STATE HOUSES.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 218, 14 August 1937, Page 11

STATE HOUSES.

CONFORMITY WITH BY-LAWS. MINISTER DENIES BREACHES. Per Press Association. AUCKLAND, Aug. 13. Statements made by the Lower Hutt Master Builders’ Association to the effect that breaches of the local by-laws are involved in the construction of Government houses in the Hutt Valley were the subject of a reply by Mr J. A. Lee, Parliamentary Under-Secretarv in Charge of Housing. Mr Lee stated that no breaches were being committed, and pointed out, in addition, that there was a bewildering lack of uniformity in the building by-laws of local bodies. “First of all I want to make it clear that the State is not bound by the bylaws of local authorities,” Mr Lee said. “Consequently it cannot be guilty of a breach of those by-laws. On the other hand, the Housing Construction Department is adopting methods and materials which in most cases are definitely superior to all by-law requirements. “Unfortunately, there are-probably upward of 100 sets of building by-laws in New Zealand, all of them different. The department will be building houses in probably 100 towns, but it lias no intention of preparing 100 different specifications to agree with the bylaw requirements. Neither is it prepared to attempt a 'blanket’ specification which would cover the requirements of all boroughs. Such a document would contain many contradictions, and its provisions would be wasteful in the extreme.” “It is a fact,” Mr Lee continued, “that important features of construction which are perfectly satisfoctory to such an authoritative body as the Auckland City Council are not recognised by the Lower Hutt Borough Council and the Johnsonville Town Board. The statement that the department is building brick houses at Lower Hutt is misleading without further information. The houses are not being built of brick in the ordinary sense ot the term, but of brick veneer, a totally different form of construction which has appreciably greater earthquake-re-sisting qualities than are possessed by ordinary brick. Brick veneer construction is well known abroad, and is in common use in some parts of the Dominion. In others it is unknown, and local body by-laws do not always make provision for it. . ... “With regard to tlie drainage, which has also been the subject of criticism, I can say that all installations under the depa'i'tmeift’s *1160166 will comply with the best modern engineering practice and will meet satisfactorily all the requirements of the Health Department.” , _ . Mr Lee added that ho believed the department would be conferring a great benefit on tlie country if, as a result of its operations, public attention was focussed on the extraordinary variation in the requirements of local authorities wit'll regard to buildings and on the urgent necessity for a greater standardisation. In fact, the department had already been approached on several occasions in an endeavour to improve the existing state of affairs.