CONCRETE DWELLINGS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9152, 27 July 1908, Page 4

CONCRETE DWELLINGS.

One result of the agitation that is now being experienced in tho direction of conserving our timber supply, not only in New Zealand, but elsewhere in the world, is to cause reflections as to the best means of attaining the desired end. Natuiaily, the chief solutkn lies in finding a substitute for timber for the main uses to which it is put, and so far as New Zealand is concerned the erection of dwelling-houses is undoubtedly the chief source of revenue to sawmills.- Business pi'emises have now, in most towns, only a proportion—frequently a very small proportion—of timber in their construction, and it but remains for the development of a new order of private dwellings of a different nature to the orthodox New Zealand wood snd iron structure, to save from complete annihilation forests, valuable not only for their timber resources, butt for climatic and aesthetic purposes as vyell. In these utilitarian times the latter two considerations do not weigh greatly on the public mind, but that is because they are not appreciated to the full extent of their'importance. Concrete promises to be/ in the near future, the material to fill the gap at present existing, and its more general use in building is now only a matter of pounds, shillings and pence, as Experiments have proved exclusively that it provides a warm and durable building. Already concrete piles have superseded wooden ones—our new Technical School stands on concrete piles—and in wharf building in Auckland they have proved a pronounced success as piles. Should concrete find general favour it will mean that the cement-bearing country lying to the north-west of Masterton, through the Mauriceville district, will be devebped almost as a matter of course. Therefore, we have in our limestone back-country an asset oi ' perhaps enormous possibilities.