FORMING AERIAL CITIES.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18399, 4 June 1925, Page 5

FORMING AERIAL CITIES.

PROGRESS IN AUSTRALIA. With tli© flight of timo tho Austria lirvn terrain will bo littered with towns (predicts a Melbourne pap® r )* As coach roads and railways in their day gave birth to urban centres, aerial transport in tho near future 1 ' sprinkle the map with aerial depot cities.

This is not a vague speculation. An aerial city is at this moment being constructed at Laverton, on the Geelong line, about fourteen miles out of bourne. Another has been planned tor the Air Force depot at Richmond, South Wales, and tho other States are due to receivo similar attention. The "aerial city" has its peculiarities. but nothing very original has yet evolved in the planning. ISvcryone is familiar with the golfing suburb—a i 'J 1 /? of villas around the links. The Ai Force settlement at Laverton borders on a wide expanse of level land, known as the aerodrome, where the machines have ample room to alight an " off on carefully smoothed ground. Tho buildings comprise hangars, workshops, stores, barracks for tho personnel of tho force, and houses or <-liferent grades for officers and petty officers. In the most commanding position is tho home of the commandant, larger than the others, Mid a little apart. Its windows a'nd verandahs afford views of the whole layout. Ino front is averted from the aerodrome to give some privacy, and 011 one side is an entrance from the 'drome it strictly official business purposes. The homes of commissioned and noncommissioned officers take rank in due order after the commandant's, and the barracks for single men and mess rooms I finish the picture in a solid block of [ buildings, with tennis courts and other | amenities attached. Estimated Cost. The estimated cost of the whole proposition is £300.000. The works, under the. general direction of Squadron Leader Mcßain, are already/in Progress. Tenders are now being called for the houses, alternating in wood and brick. In regard to timber, the feeling is that this cannot be preferred, because experience shows that l>nt-h timber and paint rapidly deteriorate in this situation, possibly on account of the strongly salted sea air. _ Concrete is riot regarded as desirable, because the number of the houses 16 for the rank and file and 11 for officers —is not large enough to make economy in the way of mass production. In the plans there will be minor alterations to make for easier working in the house. A special point is the amount of built-in furniture. As the Flyinq; Corps men are liable to be moved from place to place, ib i<? wise to give them as little trouble as possible in the transport of household effects. Cupboards, sideboards fttfa dressers are built with the house, and remain in it- for the use of every occupant. .The outlook at Laverton from a property point of view is most reassuring, as it will be the greatest aeroplane depot in Australia, and will carry an everincreasing staff. In addition to the permanent forces, provision, is also made for housing 200 civil force reserve?, -who may be called to the colours in an emergency. The other depots in other States will be on n simijar scale. As defence is the onlv motive the relative ci ; vil ven.lth of any district is not reckonedin providing adequate flying depots, ■wherever required.

COSTLY FITTINGS. AN EXPENSIVE ITEM. In the opinion of a prominent Auckland builder, much of the heavy expense incurred in house building nowadays is due to the desire on the part of the people for the most elaborate fittings. In the course of conversation with a representative of the Atpkland /'Star," the builder remarked that the tendency nowadays was to have everything "just so," and no matter what the cost was, so long as something could be done to save labour, and make the place look pretty, it. had to be dqne. Admitted the cost of materials had gone up considerably, and wages were possibly 100 per cent, more than, say, 20 years ago, but even so, even with this extra cost to be met, a real good house could still be erected at a reasonable price. To get a four-roome.d house built now, that is, an up-to-date liouse on the latest and fashionable designs, would cost somewhere about £BOO, and for solidarity, that same house; would riot be any better than those built 25 years ago for a, couple of hundred pounds. The timber, the bricks, the workmanship, would not be any better, perhaps the timber would not be so good, but the latest designs would be attractiveness itself, and have the most elaborate fittings, all of which cost money, but were mostly for effect and not for use.

The principal factor in making the cost of building to-day so high was the craze for elaborate fittings, and houses could still be erected at a price to suit workers, if they were designed on similar lines to the ordinary solid cottage of 20 years ago. The above opinion was not shared by another gentleman interviewed. He considered that the prices for material were altogether too high, and no matter to what design a house was built, the cost would run into, at the very lowest. £l5O a room. On top of this, there was fencing and drainage to be done, and so far from being able to get a house built cheaply, it was hard to get one done reasonably. In addition to the enormous increase in the price of material, labour was fully 100 Deicent. dearer than 20 years a 20. Then carpenters, nlasterers, and bricklayers considered themselves well placed they received 10s a day, but now they were receiving about 1 2s 6d an hour.

LINOLEUM REPAIRS. It is not difficult to repair worn parts of linoleum provided the necessary extra piece is forthcoming. The portion it is desired to replace should be cut out to a straight edge over tiie new material on a wooden floor or board. If there is a pattern it should be adjusted to correspond, and the knife used again. It is best to run some hot, thin glue round the edges, and a little' underneath before fixing the new linoleum into the empty space. "When laying linoleum on a stone floor it is wise first to paint it on the underside with ordiuary house paint, and allow it to become pyfectly dry, whilst others find a layer of sawdust an excellent foundation. GIN AS A "WINTER DRINK. Here's no drink so warming as good gin, and no gin so good as J.D.K.Z. This famons old pot-still malt gin is prescribed by doctors for many disorders. You should drink it for your health's sake. Ask for J.D.K.Z. at any hotel or bottle store. —2