Saving Possible

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 202, 11 September 1937, Page 3

Saving Possible

— PresB Association.)

STANDARDISATION IN BUILDING Its Application to Whole of N.Z. Trade CODE IN SIX MONTHS?

(By Telegraph

WELLINGTON, Last JNigHt. "I Jiave no doubt that hundreds of thousands of ponnds a year could be saved if the principles of standardisation could b© applied to our local body purchases and to our huilding by-laws," said the Minister of lndustries and Commerce, the Hon. D. G. Sullivan, at a coni'erence in Wellington of the New Zealand Standards Institute. ► I have no desire to indulge in exaggeration, ' ' lie said, "but experience abroad supports my belief that very gubstantial economies could be effected if the principle of standardisation were applied to the whole of New Zealand 's trade and industry." The Minister said that Sir George Julius, chairmaa. of the Scientifie and Industrial Researcn Council of Australia-, had menrioned to him in a conversation that he cunsidered it imposaible for the industrial life of New Zealand to be placed on an adequately sound foundation unless a beginning was made by placing the organisation of standards in the forefront of activity. Noting that the eonferenco was attended by Mr Jordan, the president of the Municpal -Assocation, fhe city engineers in the iour main cities and representatives of the Department of Publie Works, Housing Construction, Education and State Advanees, Mr Sulljvan said the suecess of the standards ! orgamsation, with some 53 committees ! at work, had been siniply phenomenal. | He felt certain that they would all appreciate the work that had been done ' ' There is no reason, continued M: Sullivan, ' ' why sewer pipes should n,ot be ordered on a basis of a uniform sel of sizes and speeiiications * for thc whole Dominion. The same applies tc sanitary and dxainage equipment anc water fittings, to ' name but a feu ciasses of the multiplicity of require' ments in our public and private ser vices. Eurther, there is no good rea son why the quantities and ciasses oi timber or other material used in build ing construction should vary as they dc trom province to province and frou: town to town. The Minister expressed the opinioi that the application of standards t( local body requirements would result ii a very considerable reduction in thc cost of house construction. The question was one that had received mucL attention iii 32 other countries, many of which had undertaken extensive standardisation, and somo of the xesults that had been placed before him wer© very striking in respeet of the great saving that had been achievcd. By-Laws Awaited Mr T. Jordan said that local bodies were awaiting the completion of the building by-laws. He was anxious ro see the building code completed, after which something could be done about araining and plumbing. Mr A. R. Galbraith, chaixman of the advisory council of the New Zealand sStndards Institute, who ' presided, said that consideraole work had already been done. He thought that within six months most of the urgent part of the work wouid be settled as far as the Standards Institute was concerncd and the matter released for general use. The conference discussed questions rclevant to the problem of standardisation of local body by-laws, particularly those relating to building construction. Lt was einphasised that there could be no disagreement concerning the desirabiltiy of proceeding with the proposals for a geqeral improvement. Attsution to the question was long overdue, it was stated, and the hope was ex: pressed that the matter wouid be vigorousJy pursued in order to overcome the prcsent anomalies and diversity of regulatory provisions. lt was agreed fhat the whole of the sections of the building code which could logically be assigned to soparate committees of the Standards lustitute should bo so assigned and the committee instrueted to prepare an estimate of the technical assistance required with a view to the completion of the code within six months. It was further resolved to. rccommend to tbo Government that a grant should be made from the ConsolidatiouEund for tho dovelopment of thc that work. Urgent Necessity

Tlieflireetor of housing construction, Mr A. Tyndall, said that the standardisation of building codes and the ro* ; quirements for the subdivision of land was an urgent necessity not only in New Zealand but also in other countries. He cited many anomalous eonditions in the housing problem in 'the United States, particularly with regard to a multiplicity of minor and conflietiug liinitations, and said that sinniar anomalies cxisted in .New Zeajland. Eor example, ihe minimum byJaw requirements in Ihe diil'«rent borouglis and cities of Ni'w Zealand in regard to thc frontage of building sections varied from 2q fect to OG feet, while the minimum area requirements varied from 11 porches to 53 porches. Moreover, sanitqjry equipment which was not approved in one town was perpectly aeceptable in most other towus.