NOTES.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20272, 25 June 1931, Page 4

NOTES.

The value of the new buildings, alterations, and additions for which plans were approved last month by the City Architect's Department of the Brisbane City Council was £31,515, as compared with £89,659 for the corresponding month last year. It has often been said that the u»e of aluminium cooking vessels is injurious to health. Health officials m Germany have been conducting an exhaustive enquiry into iliis subject, and have carried out experiments on animals extending over many months, and also on human beings, in no case was any serious disturbance or liealtn noted. Tho experiments only confirm investigations which wore made as tar back as 1893. To avoid, smudging the wall .when painting tho top and bottom edges o picture rails make a protecting sh.elct from an old saucepan hd or kerosene tin lid. Cut away tho lid on eacn side of the handle to form two siues with straight edges., When painting the edge of the picture rail apply the shield to the wall just be ow the rail. Wipe the edge of the shield irom tune to time as tho work proceeds, ims paint shield will bo found useful toi other painting jobs (writes a coi respondent in an Australian exchange). "I think it is high time that all these old wooden hotels were abolished and new ones put up in their place, said Mr F. Meadowcroft, at a recent meeting of the Wellington lure Board "I am sure if that were done it would strengthen the hands of the Licensing Bench, when applications for renewals came before them. If „ S P£ C amination were made of all these wooden hotels we would get at least some idea as to how they are provided with fire escapes," said Mr 1.. It was decided that the superintendent should report to the Board on hole firo escapes, and tho condition oi buildings generally. A correspondent in a northern p-ipe l writes as follows:—"I should ''k® bring under the notice of your readers the fact that the use of in roof paints is exceedingly ous to the workmen who, at a later date, may have to repair or paint tla.se roofs. For a number of years past have recommended that these paints bo not used, and I have never tound a y building owner who insisted on the use after the danger was pointed out to them. Building owners should insti uct their architects not to specify sucn paint. There is no need tor me to stress the danger, as representations ai-3 at present bein 2 made to Bible authorities to try to prohibit tho use of these paints. It is so easy, however, for representations to unmade, but a long time may elapse before any real good is done, so that readers would assist itT the direction indicated by instructing architects *™! builders to see that a £aint was use whicji is not dangerous. MODEL HOUSES. SCHEME IN MANCHESTER. Because it feels that the city s newest housing areas are far uglier than they need bo, the Manchester Society of Architects has ottered to design at Wvthenshawe, the city's latest and as undeveloped residential district, a iuodel Bection of 200 houses without fee in order to show the corporation how the work should be done. Meanwhile the growth of public interest in the city's housing plans is shown by arrangements for three lectures at Victoria University on the art of buildiiig. Four societies have combined to give them, and experts will lecture on treatment of tho smaller houses, modern apartments as a solution to the housing problem, and leoaiT of ancient buildings . How greatly housing conditions m the congested areas need to be improved is shown by a survey just concluded by the Birch Fellowship, a group of social and philanthropic helpers and investigators.. Among the services rendered by the followslnp in the parish where it works rs the brightening up of dull homes by distributing flowers in summei and potted plants in winter, reading to the blind, and the rendering of aid to invalids and war veterans. ' For the housing survey made by the group, details were collected on 3oU of the 700 houses in the area, m which there are many workshops and factories. All the houses are more tl;an 100 years old. Only 122 were not over-crowded, but nine had baths, and 69 had no wash-boilers. One occupied by a man, his wife and seven children, had a back bedroom which had been without a window for years Another had .no bedroom doors, while downstairs the light came through the brickwork of the wall. - - For the open-air recreation ot tno children in the area—there are about 900 under 10 years of age—there arc only five small nieces of muddy ground with a total are'a of 1400 square yards. On tlie other hand the streets ot the city show a much greater sense of •anTorlinesff and cleanliness since the anti-junk campaign in the spring. Since it was made, the placed throughout the city for litter have been more than doubled, and hare been much more used. - " Progress iti dealing with the smoke problem is also recorded by the Manchester and District Regional Smoke Abatement Committee, which was formed six years ago. log incidence in the city area has been reduced about 28 per cent, in 40 years, due to substitution of gas and electricity for raw coal in industry anu to smoke abatement methods.