HEARTH AND HOME

Press, Volume LXIX, Issue 20906, 13 July 1933, Page 6

HEARTH AND HOME

"Builder" invites contributions from readers on an> ' matters of interest which they n sght like to propose. Corresponden w on various subjects pertaining \ to building will also be accep fefd. NOTES. \ ? Kneeling pads can be ir from worn rubber hot-water bottle * these are filled not too tightly v. and sawdust. They will be found to be both hard-wearing and wa fcerproof. A tablespoonful of salt add to a few tablespoonfuls of vineg; ?■' will clean out the glass bottles with aarrow necks. Let it stand for 30 m fciutes, then shake and rinse-well. An excellent and easy way of i leaning varnished paint or enamel, wh t'-her white or coloured, is to apply a * oak solution of vinegar and water wit b a. wash leather. This removes all st; ns and marks. A convenient and ingenious type of extending bed has recently been d *- signed for use in guest rooms. In ap pearance it is an ordinary single bed t ( but by unfolding the mattress at one side it may >be made into a double bed 1 in a few minutes; The extending portion rests on special supports which keep it level with the other half. Oriental rugs that have become badly creased or have a ridge in the < middle can be successfully renovated : in this 'way:-; Turn the rug face down i on a bare wooden floor and brush the back all-over with a moistened broom. Stretch the rug flat, tack dov/n carefully with rustless tacks, and leave for • 24 hours. If the rug is not creased * but has-only the bulge'in the centre, f the edges only should be dampened. 1 Pure salad oil, left on for several hours, can work miracles in the direc- . tion of removing marks from table- ; tops; The oil soaksi into the fibres of ' the-wood, if uninterrupted in its work, and stains left by liquids and hot plates quickly' depart. Linoleum i.s . another material which responds to an : over-night treatment with linseed oil. ' It is wonderful how amenable to ' polishing it shows itself in the morn- 1 ing. ' When removing to a new house the J question of stair carpet is often a ; vexed one. It is seldom that th r carpet will accommodate itself to the new • flight of stairs. If the carpet is in ; good condition-here is an alternative use for it. Cut three pieces—two long i and one-short the side and foot ] of a bed; mitre the corners, end secure j the ends with binding. The carpet i will then form three sides of a i rectangle, and will be found excellent i for use on linoleum or a polished : floor. i When sweeping, _shut the doors and windows, and when finished open them 1 again, and dust to settle. To dust the walls tie a soft,'clean cloth on an old clean broom; for the furniture use old flannelette which has been 1 dipped in a solution of boiled linseed ; oil and turpentine, and dried in the , open air. These dusters not only lift dust, but' polish at. the; same time. A : rag wrung out in paraffin and dried in the open air makes an excellent floor duster, -while a cloth wrung out in vinegar and dried makes a splendid . duster ■ for glass and china. A mop . dipped in paraffin . and dried before using it keeps linoleum beautifully : fresh and colourful. Use an ordinary ; bicycle pump for getting dust out of ! awkward cornera; deep crevices, or : from behind gas fires- and radiators. AN ORPHANAGE AT MOUNT MAGDALA. I'LANS FOR NEW HOME. Plans are being prepared for the erection'of a new orphanage for girls, to be-built in Lincoln road.-'Halswell, < adjoining the Mount Magdala Home.! An application for a subsidy has been I lodged: with the Unemployment Board, J but, according to the chairman of thel trustees (Mr A. C. Reed) and the offi-1 cer in charge of the Labour Depart- j ment t at- CHristehurch • (Mr' R. T. Bailey), no -word had: been- received • yesterday of the 1 subsidy - being , granted. A considerable sum of money was left in trust by Mrs A. J. White , for the building of • orphanages in Christchiirelvand plans for th 6 building are now in preparation. The orphanage will be conducted by the i Mount Magdala authorities, and the girls in the present Mount Magdala Home will be transferred to it. The--site in' Lincoln* iroad consists of ibout