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(By Builder.)

"Builder'' invites contributions from readers on any matter of interest wluch they might- like to propose. Correspondence on subjects of interest will also be accepted.

NOTES. Mr F. "Williamson lias secured tho contract for Hie erection of three shops for Mr "W. Ditford in "NY alt-ham road. Messrs England Bros, are inviting; tenders, until 4 p.m. to-morrow. ■ for renovating and pointing the Bank ol Xew Zealand premises at Lyttclton.

A total of -i'2 building permits has been issued to date by the Christchurch City Council for the month of April. Of these 21 are lor the erection of houses.

'.renders arc being invited until noon on May Gth for the construction <>f extensions to the electric vehicle garage, Manchester street, for the Municipal Electricity Department.

The date for receiving tenders tor alterations to the building in Manchester street, particulars of which were recently advertised by Mr H. »St. A. Murray/ lias been extended until 4 p.m. next Monday.

Tenders are now being invited lor the erection of the Bandsmen'* memorial rotunda near the, footbridge close to the Acclimatisation (Society's grounds. The site appears to bo rather inaccessible- at.the present time, but tlio proposals brought forward by the Beautifying Association for a riverside walk running from Cashei street to llolleston ayenue and thence across a proposed bridge will bring the new rotunda, within easy reach of the-city. Thebuilding- -itself will be of concrete and of pleasing design. "When completed it should serve aa a useful and fitting memorial to tb.a bandsmen who fell in the war.

Ordinary commercial nickel, hot or cold, lacks the malleability essential for many purposes. An investigation at the United States Bureau of Standards has' shown that this is due to the. presence of tiny amounts of sulphur, and that as little as one. part of sulphur in 20,000 is sufficient to spoil tho material. This impurity comes from the ore, which originally contains more sulphur than nickel. It has been found that manganese and magnesium react with the nickel sulphur; compound, and form new compounds with the sulphur. These new compounds — unlike the compound of nickel and sulphur—have a high melting point, -and,in addition take the form of uniformly distributed particles that lessen malleability very slightly, if at all.

The production of sponge iron, a finelvrSeparated form of the metal, and very useful in chemical and metallurgical industry, has been made possible on a large seal© by researches conducted at Seattle by the American Bureau of Mines. Tho process depends on the fact that most ircn ores are oxides of iron, and that if the oxygen can lie extracted at temperatures so low that the iron does not fuse or run it is left standing as a, (very fine, porous metallic sponge, presenting very largo areas of free surface, on which - tho reactions *of ■chemical manufacturing: processes can take place. The process also promises to render possible tho profitable production of iron from lowgrade ores and furnace wastes. During the past year a furnace using tlia new process was operated commercially at Silver City, Utah, producing ahout three tons of sponge iron daily.

American architecture, hcth of the gigantic soaring variety and tho hunihler domestic type, has many admirers to-day. Among them is Mr Arthur .1. Penty, who has been writing in. "Architecture" of America as the country "where architecture is alive." Wo gather that the secret of tho alivenes3 is very much a matter of organisation. In England vhe. architect is expected to be designer, planner, constructor, surveyor, business man, and a dozen other things. It is not given to anv onc man to dhdiarfzo so.many varying functions rea]/y well; hence failure in somo direction. In America, on the other hand, architects organise their offices on a basis which allows every member to be a. specialist in ids own department. Architects sometimes haivo fifty assistants: Mr Penty has heard of one with a hundred and twenty-five. It is a method that, in his judgment, makes for good work — at any rate, where largo buildings are concerned. It secures the position ot tho principals, -making, them proot against petty considerations that result in confusion. On tho other hand (.Mr Penty does not mention this), the position of the army of assistants, most of whom have r.o prospect of being anything hut assistants, is not entirely enviable.. . -

The free use which is now being.made of concrete in the building of dwellinghouses raised the question of whether the 'concrete houses were going to be more fashionable than either brick or wood, and in the course of conversations with an architect and builder an Auckland newspaperman was given to understand that though both concrete, and brick were in great demand, there was littlo possibility of the wooden house going out of fashion. When all Avas said, fashion played the most important part in house building. The life of a dwelling was a minor consideration, because any house would seeout 50 years, and possibly n much longer period, but where alterations could be made to wooden dwellings at a reasonable cost, the concrete dwelling did not offer the same opportunity. The stylo of architecture offered a J much wider range with wooden houses than with cither brick or concrete, and there was not the attractive appearance about the brick or concrete dwelling. Maybe to-day one of the latter would look quite well when just built, but in a few years it might be hopelessly out of date. .Brick and concrete were generally associated with a building expected to stand for two or three hundred years, and where the first expense was to be the laSt; but it was not so in the case of wooden dwellings, and, with new appointments and architectural designs being introduced, there was ample scope to make any desired alterations. One. had only to notico the number of wooden cottages in almost every street in Auckland that had been altered and turned into bungalows, but it would be difficult to find a brick or concrete dwelling that had had its appearance changed.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19250423.2.14.1

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18364, 23 April 1925, Page 4

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,008

Untitled Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18364, 23 April 1925, Page 4

Untitled Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18364, 23 April 1925, Page 4

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