JERRY BUILDING.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 16, 14 October 1907, Page 11

JERRY BUILDING.

!. ■:' T^BE;CHECKED;IN;! WELLINGTON..' ~ : ■ATTITUDE.:':- ;'. ■:■ .'-4^few,,days.;ago ,'aii article..wasipublishe ; '. 'in TfiEißoMimoN^d^aling'withHhe^nbw'cit i ;■;; VBuildin^B^lawi'^hH'is^'^t^itt^erM , f ? - check^bn r fjorryf;buil&ing Vin^^Vellingtbn. ; ;', I: '■ ■ : thatj article* an excerpt- from 'the. by-law wa ■:.-•: .;V 'the Cit; : -.\ •;;.i'En^^ - ,H^^'Aiorionj : ; ; had • gpri , ;■;■ ■. into'JtKe^niatter^and- proving. :, hpw niuch^h< : has''the'■iniprbvement"ofrsucb.*'matters a , ; ; : . '';:;.\'.i;';,.-,''.''■.■.-..4'^.V* ■• ■• '//.;. Hous6.-'Vy .'V' Jtisfcontended that a great" deal, if not al! .; i , the '■; jerry-building I in.. Wellington is' 1 attri v . butable* t<) there being rip' law -to.^compel. i ■ ■ perspnjbuildjng employ an'archi ; ' tect-^af, .properly-qualified architect —leaving the'way open for anyone; to sketch out/hi; ; ' plans. NjThe 'evil, in.many cases,--feiultsfroni \' tho'OTnier being his,own,buUder. , and archi; : tect.",*Lbng'V practicei ■'has',' taught. him tne ■"'.■• ess,6htialß that must be included in r the. plans ■■: to bo'j'siibinitted' tothe City 'Council, .(under , the."obsblei(e;by-liw), thejrest 'is nothing, and result in semo ..cases ; !is -.the jerry-; ■buijt/hbuse; i Why. should[the floor joists be onlyVa-Certain distance apart'or-the uprights io numerous ?; WhyjirideedPi^Yet'thereare pe6pl|. s who wonder how. it;is their.floors are ■ . bo springy. :,,Then ; as itoHimber. - Men. have .'■-' been? known- to ibuy'up >a heap"of 'discarded - too bad;toi'be classified ;::the poprest?sap;stuffrJawed t ;boards,', and'" , odds i ;--; and; ends that should be'only used'to keep, a ■ furnace /going-rand/ tolnin them up into 1..-"-' ..-houses,'covering all v'defectsrwith/pretty.Vall- ;■'.■:•; papers, 'plaint and putty—ahd' : ,there you'have ,;,' ' a suburban villa; .Two or three-yeais pass; the sap in the;timber dries upland; ominous , cracks •V; ere'h'eard-pperhaps seen; the doors drop and ,■'/. , are to' : op4n"j .-the'^'plafce-beccpies' . -strangely draughty-, and the wall-p'a'per makes.' '•■'.. playiwhen the' Wind bloWs.j'theimridows.rattje ' ; i , . like musketry-; the cracks.in)the floor, become^ ■„ .. ■•.tpq^d)i' ; tq>hold.;the^dirt, : ;']and the'draught ;•...: lifts the linoleum'up if it .is not tacked'down.i '.";",■.- Thesejare the ■oritward:dn'dj.visiblo, l signs of , ..• • the jerry-built house, one 'that has probably j >;.; been bpughtiat 1 the price of.one"'built of first- ...■■■• class material] is \, t i top:;]ate to do'an^ting>ind.itdi commence' ;•: '. repairing^ merely , -.../; ,' TanityUn'd;Vexatibn of spirit;. ;It doesn't do I %■ '.':■.;■: Dodging;thjß;By-iaw. r,'i, •/,.- V :V." " : / A;;good, story of-the.jerry-builder is told . by-an ex-City Councillor, who knew somev; ~ , thing of building iand ;tne'way of builders^ '..,:■■• . He was having'■-a 7 - , ]ook : : : b'v'er.!'"a job he- hap- ;.:;; ' penedtyj.be.a little in-the .. '■■■. ;..-•' course 'of his he to , . look at the ;plans..-'After-absorbing^several- ■■.;■"■ essentials, ho again examined thb'building-in V ~ /.cc-unseof erection, , and, finding, several 'shorty comingsiin'the matte>rofVstuds'>arid' joists' ".;•'•'. called the 'attention of .th'o'.buiJder to the' ■'■:.■■': .matter.