i-l? acres-and was acquired by the trustees some time ago from the Chuuch of .England Property ' Trustees. The plans are <being prepare® by Mr A. H. Manson. Applications for-Subsidy. Applications lodged in Christchurck< for the Unemployment Board's building subsidy now total-175, and. 80 of 1 these have been approved, five de- , clined, and the others are under con- ; sideration. THe 175 applications repre- j sent work to a totaLvalue of £145,707 i 0s 7d, and the wage? --cost, on which ; the subsidy would be payable, is esti- i mated at? £54,781' 5s 2d. ] 1 The electrical wiring for any new 1 building is a matter of paramount im- < portance- and the research for-correct 1 material and processes carried out by i the members of the Cable Makers' As- ■, sociation (British manufacturers of j C.M.A. Wire 9, Cables,. and .Flexibles) j has ensured trouble-free quality at ] reasonable prices. —3 , METHOBIST: ORPHANAGE. : ; 1 I < RECONSIDERATION OF j SUBSIDY. j 1 When, accompanied by Mr W. 1 Bromley, a member of the Unemploy- ; ment. Board,' the -Hdn. Adam - Hamil- j ton, Minister for Employment; passed j through Christchurch on his way • south on July 1, he was asked by a : deputation representing the Papanui ; Methodist to consider the granting of »ia 50 per cent, instead of ' a 33 .1-3 per cent, subsidy on the 1 erection of a neworphanage-and home 1 pt Harewoodff road/ costing about £2o,ooft Tfifc explained that th 6 Uhemployment Board's funds were 1 first and foremost for the relief of dis- : treaspand. too much money could not ; be diverted""-fitim that object. However, he would' give the request 1 further consideration, on his return to Wellington from the south. • Tbe Minister - reached Wellington yesterday,*'and' Mi? George Bowron, 1 treasurer of the orphanage board, 1 stated in response to an enquiry by ; "The Presa" last.,evening* that, the 1 board'hdped -'td receive -a - favourable ' answer very shortly. The work was an urgent one.

BRICKLAYING. DIFFICULTIES OF THE WORK. CONTKOL OF LABOUR COST. I : There i.s a human note about brieki laying in the heart of a technical > paper on ''Control of Direct Labour Cost," read by Mr E. G. Illenden, before the London branch o*. the In--1 stitute of. Cost and \\ ui r;.s Accoun--1 tants, and which is printed in the "Cost Accountant."' Ilienden said. 1 "Statements have been made in tae press as to the number of bricks a bricklayer will lay in one day. One authority stated 450 bricks a day, but omitted to state what kind of. bricks, ; the thickness of the walls, whether [ lime or cerAent mortar was being used, what was the position of the * work, how niciiiy lubouif'is v.crc iii attendance, and whether the wall being built had opening- or not. All these matters must be taken into consideration. "I have known bricklayers who > have laid 1200 bricks a day on one '.section of the work, while on au- : 1 other section they cannot lay 300 a 'day, and yet in both cases they will be working at- fnll pres.-ure. 'ln foundation work or on very \hick walls, bricklayer-: will lay a - v 'try large number of bricks in one f ; ay, especially if the walls are raight, and with no openings, but if if, t same men are employed on thin W£ 4.1s with openings and very likely ste work to contend with, their output is greatly reduced. The; same CT'.ent applies to every trade <■ oitjiect V.l with building. If the work is strai vlvtforward, output is u,ood, but if no, » the output is diminished. . . An Apparent Lapse. Mr 'iiienden later told the following interesting experience of an appare: tt lapse in quantity of bricklaying. Ho said"On ; * contract, the (rouble was with the } bricklayers, who numbered yearly 5' I The greater proportion of the men had been employed by the Arm - for Several years, and were all considered • to be cud and reliable craftsmen. Upon investigation, every inatn appea rv d to be working as he should, the* 'a was no over-crowding, the supplv i it bricks and mortar was all that coul i be desired,-the scaffolding v/as goo d, the work straightforward, and th tie did not seem to beany reason w, Va'ever for loss. "Thus problt Tn was rather difficult to solve, so I ,i<icided to watch carefully the varie men at work. I noticed that tht * men were knocking up the mortar on their spot-boards more often thai r should have been necessary under' ordinary circumstances, and also ihey seemed to be hawing iflifficulty i c placing mortar on the side of each b tick as they laid it. This dicl not seem i-o me to be at all right. Sand "Toe * Good." "the mortar was being mixed in the "basement by a i >ower mixer and then hoisted to wher J the bricklayers were working. I insp a.