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Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 302, 15 September 1908, Page 4

i'i~? - en ''" nE Dominion does a thing it should do it properly. It came out on Frilay morning with a full column and an imposing heading on the subject of quantities. L)no of the roportcrs goes round and gets tno opinion of a few buildors on the question and then comes to tho' conclusion that there is 110 .necessity for a quantities expert in building contracts. Possibly . ho. carefully selected his men, but more probably he merely struck them accidentally. He might easily found as many opinions in favour of quantities by another accidental selection, and I should advise him to have another try. I could point out to him that at the last meeting of the Builders' Associa-' tion, held at Napier on October 22 of last year, the following resolution was adoptc-d: "That this conference'affirms the principle of bills of quantities, and recommends tlie various associations to acltipt same, and that the Institute of Architects bo asked to affirm tho principle." That, I think, is more j authoritative, and reflects tho' opinions of I builders much moro effectively and »truly than a few haphazard, selections, gained by a casual stroll round. ' . It is untrue to say, that quantities will make buildings dearer. It will tend to make them cheaper, because it will take away the guesswork element which always must exist when quantities aro not suppliod. ...I defy, any contractor to go into all the'details of a building from a casual glance and rough ' measurement of the small scale drawings, and especially so when tho building is large and the construction complicated. Were quantities always supplied a contractor would' be able to put in a keener tender, because he would know exactly how- ho stood. He would know that tho total was the aggrogate of payable prices affixed to each item, and that every' difficulty and.'ambiguity had been carefully thpught out by the quantity surveyor and clearly detailed and explained bofore the schedule was issued to the contractor. ■Another point also in connection with the Vrcscut. system: Almost every contractor I know has grumbled at the insufficient time generally allowed for tendering. The plans have to be shared by contractors in turn, and sometimes only a few hours are allowed for tho calculation of totals involving thousands of pounds. Can this system really be fair, to either proprietor or contractor? Does'it not really result in a figure being arrived at either greatly in excess of the true value or too low to do tho work properly without loss to tho contractor? Tho present system may' bo good enough for small work, for tho dwelling-house erected on the. mud-pio system, but for large city work soma better and moro equitable .system is sadly wanted. —I am, etc., ANTI-GAMBLE. September 11.