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Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20224, 30 April 1931, Page 4

(By "Builder.") "Builder" invites contributions from readers on any matters of intorest which they might like to propose. Correspondence on various subjects pertaining to building will also be accepted. NOTES. Occupants of tho old Tram Shelter, now approaching the final stages of demolition, had to move out yesterday, when the wreckers commenced tho removal of the roof. Meanwhile tho new structure alongside is rapidly assuming shape. Dunedin builders are awaiting the Government's decision to proceed with tho new Post Office, which was to have been started at the end of last year. The Public Works Department has completed the very solid concrete foundations, the estimated cost of which is £26,000. The value of building construction authorised this month by the City Council has been considerably increased in tho past week by the issue of a permit to Messrs J. Hammett and Sons for alterations and additions to the buildings in Tuam street acquired some months ago by Colonial Motors. The existing brick building will be converted into offices, with a ramp running to the top floor, where there will be parking space for ears. Ari open shod to nouse a car-wash will also bo erected. The expenditure will run into several thousands of pounds. Red lead has been known and used for generations as a priming paint for tho prevention of rusting of iron and steel structures. It suffers, however, from tho disadvantage that, after mixing it stiffens rapidly, and if left for any considerable lengtli of time becomes so thick as to be unusable. At a meeting of the German Chemical Society recently the replacement of »-ed by "grov lead minimum Arcanol" and some other pigments was advocated. Arcanol is a lead pigment in which the lead is partly in the metallic state and partly in the form of oxides (as in red The other pigments to which reference has been made are known as I'ropisco," and these are oil-free protective paints, which whon applied are completely resistant to water and water vapour, and are also impenetrable to water. Orange and black exquisite butterflies flitting over a silver background above tho bathtub! Flowers—poppies in reds and flamo colour nodding lazily I Seagulls winging freely around the walls, dipping now and again into tiie ocean waves, edging the tile wainsThese nre some of the artistic possibilities when bathroom walls keep pace with the green, orchid, and ivory of the new fixtures. By means 'if artists' paints applied to the walls, or by means of pictorial and decorative wall paper waterproofed for the purpose, this small room has apparently become one place where splashes of bold colours and daring designs on walls are used without restraint. Tho Trocadero Cinema, erected recently on a site close to tho Elephant and Castle, London, is the largest cinema in Kuropo, and is a magnificent example of modern construction. Six thousand people can gather under its roof, and as there is not a single pillar inside the theatre, free and uninterrupted vision is assured for all. Tho scheme of decoration is particularly fine, but much of the effect would be lost if it were not for the lighting, in which the arts of the architect and decorative artist, as well as the science of the illuminating engineer, have been combined. The total value of building permits issued in the city of Dunedin for the past year show that tho trade has declined to the extent of £223,470, as compared with the previous twelve months. The total for the period just ended is £343,951, while in the year ended March 31st, 1930, the total reached £567,421. Last month was a very poor one for the trade, and the worst one for several years, as the value of the permits granted was only £11,072. This included five new dwellings, an alteration job of £SOO in cost, and the new brick church for the Congregational denomination. A total of 28 permits was issued. The question of suitable wall coverings for hospitals and similar buildwhere cleanliness and hygienic conditions are of paramount importance, is one which is intimately bound up with financial considerations. Wh'lo marble or porcelain tiles have many obvious advantages, their first cost is in the majority of eases prohibitive. The advent of asbestos-cement products during comparatively recent years, however, has entirely altered the situation, and nowadays there are several products of this nature which, whilst possessing all the advantages ot marble, may be obtained at a fraction of its cost, and, further, are extremely easy and economical to instal. More recently an entirely new product has been evolved from the stippleglasse process; it is, in fact, similar, except that there is no stippling and the surface can be produced in plain whit© or cream. A really valuable work for the decorating trade in Auckland is being done by the Modernising of Buildings Promotion Society for the Relief of Unemployment (says the "New Zealand Decorator"). Each week large advertisements appear in the daily newspapers, and although most people seem to have their pockets tightly buttoned—unnecessarily so in soma cases —still, the hammering away at a good idea must bear fruit. People with unsightly buildings or rooms, it they have the means, must eventually succumb to this practical propaganda. In any case thev have a feeling of security, often receiving expert advice that they don't always haveparticularly when they employ just a brush banc!. Reputable firms are supporting the movement in Auckland, and the presiding official is a fully qualified architect. Things are so bad at the moment, that anything that begets confidence and creates a desire among those with money to spend, is worthy of approbation.