BUILDING MATERIAL

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 66, 19 March 1931, Page 4

BUILDING MATERIAL

COMPAEATIVE FIGURES

DOMINANCE OF WOOD

In vk'W of (lie (.•ontrovej-.sy on Llie merits of building materials as regards their resistance to earthquake forces, it is interesting to turn to figures showing the construction material used in the Dominion's dwellings. Tho latest figures available on this head are those derived from tho 1926 census. These, of course, are not quite up-to-date, but for a basis of comparison they serve their purpose. These census returns refer to dwellings as meaning "buildings, erections, ' or tenements, whether permanent or temporary, which are wholly or partly used for the purpose of human habitation." The distinction of "private" dwelling is made on the basis of nature of occupation. tVhere more than three boarders were present, the dwelling was not classified As a private one. In 1926, 97.73 per tent, of all inhabited ..dwellings, were classified as "private," including 12,----815 flats or apartments. The 1926 figures showed that nine but of every ten dwellings in New Zealand were of wooden construction, but that the use of concrete and brick was ■rapidly extending." In the five years, 1921-26, brick houses .''. increased',, by 3405 (equal to. 40 per cent.); concrete houses by 2696 (equal to 95 per cent.; and wooden houses by 30,462; (equal to | 13 per cent). .The use of iron diminished. . The following table shows the number of dwellings of the materials named in 1926, 1916, and 1921:—

■ The figures under '1926 a include "temporary '..dweliiiig.s,.. and;., those '.". ''u'ntfer 1926b exclude; them.■, .■■■ ;> .-.- ■ .•,.. ; ■;■.' '■■•■• Stono dwellings' are •.infrequent .-'except iv Otagp, and-in-"a lessor d'egreg- in Canterbury. . Most are Vic-Sated in. country districts.^' Concrete-has beea used'more in "Auckland- and Wellington- than' in other districts, while. Otago arid .Canterbury contain more than half of the brick houses in. New Zealand.* Asbestos has found most use in Auckland and Wellington. Stone, brick, or-concrete dwellings1 are relatively more numerous tvith dwellings' of one to three rooms and more markodly numerous when iho size exceeds six rooms. Where iron or asbestos -is used for the exterior -walls the dwelling is usually rather smaller than the average—-i.e., contains fewer rooms. The five-roomed, house is the commonest iv New Zealand. The building materials in use vary a good deal witlrtho locality. Thus eighteen houses out of every hundred, in Dunedin are brick, while in Auckland or Wellington the proportion of brick houses is under four per hundred." Consideration of earthquake risks probably explains this fact, in part'at least. .'. IN HAWKES BAY. ■ Taking the figures' for the' part of Hawkes Bay most affected by the recent earthquake, the census returns give the following as regards construction materials of inhabited dwellings:-—' ■

All these figures, if brought up to date, would naturally show a considerable increase, the biggest proportional increase being in brick and concrete dwellings.- • '

]91fi. 1921. 1920n. 1020b. Stone 1,284 J.2S0 1,192 1,150 Hricfc . •. r,o." s.jsc n.oot n.iiia Concrete 1,083 2.S27 5,523' !i,'165 Wood 219.511 23S,S:"»3 2GS.S1!) 259,187 Iron ....... ;i,-199 . M,5(i2 3,909 , 2,090 Canvas .... 2 301 2 \'iH ° n**2 OtlVcrninteri:ils 2,0.11. 2,n47 i',!\ia 4,725 N'ot specified ■...■• 5SS .910 ',. 766--7 OSS .Total ..■'...... 23S,06(i: 260,229,299,307-. 286,400

o o ■ ■■ S —< ■ .3 £ :' •'■ ■ . iS , '.'5>-. ' ' S'. . ' '. M. ._ • O:S R-airoa .'..'. '.'IS7 ' 0 li"' ;. a-. .'.••28 Napier .... 3030 M ■ - 60-- • -If-' -iOS (Tastings ... 2143 1 43 3S 110 TaradiUo ..•. a-i.". ■ . fl . . 4. ■ . 2 9 Havelqck N. 170 >: 0 1" 11. il Walpawa ... 2!i» ■ 0 . 2 L 2 Walpukurau. ' 317 0 7 S ■ 12