HEARTH AND 'HOME'

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 18904, 20 January 1927, Page 4

HEARTH AND 'HOME'

(By Builder.)

"Builder" ' invites contributions from readers on any matters of interest which they might like to propose. Correspondence on various subjects pertaining to buikl- ' ins will also be accepted.

NOTES.

Tenders close with the Public Works Tenders Board, Wellington, at 4 p.m., on January 25th, for the reconstruction of skidway for the Sumner lifeboat house.

The annual cricket match between the builders and the architects will be played at Hagley Park on January 26th.

Between the Caledonian Hall and the Waverley Hotel two shops are to be built by Mr C. S. Luney for Mr *. Hail, herbalist. They will cost £(00.

Since the beginning of the year, permits have been obtained from the Heathcote County Council for the erection of a dwelling in Hillsborough costing £1550, another in Dyer's Pass road costing the same amount, and - third at Mount Pleasant, the value of which will be £IOSO.

Some of the boys approaching builders with a view to becoming apprentices are meeting with success, and an instance has come under notice in which a lad was placed on his first enquiry. The officials of the Canterbury Builders' Association are at all times willing to give helpful advice.

Mr Joseph H. Broadhead, of Maxwell street, Riccarton, has been successful in passing the examination of the City and Guilds of the London Institute. He was trained by Messrs B. Mows and Sons, builders, of Christchurch. It is not often that we have to congratulate either ft firm or an individual on attaining this honour, and in this case both the building firm and the apprentice deserve commendation.

A good deal about the theory of sawing can be learnt by watching a power hack-saw cutting through a 4m steel shaft. Absolutely no weight beyond that of the saw it'e'f is applied tn the work. What really happens is that the steel is rubbed away bv a steady stroke from end to end of the line of teeth, the function of the machine being to push the saw across the job and bring it back again That, to a great extent, is also the- function or a workman's hand when cutting timber

Christchurch building firms have been hampered by the non-arrival ot structural ironwork ordered in Britain. The coal strike closed practically all the blast furnaces in Britain, as will be seen from the following extract from the "British ' Trade Journal .

"At the end of October five furnaces remained in blast in the United Kingdom, compared with 147 in blast on the eve of the coal stoppage. During the month the production of pig iron amounted to 13,100 tons, compared with 12,500 tons in September, 539,100 tons in April, and 473,700 tons in October, 1925. Steel production amounted to 92,900.t0n5, compared with 95.700 tons in September, 661,000 tons in April, and 652,400 tons in October, 1925.''

The difficulty of making satisfactory fixings in euch building materials as concrete, brick, plaster, stone, cement, etc., is well known. This difficulty, however, is solved by a metal wall plug, the "Metlex." "When the hole has been made this plug is tapped in, after which the screw is inserted with its point through the fixture into the top of the Metlex, and the screw is turned until right home. This method is quite simple, and uniformly good results from a variety of sizes and in application to various classes of materials are reported. The design of the plug is ingenious, and the metal of which it is made is proof against »ny corrosion or deterioration. Drive screws may be used, if preferred, instead of ordinary wood screws, in which case the whole fixing is made with a hammer, the screwdriver being dispensed with. This metal wall plug has already achieved a wide sale in Great Britain.

The system of timber sales adopted by the State for some time past, and which has previously been subject of comment, is most admirably suited to the gradual forcing up of royalties. Tlie quantity offered at any one time is restricted to the extent of giving anything from, say, three to five years' cutting "life" to a mill, which is obviously insufficient time-in which to derive reasonable profit and at the same time make provision for the repayment of the comparatively excessive capital expenditure involved in erection of buildings, plant, cottages, tramways, etc. Consequently, when a miller takes up one of these areas and instate plant, mill buildings, cottages for workmen, tramways, etc., he deliberately "gives hostages" to the State, for when his first area is cut out there may be a further area appraised for him, but it is offered for sale publicly, and he is lucky if the upset royalty has not been increased "slightly." He has no surety of tenure and is consequently open to the competition of any adjoining miller or even of a discharged and disgruntled employee. Consequently he (having much capital expenditure -at stake), is obliged to bid the upset price or even higher, otherwise—if he does not secure the bush —he must scrap his plant and write off as a loss all the cost of tramways, cottages, etc., he has been unable to recoup. The system is iniquitous (or possibly a better adjective would be "insidious" or "cunning"), and should be beneath the'dignity of the State.-—"N.Z. Industrial Bulletin."

BUILDING PROGRESS.