^"Oh,V'said He,. Vthaf is' ohly ; -the j '-.' . -pla"n ; we slipped into.the'Cbuncil; we'ro not Vwortiing.to that to'o closely." .The-Councillor ■•' saw-how it;:was;and''was so "disgusted to see hQW:thdtbj-r]aw, couldibe ridden'through that he.ilifor.iped the.ißuilding,;lnspector: about •: . ■vhat'sWai. going; oh,' and', thihgsvhappbned. ■.. ■ 1 ■'"■ '■; More lnlspectors'WahtedJ : -^ -M'^"■■''. : ; . Mr. ;Morton has-been accused?of'prbyidirig' • oSmpfete building specificatibn'in'the ; ntiw' V... BujHittg By-law. Thbugh'.he hardly'goes-so" far-, as that, the provisions he" has' made' are ,-v. ' ■ only thoao that should-beobseryed'by every. . conscientious and it;,is-.the.- jerry- : ' builder^;that.has)brought^aboiit<their.vincbr-' pbration in-the''by-law.--'.The/'fwdaF point;■ . howov,er,v is•: the: matter 'ofi inspection; 4 - / builders;could defeat: theold. by-law; whatis tohpreveht them riding ;I rou'nd"tlie new? TheiCityjat,.present has three.Building Iri- . ■ , ,W.;;D. Murdoch (chief), Drum Mmd, and .William,s,' and with the'vast .budding;pporatidhs that; have been,going , ' on ; ;in,iDhevbity-and suburbs "during I " , tndnast:five' , :.-years,;it:has,l)een,imp'ossible fpr'their:inspec- .■■• lion of rail bnildihgs to bean exhaustive ene. x vThe.new by-law much more dei , / tailed'and mathematical examination.of plans -X before \ ihey ;are passed. , 'flow.. 1 can'-'this be. ; managed.by the" City, Engineer's present staff, /. ]pa'de;d..;as-it'is with work?. If it is conceded: ; : that the Building By-law should be observed, } thenfi&lr. Morton .must.have .further .assist. ■y.. >'and the number pf inspectors-should ; be (increased; Otherwise 'the'.jerry-builder, 1 j , will still laugh as ho.drives.his nails through i. the sap;lining in two blows, i i,\ ■■ '. ■• " . ( ■ •-''•:*:■::, .■*(■■:'■ '"'■. ("■;'•■ t>. :i':./i.•!.>•■' '■'.'•"■;.,', '..■?"..' , ; V The,ArohJteots PrpVest. :;; .;!■', ;: '^.ii:r^ ■ ■'■ arinuarmeeting ofith6\!Wollingt()n J. Architects is;,was pointed, opt / as strange. , fact that the profession-.was -.aii /."■■' absolutely open one, and that anyone who j chose; conld'.stick up a plate and commence practising as an architect with'eut any. re- , etrictiph;whatevor.; In i:retnrhing : thanks tor. is fe-electipii as President (Air..F; de J;Clere) ' referfed;; te'the , absolute necessity pf qualified " ~-■.. architects standing shoulder to shoulder to bp- . . pose'-thb abuses which .wore creeping into the building trade. The establishment pf Technical. Schools, good, as 1 they'were in many respecte;}had resulted in a crop of rabsolutely; . '"~ unqualified nien, who knew nothingaboilt the dutKs^and .''responsibilities'of architects^and .■n'ho'h'ad l no traditions tp uphold, doing'archi- ' tecturalwork, to; the greatdetriment pf- the artinftlio abstract and the character ef'the profession'as a whole. To counteract this'th'c Association wou|d show tho public that its ; membc!rs/,.wero in their., methods, and ; aims reall|'dittereht to these pseudo-architects and, wereJ.'useful and nocessary member's"-of'the <' coniinunity.,,'As long as qualified architects retained; thb confidence of the public there 'would^nmfite(much ¥o fear,' but=it.. was necessaryVintorder"to,do^his'that:the Association ■ „ should/2be'most -particular as , to'the status ; - of^thosefaQmittcd'io'its'Tahks. ,: '^ ;; ■■■'■■■-'■■