FINE CITY WILL RISE

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 42, 19 February 1931, Page 12

FINE CITY WILL RISE

AN AECHITECT'S VIEWS

GOOD BUILDINGS STOOD

(By Telegraph.) (Special to "Tho Evening Post.") NEW PLYMOUTH, This Day. A very fine city will bo erected in tho course of time on the site of Hastings at any rate, in'tho opinion of Mr. W. N. Stcphenson,,a local architect who visited the earthquake) districts, inspecting examples of building methods and materials. "Speaking generally, tho buildiugs that were properly constructed of good material on sound building principles have withstood the shock," said Mr. Stephenson. While no building was earthquake proof, those built of approved and best known methods, even brick, would stand agEiinst a shock of the severity of the recent one. TIRE DID MOST DAMAGE. Fire had been the big factor in the destruction of buildings which otherwise, would have been intact or little damaged. A striking instance of that was the Union Bank, which had been gutted by fire to the level of tho first floor coiling of the banking chamber, yet the chamber itself, with all the windows unbroken, was in good condition. There was striking evidence in all directions of inferior classes of buildings partly or wholly collapsing. In Havelock, where there was a large range of huildings, a fine new block just built in brick had. suffered only very slight superficial damage. On' the other hand, some of the older buildings of a rather inferior class of brickwork would probably have to bo broken down. Even in the worst affected areas of Napier he saw concrete business premises which had withstood the earthquake. INFERIOR WORK. Speaking of brick buildiugs in particular, Mr.'Stophenson said that many, people had drawn conclusions from the immense amount of ruined brickwork lying about, but it mostly took the oye of an architect .as showing inferior work. In. tho district whero the Tomoana freezing works stood, near Hastings, considerable damage had been done, but the works building, which had been up for two years and was of brick construction with an iron roof and stanchions, was almost undamaged. In parts of the residential area one would hardly know that there had been a shako but for the fact that the chimneys had broken off.