NOTES.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20178, 5 March 1931, Page 4

NOTES.

1 "There ,is absolutely nothing doing, ( and as far as I can see there is no possibility of work of any size lor some time to come," said a City archi- 1 tecfc to "Builder" yesterday. This view is not singular. Several others < made similar comments on the present • state of the building trade. One re-. - marked' that, the more' cheerful note ( brought to New Zealand from over- j seas visitors concerning trade in Eng- 1 land would, no doubt, soon be echoed in New Zealand. As proof of ferro-concrete W/ithstaud- a ing the strain of an earthquake a reinforced steel concrete building, planned on Ban Francisco lines for the ; Hawke's Bay farmers, stood up to the recent heavy shake in- Hastings. This ; building, which was designed by Mr Edmund Anscombe, formerly of Dunedin, was nearing the stage of.complex tion within a week or so of when the earthquake came along, and, apart from a few minor crackß, the building was unaffected by tne upheaval, while other buildings in the same area were completely destroyed. Not even one sheet of plate-glass was broken, which is surely sufficient evidence of the safety of ferro-concrete buildings. A cellulose substance of properties rendering it suitable for/ the making of containers for various foodstuffs was announced not long ago as a discovery of- the Eastman Kodak - Laboratpries. Since then experiments with the ifcaterial have been, made by the American Can Company, which is now reported as ready, to use it on a commercial scale in the production of containers of different shapes and sizes. , Large quantities of, foodstuffs, both wet and dry, it is said, have been put tap,-in these transparent ,receptacles, which have proved to be non-breakable, ; non-corrosive, and nnaffected by. heat, cold, and dampness. f In a room lt was desired to get rid of, the dingv oak finish on the woodwork, and to Ijave it painted a light colour.' says an overseas exchange. One Cannot, qf course, do painting over varnish, m it 1 was necessary to re-. move the several thick coats of old, hard varnish. A tablespoon of lye was' put into„ an old pan. and a quarter of a cupful-of water added to it. and this was applied to,th'e woodwork with, an ; .old*, paint brush. Just- the very/\tip end .of was dipped m th? lyewater, and brushed slowly over the ; woodwork. This ihstantly , softened > 'and melted off the varnish, alter -which - therwoodwas:at once hashed off with * 'None of the lye J* as goa® Over „tfc a t mo, and care was nged ' not -to ipatter< the/walla. Newspapers had'previously been laid over *, , v „.v., "The back of the Icitehen sink- is a worry. to most/ housewives.* If wali- - cloth is used, constant washing: wears r ' ithe pattern. , Tilesjarej often 2 too ex- * .pensive.. "I haye solved the problem cloS* - on. the frail. ,befoya I „put the ' in. Plate-gla«f is really the best, , jMtl haye.fairly thick qrdinary gla^a. . ttfcsir aigwjrf it is so easy to ? jdeaa,Vjlt is wise, to put ,*£ fairly ywitfe. moulding 'alotfg the'' bottom' Of is wise to see that tbo glass and wallcloth aro perfectly (Voa from smudges before they are made n fixture, 6tber'iraae you will be annoyed to find that - there is a smudge at the back of (he 'glass which cannot be removed," saya t a writer esc&ange, ( - iWTftiblip *"Woricu And 43enefal Oto* I th«tora ? , Association of New South i Wales* ma;recettt,letter, says; guilder the contacting indastiV is suffering more than most in . duttries from the cessation of develop- > mental :/follMpna the onrtailment of loan funds Now is the time - for Uphold together and prevent bjr all means the inroad? Nt .the mtwhroom,"Unknown; and " irresponsible contractors who have ' made I appeiurance. T Tbi$ L *tate of affairs brings to light verv forcibly the necessity for the registration of contractors < Anions? ptber > matters requiring atten- | is that of; wore conditions of contract, particularly in regard to the settlement of disputes I iMftae contractors !l are' left ,at the morcv of. inexperience nniust, and r sometimes - vindictire^oSJcials/'