SCAMPED BUILDING.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 37, 13 February 1931, Page 61

SCAMPED BUILDING.

Questions of private morality as well as public policy are raised by the evidence of scamped building collected from the ruins of Napier. A Wellington architect who visited the town was "struck by the vast number of clean„bricks, many thousands of them, showing just a' touch of mortar here and there, but certainly not part of a well-constructed brick building." Similar observations were made by laymen on the spot. Yesterday the Mayor of Wellington spoke very strongly on the point to architects in conference. He was certain that a ■great many buildings that fell down had not been properly constructed, and he stressed the responsibility of architects for not only designing buildings, but for seeing that specifications were carried out. Of course, architects have such responsibility, but it is impossible for an architect to remain always on a job. Whatever precautions are taken to secure careful supervision, the architect and his client run a certain risk of being deceived by unscrupulous or lazy contractors or workmen. This is where private morality comes in. An honest contractor will not save money at the expense of stability, just as an honest painter will not thin down his paint below the point of efficiency. The most stringent regulations, the most careful control, will not eliminate these risks entirely. Let us have such regulations by all means, and let us acknowledge the responsibility of architects as well as the value of their services, but do not let us forget the human element on which the whole fabric of policy rests.