SUBURBS

The following figures give a comparison of the value of the buildings authorised in Christchurch and suburbs in 1925 and 1926: 1936. 1925. £ £ Christchurch City Council 915,534 730,358 Heathcoto County Council 70,961 58,376 Waimairi County Council 133,135 182,490 Riccarton Borough Council 50,812 55,403 New Brighton Borough CI. 14,535 17,420 Sumner Borough Council 27,113 18,339 Lyttelton Borough Council 5,720 3,315 1.217,969 1,060,651

SOUND ADVICE.

OLD BUILDING PRACTICES,

By W.H.W

An old journal called "Skyring's Builders' Prices and Weekly Journal" recently came into my hands, and some of the old methods adopted at the time of its publication (1868) attord interestni« reading, and comparison with modern metuods. It opens with tlio following:— "Precautions for the better security of buildings: in single houses, or external walls, in digging lor the foundations, we recommend to dig down to the gravel (this is in London), which, in most places near the metropolis, will appear within three feet of the surface; but if that cannot be found, and » the footing it should appear to be sand, marshy, or made earth, the greatest precautions should be used to equalise the same, or what is now more usual in doubtful foundations, taki out the ground to a depth of about 2 feet, and about one foot on each side of the footings, and fill up the same with stone lime and coarse gravel, mixed with water in proportions of one of lime to six of gravel (called concrete). The lime must be fresh and no slaked in the usual way, but we' ground or beaten to powder, and sifted; it is then to be placed with a proportion of gravel mixed up with water, and used directly (thrown in from a stage about eight feet high). In n short time it will become perfectly firm, and may 6e built upon with safety. The foundations being secure, be careful to have good footings to the lower chimney jambs—iron chimney bars to all the openings turned up ,nt each end. In general, the weight of the roof will cause a settlement in the centre of the building; particular care should be taken to allow for the remedy of that defect, by laying the jois* rounding, which, in bearings exceeding thirteen feet, should not be less than 8 by 2J inches. Let the plates lirstrong and in one length, secured at each end, with stout lintots to all the ! openings, as much depends on them j Let the work be well bonded with iron hoopings, and sound. Square stock | bricks are at all times the best. hu< if a more inferior article must be used, I do not let them be so within six fop of the surface of the earth, nor to any ! chimney jambs or arches, as they arc I not to be relied on where strength required. It is frequently observed where cheap bricks lay in damp situnI tions, they will return to their original ! state; be careful to keep the gutte plate* of sufficient strength, and if ii lays from front to back, allow for its sinking in the centre, as it will be <ur' to settle; let the gutters be of sufficient width and of good currents, givin? the rafters for slates or pan-tiling one third pitch, with half pitch fo plane tiles. These cautions (which if a. fourth-rate house will not exceed £2O, ■nor in a third rate £25 from the mosl slighted method in which they can be built), being attended, to, the finish ing may be done at pleasure, as it can at any time be repaired, but if neglected in any...of these respects, flu house will be ruined, and the defect can never be remedied. If the building is to be erected in a damp situation the lower part should be carried up in concrete, and to lay a double course of stout slates in cement is an excelled precaution.

"The supply of water and drainage is also of great consequence, and should be attended to in the first instance, and be certain the ground floor is ker sufficiently high, as many good houses have been spoiled by the gradual rise of roads and footpaths around them."

WHITE HOUSE

THE PRESIDENT'S HOME.

Just as we are creating Canberra today, and under a constitution very similar to that of the Commonwealth, Washington was created in a Federal Territory of the U.S.A. In those days her population was also small, and it was a long time before the United States could find the money to erect buildings whose architectural magnificence was in keeping with the high tradition of the law-giving capital of a great country. "White House," the President's home, is a Georgian building with a Grecian portico, like a hundred houses of the "quality" in Ireland before the war. If there is nothing very notable about its architecture, there is at the same time a quiet solid dignity which was, after all, the characteristic and the spirit of the founders of the now Eepublic. Many great statesmen have occupied White' House, and all have left their mark on the history of that young democracy. The President's' powers are greater than those of a monarch, but sooner or later he bows to the will of Demos, for' the foundation of the White House is "Government of the People, by the People, for the People." So walked out from under those Corinthian pillars the "Scholar President," who dreamed the great ideal of the League of Nations. He walked out a broken man, the victim of political expediency, outwitted by his enemies. The influence of good building on the mind is greater than most men realise. Where do we need the inspiration of good architecture more than in the official homes of our legislators? When the era of temporary buildings at Canberra has passed away, we, too, may build ourselves a White House, where our Prime Ministers of to-morrow may imbibe statesmanship from the very walls themselves. Then too, perhaps, some great thought may there be born and all the world benefit.

