The Daily News. SATURDAY, JUNE 26, 1920. A SUBSTITUTE FOR CONCRETE.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 June 1920, Page 4

The Daily News. SATURDAY, JUNE 26, 1920. A SUBSTITUTE FOR CONCRETE.

The scarcity of building materials, and the urgent necessity for providing more houses, has led to a suggestion to revive the ancient "pise de terre" (stamped earth) system of constructing walls. The pioneer, in this movement is the editor of the London Spectator (Mr. J. St. L. Strachey), who has given practical proof of his faith in pise walls by building a sixroomed hpuse, the walls of which were constructed by two men in a month, at a cost of £2O, their remuneration being at the rate of a shilling'per hour each. As the material was dug from the earth on the spot it involved no expense beyond that for labor. It is stated that the outer walls had a thickness of eighteen inches, coated on the exterior surface with lime, cement, or tar followed by whitewash, while the inner walls were either fourteen or twelve inches. The process of construction is much the same as is usual in concrete buildings, the great es sential being the stamping of the earth as hard as possible. Obviously the secret of success must be suitable earth. Neither day nor sand will serve the purpose, but it is said that any earth which is

neither all clay nor all sand will give good results,- the object being to secure that the walls will dry as hard as sandstone, so that the inner walls may be either colorwashed or plastered. The chimneys have to be built of brick or concrete. It would seem that this pise method has stood the test for .some four thousand years in ]Vlexico, but.the climate of Mexico is favorable to hardening sunbaked walls, so that it by no means follows that earth walls would he equally suitable for the light soil and moisture of Taranaki, apart from the effect of seismic disturbances. The system has been brought to the attention of the Public Works Department by Mr C. K. Wilson, of TeKuiti,anexM.P., who advocates experiment.'-, being made in New Zealand. The few tests that have- been carried out in the Dominion have givci indications of pise attaining a practical degree of hardness, but as it possesses only a small tensile strength the need for extra thickness in the walls is obvious. The housing problem is so acute, and the cost of building material so high, that there should be every inducement for the Government to have a few experiments made in suitable localities in order to test the possibilities of this simple method. The cost would be comparatively small, and if success was achieved it would mean a great deal in connection with the housing problem. If Mr Strachey's success in England is any criterion there is no reason why pise walls should not be equally successful, at least in some parts of the Dominion. Eeverting to primitive methods may not seem like progress, but the conditions as to modern ways of building are so acute that the public would welcome almost any substitute that promised durability. All sorts of have to be resorted to in order to overcome in some measure the present housing shortage, and even though the rammed earth system may be viewed askance, it is certainly worth a trial, if only on the principle that no possible means of solving the housing problem should be left untried. Meanwhile it is open to the public generally to make .experiments on their own behalf, riot necessarily in house building, but on a small scale in the shape of sheds and outbuildings of modei'-" ate dimensions. Given the right kind of earth and favorable weather conditions during construction, success might be achieved at a very moderate cost, and farmers especially would then largely benefit. The boxing for the earth could easily be fixed so that ir, could be raised, as in the case of concrete, as each layer of earth was rammed, but the foundations must be of concrete or brick. The very simplicity of the process should tempt the enterprising to test the pise system.

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The curtailment or suspension of the "New Zealand Journal of Science" has been suggested in consequence of the paper shortage. The Wellington subeditors of the journal have protested on the ground that the publication of scientific papers is of great importance to the Dominion, end that the amount of papar used is small. Some important paper.?, including, several dealing with electrical power, are at present awaiting publication.

The Wairarapa Daily Times, commenting on the verdict given against the NeW Zealand Times Company in the libel action brought by von Zertlitz, urges that the circumstances justify the opening of a subscription list to pay the r. nount of the damages awarded against the New Zealand Times and their legal expenses. It further urges that the case is one in which the Returned Soldiers' Association should .take action, and adds; ''We are of opinion, as British subjects, that a patriotic effort should bo. made to see that the New Zealand Times loses nothing. We are prepare! to subscribe to .this cause." f

Criticism"of the existing high price; for land, and of the holding of, too muci land in blocks by large owners, was made by Mr. E. F. Bollard, M.P., at the Te Awamutu light railroads dinner at the end of last week. Mr. Bollard said that 50 per cent, of the Waikato had yet, to be farmed. There were too many large neglected blocks. It was a , fallacy to think that the large areas were the only ones that produced good livings"There 1 is a farmer near my place," said Mr. Bollard, "who has twenty-six'acres in grass. Ten acres of this are in lucarno. Last year that man took £7OO from his place, and most of it was profit." Two notable sales of city property are reported in' Auckland (says a Press telegram). The Brunswick Buildings, with a frontage of 42 feet to Queen Street, and a frontage to High Street, have changed hands for £SO,OOO. The Palmorston Buildings, with 100 feet frontage to both Queen and Little Queen Streeis, and which are erected on a harbor board lease with SO years to run, have also been sold, the price paid being £32.500. Mr. Ij. Mcllvride, Labor candidate for Wanganui at the last election, will give a public address in the Workers' Social Hall to-morrow evening at, S o'clock. A collection will be taken up at the door. Under the auspices of the R.S.A., a public meeting .is to be held at 8 p.m. m Wednesday next, at the Soldiers' Club, relative to the .suspension of advances under Section 2 of the Discharged Soldiers' Settlement Act. Returned soldiers are specially urged to be present as the matter is one of great importance to them. „

Owing to the Rev. C. Addenbrooke having been called away there will he no service to-morrow at Oakura, Tat.vraimaka and Okato.—Advt