LATH-AND-PLASTER BUILDING.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19112, 22 September 1927, Page 10

LATH-AND-PLASTER BUILDING.

. — —■ A FAILURE IN WELLINGTON. [THE PRESS Special Service.] WELLINGTON, September 21. Lath-and-plaster building in Wellington had been a failure, declared a witness in a construction case in the Supreme Court to-day. lhe» was Christopher who said that he had had " 0 : t 0 . perience in and about the citj. . "If you could see one house was so built -and which was sound, would .it shake your belief ?' asked Mi A '"l I could," retorted Pinn is curious,' : *aid his Honour .Mr Justice Reed. ."I built a house m Auckland some time ago. It was 01 lath and plaster, and it was on leasehold ,property. That house changed hands a little while backhand it was as sound as the day on which it was built. I know there had been other failures, but I was told that that was due to faults in the construction. Witness: That may be so in Auckland or in Christchurch your Honour, but it is not so in Wellington Here the lime, is not suitable, and_ the mixing is not done well; also, it is dangerous. I have done quite a lot of work for the Public Works Department and I know that they don't like it. You have to put the plaster op an inch or an incli and a quarter thick, and on ceilings it may fall. To say that plaster - of paris _ was suitable'for outside works was ridiculous, added witness later. _ The City Uouncil had paid him £ISOO to renovate the Town Hall. This had been done with cement. Of the original work in plaster of paris pieces weighing half a hundredweight had fallen in the -tower.