosen "team" of architectural monuments, which" he claims to be superior to any "team" that Oxford or. Cambridge could produce. Here is Mr Wells's selection; St. Paul's Cathedral; the • Tower; Westminster Abbey; TWestminster Hall; the Temple Church; St. Bartholomew's, Smith field; St. Stephen's, Wallbrook; St. Etlieldreda's, Ely-place; St. Saviour's, Southwark; the Houses of Parliament; Waterloo Bridge. It is a list of buildings of which any city might be proud. Apparently it is Mr Wells's object to include examples showing the procession of architecture through the ages; otherwise it might be difficult to justify the inclusion of'the Tower, which, in spite, of its extraordinary interest, is hardly a beautiful building, or the exclusion of Somerset House and Greenwich Hospital.

The campaign of extensive building and rebuilding of city properties in. Sydney and Melbourne has spread north to Brisbane and west to Adelaide and Perth. The release of some money from earlier war loans and the absence for some time of Government borrowing on the local market caused the resurge of capital into its natural channel—constructive work. The larger and more rapidly growing cities attracted the first reflow of trade surplus into building schemes, held long in abeyance by the war, and the effect is now reaching the smaller ■ cities. Shops, offices and warehouses in the centre of cities are the preferred form of investment. Picture theatres, small shops and factories among outer suburbs are less popular than they were in 1919-23. This probably implies that large centralised businesses, like departmental stores, are again taking command from the small suburban trader, being now able to assemble great stocks at reduced prices.

The easing off which has occurred in the city is to be found in the suburbs and the number of houses now going up is comparatively small, says the Auckland "Star." Several commercial jobs are in course of erection, and in all the main streets, bricklayers, plasterers, and concrete workers are to be seen at work. The progress made in certain main streets has been very extensive, and nowhere is this more pronounced than in Karangahape road, which has almost been remodelled during the past few years. There is still further building to be done in this busy thoroughfare as the Bank of Australia sia will shortly erect a branch at the top of Queen street. Onehunga can claim to have progressed considerably, and in. this one-time quiet suburb, there is now a very fine theatre, and many blocks of new shops. In Parnell, too, a new picture theatre is the best building erected on the main thoroughfare for some time, but all along the Manukau road, and particularly in Newmarket, many shops have been built. However, not a few of these are empty, and there is good reason to think that shopbuilding not only in the suburbs, but also in the city,, lias been overdone. Dominion road terminus is now a busy shopping centre, but here, too, the signs are that the limit has been reached, although when the estates just beyond the terminus are cut up, and the concreting of the main road completed to Boundary road, the present lull in .building operations will take new life. As a matter of fact, everywhere considerable building has -been carried out d urine; the past couple of years, but the number of, permits issued now for commercial. buildings is very small.

A w2r>V that is said to be excellent for brick fences, and also for damp brick walls in cellars and similar places, is made by thoroughly mixing with fresh water three parts of. cement and one part- of clean, fine sand. This.gives a grey colour, dark or light, according to the colo'Ur of the cement. If brick colour is desired, add enough Venetian red to the mixture to produce the colour'. If a very light colour is!desired,, lime may be used with the cemeht jiikl sand. Care must be taken to mix all ingredients together. The walls must be wetted with clean, fresh water immediately before the cement wash is applied. . This prevents the bracks from absorbing the water from the wash too rapidly, and gives time for the cement to set. The wash must be well stirred during the application. The mixture must be made as thick as can be applied with a whitewash brush. This method is admirably suited for brickwork, fences, etc., but it cannot be used to advantage over paint whitewash.