The reception room of White House, with its parquet floor, its deep-recessed doors, its lofty ceiling, and its high relief plaster work, is a cold, bare room when empty. But see it on July 4th, and its dimensions seem none too great, or its decorations too florid for the splendidly garbed representatives of all the Powers of the world, and their wives, that throng to pay their respects to the great Republic in the person of the President. There is much to criticise in the internal architectural decoration. Ornament has been constructed, not construction ornamented. The need for splendour and the confusion between display of ornament and dignified decoration is the reason for the touch of vulgarity. Like our Parliament House, at the top of Eourke street, its dignified exterior is utterly spoiled by the ballroom and weddingcake appearance of the interior of the council chambers.

Neo-Grecian, Adam, and very postLouis XVII. cover the periods of the White House reception-room. Yet at night the reflections of the white and gold mirrored a thousand times in the great glass chandeliers give the room an air of rieli grandeur which is not at all vulgar.—"Home Beautiful."

WHITE ENERGY.

A PALATIAL CINEMA.

ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT ADOPTED.

The modern audience enters the theatre to be entertained, and to leave outside the cares and worries of the day. These men and women wish to relax, to forget themselves and their troubles, and to share for a while in the joys and sorrows of the characters on the stage or screen.

They expect a picture or play presented* in the proper environment. They want surroundings out of the ordinary. In short, they enter the theatre to be taken up on a magic carpet and transported to a new world, a land of romance

The theatre with an entrancingly different atmosphere—such _an atmosphere as is created by fitting music, pleasing architecture and decorations, sumptuous fittings, and the witchery of perfectly controlled lighting—appeals to them. Such a theatre is the Plaza, London's most palatial show place of the film, for which Mr Frank T. Verity, F.R.1.8.A , is the architect. This theatre has one of the most interesting electrical installations of recent years, an installation in keeping with the spirit of modernity prevalent throughout the design of the entire theatre. A description of the electrical apparatus would not be complete without a word about the power supply. The main supply is taken from the high pressure mains of the St. James and Pall Mall Electric Light Company. The stage equipment is perhaps the most interesting of any of the film theatres in London, and with it some of the mast wonderful lighting effects can be obtained. The switchboard was manufactured by the Westinghouse Electric Company, anrl it is the first of its kind to be installed in England. It is quite an innovation, in that it allows the setting up of scenes before they are needed and then, when the cue comes, the entire scene lighting can be thrown on bv the manipulation of but one switch.

Total Darkness. Occasionally productions demand a sudden total darkness. This is accomplished by means of a push button, the operation of which closes a multicontact relay on the contactor board, which releases all the contactors, thus "blocking out" the lighting. These contactors can then be reset by the operation of a single switch. Another feature of this board is that after the board has been set up it can be locked so that no unauthorised person can disturb the arrangement. The stage is provided with magazine type float and surround strips, while three other battens of the magazine type, with non-tarnishable reflectors, are provided. There is also a complete Schwabe lighting system for the stage with an artificial horizon. This lighting consists of a battery of thirty-six 100-watt gas-filled horizon flood lamps with various coloured screens. The coloured light from this battery can be so blended as to give wonderful effects on the horizon. Cloud apparatus is also furnished so that pictures of moving clouds can be given. A battery of three projectors is used to furnish colours and scenes on the artificial horizon. , , The control of the horizon and horizon effects is from separate boards in the stage switchroom, from which a full view of the stage is obtained. The usual stage plugs for incidental lights used in the stage settings are provided, and these are under the control of the Westinghouse board.

Spot Lights. One of the features of the house is the arrangement for spotting artists from a platform built-above the main ceiling. Eight arc lights, four of which can flood the stage with light, and four whoso light can be focused on individuals are provided. With this light coming from a high angle some very novel effects can be obtained. The main projection room is probably one of the most up-to-date and best equipped in the country. Three of the most modern projection machines are installed there, as well as two focUB and flood arcs for spotting or flooding the stage, and a stereoptican lantern. All the projection machines are fitted with'electrically operated speedometers, which in turn are connected to a speedometer on the musical director's desk in the orchestra. This enables the orchestra director to synchronise his music with the film speed; also it assures the showing of the film at the speed at which the camera was; driven when the pictures were made. The main auditorium is lighted by means of amber coloured glass fitted into metal frames forming lay_ lights, and special reflectors are fitted above this glass to contain the lamps, which give a very pleasing effect. This lighting is added to by means of some very beautiful lanterns and brackets, and in particular by some very fine electroliers of French design carried out in bronze dore and moulded glass. The effect of the light on this glass is such as to make it appear like mother-of-pearl. Remarkable c|Jour effects can be obtained with these fittings on the rich decoration which is a feature o? the house.

