NEW BUILDING MATERIALS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLII, Issue 216, 11 September 1911, Page 7

NEW BUILDING MATERIALS.

elimination of wood.

ARCHITECTS' OPINIONS,

In each suocssive year more buildings arc erected in brick or stone than in wood, and in big buildings the desire oi the owner is 'to use as little wood as possible. Studs ami 'beams are not run through walls from one room to another, and otherwise timber is excluded whore it would be likely to spread fire. The advent of the brick has naturally been a deterrent 'to the timber trade, 'but this has to some extent been counteracted, owing -to the rapid growth of the suburbs, and ° the wooden bouse consequently erected. THE TIMBER TRADE.

Speaking to a reporter in connection with the timber supply, Mr. Milroy, secretary of the Kauri Timber Co., Ltd., said 'that the quality of the timber produced was as good as had been obtained for some years. When kauri was first requisitioned ais a 'building timber there /wan a very plentiful supply, and the wood ■could be bought -standing for 6d per 100 ft so that it was possible to pass over any that was not of a first-class quality. limber could then 'be purchased fringing an arm of the sea or liver banks, and all that was necessary -to do was to slide the logs into the water and flout them down to the factory. The few .forests now loft, however, were on inaccessible, mountains and unworkable country. These could not be ixnight standing under 2/ per 100 ft, and prices asked for and paid werfc frequently as high as 4/6 per 100 feet. To get timber out it had to 'be brought over rugged creeks and down rougK hillsides. The 'bush paths -were so narrow, and the trolley lines, where there \vero .trolleys,-so circuitous that it was practically impossible to get big lengths. By the time the timber reached the factory it was often 'bruised and cracked. Nevertheless the supply was up to the demand, and some 40,000,000 -feet were turned cut by the ccffiipany during the year. If anything he "iras of the opinion that the demand for timber was a little on the decline, this 'being accounted for by the increased use of brick and other materials such as ferro-eoncrete. The loom of two years ago had shown little decline, but there was certainly no increase. There was also a steady demand for other, native timbers such as irata, rimu, and totara, and an increasingly largo amount of Oregan pine -was being imported from Canada. BRICKS. Mr. Ed. Mahoney, architect, speaking on the subject, said that architects generally'were experiencing great trouble in procuring gcod bricks. A number of firms produced fairly good samples, but their output was sometimes not up to the sample, and to get a really iirst-class ibrick it was necessary to go to Sydnej or Melbourne, while good "bricks for ordinary purposes could be obtained from (Wellington. The generally poor quality of the bricks was, he thought, due to too much sulphate being left in the brick,, owing to the clay not being properly washed. Mr. W. A. Holman, architect, asked for his opinion on the matter, cnid that he thought, that the Auckland brick was of so poor a quality ibeeause tfho clay was not given time to weather. There would be a big market for a d'rypresscd brick such as was obtained from Arch Hill many years ago, and from which the Victoria Arcade is 'built. For some time past the supply of bricks was very short, but there was little difficulty in getting them at present. BUILDING- MATERIALS.

Mr. W. E. Hutchison, contractor, speaking on building materials generally said that some years ago kauri was that it was a diminishing quantity, other timber had been procured, and Oregon pine had 'been imported, and 'found a very fair substitute for most work. In connection with bricks it was true that they were not of a very good quality, but that was the fault of the material rather tha nof 'the maker. Each year tlio brick produced was a little better, and manufacturers were making o- close study of different processes, with the object of in /time getting just the right proportions for a first-class 'brick. The object of owners of buildings was to use as little wood as possible. He knew of severed buildings which had been designed' with timber lloors, but before the erection had Ixicn commenced, it was decided to put in concrete floors. Even partitions were erected without wood, slabs of concrete being used in some cases, but a lighter and more popular material was the pumice block. Owners were beginning to realise the value of a steel frame construction. When a tall building had. to foe put up on valuable land it meant that if it was built in brick for six or seven storoys, the thickness of the waills at the bottom was three or four feet, and about 500,000 bricks would 'be used. The land on whidh the block was erected might Ibe worth about £SOO a foot, so t'hat if four feet were taken up by a wall it meant that a i?pace worth £2OOO was used. On the other (hand, if a steel frame were used, the greater part or this space could, 'be saved. Last year Several thousand tons of steel were used, *i'.d there was net doubt that more would *>e used every year.