GRADED WOODEN HOUSES

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 303, 22 December 1926, Page 21

GRADED WOODEN HOUSES

(To the Editor.) 1 Sir,—Does it not seem strange that the Auckland City building inspector, of all people, should think that the gradumof houses by permit from local bodies would only open the way for bribery! and corruption? He says that a house built of very inferior timber could be painted and passed as first class; but surely he must have a better understanding of the subject than his remarks would imply? What would actually happen would be that the local body would issue a permit for a house to be built of certain specified quality timbers, and, as the house was being erected, the local building inspector would visit the job and see that the timber being used was in accordance with the permit. This plan would enable the purchaser of any house to ascertain just exactly what he paid for and he would know not only what his weatherboards and other exposed timbers were, but what his studs, rafters, floor joists, etc., were like. If we leave out the bribery and corruption and say this method would mean increased work for the building inspectors, perhaps we shall be nearer the truth. 1 am quite willing to admit that probably building inspectors are worked as haril as the rest of us, but seeing what a useful work they perform, it would surely be wiser to increase their number rather than to keep down the amount of their work. —I am, etc., HYMUS BRIDGE.