Light Fittings. The lighting of the "front of house," foyers, vestibules, grand staircase, etc., is remarkable for the design of fittings used. Italy and France have been thoroughly scoured to obtain fittings in keeping with the character of the architecture, and, although the fittings are varied in design, there is none which is not in keeping with the architecture, and at the same time criving pleasing effects. The exterior Hehting includes eight large Italian wrought-iron lanterns, mounted on hoth fronts of the theatre Flood of these walls from the first floor balconies and.of the underside of the marquise has also been adopted TV dome of the theatre is "flooded'' from the opposite side of Kegent treet and a battery of sixteen 500watt iamns is installed in the cupola on top of the dome As an indication of the magnitude of the lighting installation it is of interest to note that there are four thousand lamps of one size or another; almost thirty-fiye miles of cables are used, and the total connected load amounts to 506 kw., of which motors and motor generators acC °Yn additS toihe above the .theatre is equipped with a complete internal automatic telephone system of the most up-to-date pattern and a compk e system of tell-tale clocks is provided for the fireman s use .also a Stem of synchronised electric clocks rlnstalledVith dials auditorium, foyers, offices, etc. lhe tem

perature of the theatre is governed'by a system of 'resistance thermometers connected to the main steam supply in the boiler house, and the control is entirely automatic in action.

HEATING AND VENTILATION The question of ventilation in the home is, at present, occupying the attention of the Medical Officers of Health in England. This is deemed of such importance from a national health 4standpoint that the Minister for Health, in London has taken up .the matter with a view to legislation. As in Christchurch, the practice ia growing of building residences without chimneys. There is no doubt that the absence of ventilation, particularly in the bedroom, predisposes the occupant to disease. This Is caused by the lack of the stimulus that the breathing of fresh moving air gives to the skin and to the air passages, thereby lowering the resisting power _ against the attack of the everpresent disease microbe. Some authorities have already dealt with this question in Council, and the following appears in the Borough of Torquay, and other Corporations' bylaws:—

"Every person who shall erect a new domestic building, shall cause every habitable room of such building which Is without a fireplace ana a flue, properly constructed and properly connected with such fireplace, to be provided with a special and adequate means of ventilation by a sufficient aperture or air shaft, which shall provide an unobstructed soartonal area of eighty>one square inches at the lpast." There are other provisions, all dealing with ventilation, the object of which is to ensure that the air should be regularly and changed in the homes of the people. Next to the open window, the best means of ventilating a bedroom or living room is by means of a chimney. A very easy and cheap method of effecting this is to instal "economy" flues. These are a series of hollow concrete blocks placed between the joists of the walls of the room, and to which a small gas fire may be connected. This provides an effective ventilating system, particularly in the winter, when occasionally artificial heat is a great comfort. Gas fires in bedrooms Bhould always be efficiently flued. The only health inducing method of heating is radiant heat; that is, the heat given by the sun. For convenience, systems of central heating are largely adopted in.most cold climates. Tliis, "however, is quite contrary to the way Nature intended we should be warmed.

Central heating with so-called, but wrongly named, radiators do not provide or cause the necessary, frequent change of air. An article in an issue of "The Open Air Life" contains the following: "So-called radiators, heated by hot water or steam, are the least desirable form of heating. The term 'radiator' is wrong, as it does, not radiate heat, which we have seen is what is wanted, but merely heats the air which comes in contact with The air in rooms heated by 'radiators' is warm and stagnant, and depresses the vitality of the occupants. "Central heating is convenient, hut that is all that can be said for it—it is not healthy." In the event of an epidemic of influenza, there is no doubt that people who are in the habit of sleeping in insufficiently ventilated bedrooms are predisposed to, be infected with the disease. ■

This question of ventilation is one that concerns everybody, and those contemplating building residences in which they propose to live themselves would do well to look' thoroughly into the plans and see that adequate means of ventilation in addition to the windows, such as a chimney or a properly flued gas fire, is provided for every living-room, so that the air breathed should not be vitiated, and that the occupants are not prejudiced in their natural resistance to disease.