-ted the mortar being mixed, and four. that the proportion of sand and ct ment was correct, but the sand was l too good for the particular class of work. "It may seera strange' tv say that the sand "was 'too good, * kn view of the clause which is contai ncd in practically all specifications that 'all materials must 1 be the b< st of their respective kinds.' Difiere: qualities of sand are used on contra -is; for instance, one grade would bi * used for lime mortar, another for cei ttent mortar, another for reinforced concrete work, and so on for various sections ol' the contract. "All these qualities are the best of their respective kinds, and . ?ct the rand used in ordinary cement mortar for common brickwork is of a much inferior quality to that used for vhite £Jazed brickwork. A Merchant's Error. "It was discovered that the j Sfc'-'d used in this case was delivered .in error. The Merchant had difficult in obtaining supplies of tbe sand originally selected and so delivered thisi different quality in order that the work should cot be held up. The', sand was too sharp, or in other words, too clean / "For common brickwork the best sand to use i? a soft sand or a sharp liand containing a small proportion of loamy mat* rial, which is not detrimental to mortar used for brick-, •work, but which makes the mortar 'fat,' as the bricklayers call it, and in consequence it is easier to work. 1 made arrangements for the sand to be changed at once, with the result that the bricklayers worked with more Ease and the work from then on •either held its own or showed a i profit.'' CEDAR INTERIOR. A NATLKAL LINING. A departure in the treatment oC room interiors is represented by ,a studio - recently built for a WellingfJon artist-botanist. This room ie lined on walls and ceiling with woe 1, ivnpainted and innocent of stain or oi l' So successful has been this experiment and so keen the admiraticjn roosed, that the designer—a talented and -enthusiastic amateur—believes t'ne method would be equally effective for living" rooms and other house interiors. The,,secret of the success achieved lies- in the quality of the workmanship and", the timber. The material in the stuctto is cedar, tongued' ;md grooved An widths of about two and a-quarter inches. Each plank is finished with plain right angles, no bevelling fcveing included. The timber had to be thoroughly dry and shrunk, and the joi.uery, of necessity, was of a. high ordeis. By judicious selection it was possibles to produce a pleasing effect with the aid of the natural graining .in the cedar. Over the entire interior surface dark grained planks were alternated with those of light grain, the colour ranging from pale biscuit to light brown. Each plank was nailed to the studs "invnsibly." It has been found that the avoidance of oiling and staining leaves the walls susceptible to soiling and marloing. On the other hand the ordinary marking 1 and soiling of use and age blend w&h the natural finish of the surface, remove the "rawness" of the finish, and lend maturity, as does the weather-weaiung and staining of a bronze statue. The scent of the cedar pervades the roOiji pleasantly, and will continue to do so for a long time to come. It is suggested by the designerbuilder that suitable rooms in the modern home could be similarly treated, in a variety of timbers, arid, therefore, of colours. Natural wood finishes of, brown, cream, milk-white, and even pink would be possible. Corks that are too large for the neck ■ of a bottle can be reduced in size if' they are-dipped'in olive or salad oil and -pressed in the hinge of a door. Corks requiring. to be wired-must ex-tend-a quarter of an inch beyond the neck of the bottle to allow the wire to be embedded in the cork. *