NOTES.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20184, 12 March 1931, Page 4

NOTES.

A permit having been obtained by Mi: W. H Trengrove, the architect, for the erection of the Canterbury . Hall, all of the preliminary steps have now been taken, but the date of commencing the project is still indefinite. In , the last four or five weeks the Riccarton Borough Council has issued very few building permits, the construction authorised being only that of two small houses and one or two motor garages. The Sydney City Council Works Committee has decided to press for the retention of the present 150 ft maximum building height in the new City Building Act, instead of leaving the height to be fixed by regulation. Aid. McElhone (chairman) said that if the height were fixed by regulation, which cxSuld be varied, adjoining buildings already up might suifer great damage through future experiments; for instance, in building 50 or 60 storeys high. Aid. Walder said that if the. Act itself did,not fix the height, the way would be opened for a good deal oi "wire-pulling." Hacking concrete ceilings is admittedly a very laborious and costly pro-' cedure. This, of course, accounts for the. popularity that the use of preparations' for retarding the setting of the service of concrete has so quickly and deservedly obtained. There is, however, a very simple method. After the sheeting is fixed, and before any concrete is deposited _ thereon, a ( thin layer of in to Jin chippings (or similar material) is first spread over. The .concrete is then spread in the usual way. It will .be found that just sufficient of the cementing material ; will, find its way to the chippings, holding them (or at least the major part ofthem) firmly, yet producing a rough surface that will be ideal for a for the subsequent plastering, and will require no hacking at &U. A Striking illustration of the use of zinc chloride-treated timbers in rpofs is'that of a paper mill in* Ontario with a daily capacity of 860 tons of newsprint, 125 tons of- sulphite, and 300 tons of ground wood (bays "Wood Preerving News"). •In the 'roof _ construction 851,000 board feet of timber was used, pressure treated according to -plank, over which is placed 2Jin of insulite, with another top layer "of' 2in treated plank covered with afour- , ply tar aijjl gravel rbof. The inside of the roofs was painted white m order to afford more light and better .working • conditions in the various rooms. 1 Operations incident to the' manufacture of -paper create vapour ' Which ris£C tOj/tnO' ceiling, 1 condenses, ! in an alternately wetartd ' aPr iiwditioii fit the timber roofs. This conducive to decay, and if ' the roofs have not been given ;preserva- «• tive • treatment* they «re said- to be. short-lived. ~ ' J of a total of 3000, reckoning 3000 on the Win of there being one chimney m each affected house, have so far oeen repaired* This was, pointed oht by, Mr R. Hehdwson.to the Hon. R. Masters -when- the , latter .received a large deputation on various urgent'subjects. The Minister ,gave;lns undertaking that the work wotiid be nur- , tied on .with all possible Spe^d:; The Mayor. Mr G. W, Roach; said the town thoroughly appreciated 'the .splendid wflrk donp in several ways-by "the Pub'Depwrfepjent, r jEfo vpoula like ■thk Minister 1 to realise, that it:waaviisually at^the end?of .March that' heavy xains '.were experienced.. , !the repair of chimneys wfis>not/aooncompleted Wuc&aufiferirig and sickness wouldi inßvij»blyv result. At the P r ®r Settfc!rat*,-of progress the Work would not be completed Until the end or Jdly. ' Mr Henderson confirmed the Mayor** 'statement;. saying thework would take four moire nionths to. complete unless -it was hastened. Theije, T?drey2ooo applicatiohs in, -and; there wsre other*. nooses, to 'be. repaired on tlie fringes of the borough. • \ ' Statistics compiled by the Registrar*General's Department in.„Queensland regarding the„ building operations of last .year showf that new work, 1 altera-* -tipnso and -additions performed in,' Brisbane •: ari# ; >the twelve , lending 'cities "? and . towns were valued at ;£1,647,391. 01 this amount £1,203,031 represented new 1 structures. Consider-, inir ihe'JS'townß and cities afe 'a whole, a jdecrease of, £1,048,542 in value ot building} operations', during . -1930 -is noted 1 oomparcjl with 1929. 'New structures 'decreased bv £982.124 -{dwelling £518,108; and 1 other buildings. £464,-, GIB). / Alterations 'and, additions? to ?'i>ther buildings", increased by £29,837.1 but .'there was a-decraase of £9i;2sSr in alterations, etc.;, *O,, dwelling*. .The number* of new "'dwellings" decreased by 829, and rtew Mother WadingsV; by Sps: State Government, operations dnrine .1980 amounted to £56.071 in tire 18 towns, which -ib a decrease of #!48,199 ( compared with the total for 1929.! - "• < * < The - tender of Messrs P„'Graham and Sori.'of Christchutch, ■ has been ac-, cepted by the National Art Gallery , and'i Dominion Museum , Board for the <oreotipri> of. the ■ Wellington . War Mamortal Carillon,' wxiich ; is- to form part' of the national gro f up of war memorial building* on Mount Cook, on ■a conspicuous site in' the heart of the jcity at * present' occupied by- the - de|teice headquarters buildipg. The price 'of the' successful tenderer was £17,110, 4n 'addition to' which an "is involved in tie construction of-the, steps' and terraces which are' to form., "'the approach-to the tower. Thd,Board has decided that Putaruru shall .be used for the t?torte-work required in all the buildings to be erected on the 'Mount Cook site. .The proportion <*, pink and grey stone to be employed has: befen left in the , hands of j the i architects. - Tenders for the demolition, of " the old brick gaol building, in which the- defence \ headquarters staff •'is'at present, accommodated, have also been called for. and that of Mr T. L. McMillan, of Wellington.-ha* been ac-, cepted,' the price being £IBOO.