BUILDING SCHEME

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 20, 24 July 1934, Page 10

BUILDING SCHEME

FOR DWELLINGS ONLY

SUBSIDY ON FLOOR SPACE

NEW REGULATIONS

n. The application forms for the buildn ing subsidy under tho Unemployment f Board's No. 12 scheme are now avail- '- able. The regulations in connection - with the scheme differ in several ime portant respects from those of tho No. - 10 scheme. t .-Only new dwelliiighouses or addif tious to existing .dwellinghouscs / are 2 provided for in the regulations, though . consideration will also be given to ap-1 t plications for residential fiats. While applications for subsidy in-respect of residential flats (irrespective of capii ml cost) and dwcllinghouses of a capi--1 tal value exceeding £1000 will bo re- - ceivnd: the board will consider such J applications on their merits, but reserves the right to, decline such ap- ' plications without furnishing any • reason. ' Approval of. a subsidy will be de- ; finitely restricted to tho classes of | building defined, except that the board : will be willing to negotiate with local • authorities with a view to the elimi- ' nation of slum areas and rebuilding " en modern linos. Each application' is to be confined 1 to only one building. Applicants who ■ desire to erect or add to more than one building are notified that a second , or subsequent application will not bo considered until tho work covered by , the first (or preceding) application has been actually commenced. | On any approved building a subsidy ! from the Unemployment Fund will be , paid at the rate of Is per square foot of all • new and totally enclosed floor , space, computed on overall maesurement ' over external walls. . In the case of , any building the subsidy - payable, is not to exceed 8 per cent.' of the contract price, with a- maximum subsidy for a single dwelling of £80. It will bo. a condition of approval in every case that the work be clone by contract, nfter receipt of either public or private tenders. NEW ZEALAND MATERIALS. One of the main objects of this scheme is to ensure the use of New Zealand materials throughout. Applicants making use of imported materials other than those specified 'as follows will render their claim liable to cancellation, or at least substantial reduction:; —Plaster-lathing (iron or wood); tiling battens; roofing-iron, metal'tiles, or slates; Douglas fir (Oregon) for outside doors, beams or scantling over 24ft in length; Californian Eedwood for use only, for outside doors, window sashes, and shingles; structural or reinforcing steel; plumbing fixtures; door and window hardware (other than casement stays); glass. -Work must be commenced within two months of the date shown on the notice of approval, and, after commencement, must be completed within •four months.from commencement. No part of the subsidy will be payable if work is commenced prior to the receipt of approval. Applications are required to be signed only in the name of the owner, and must show the reasons, if any," which would prevent the proposed work being commenced without the assistancp of the subsidy. The plans and specifications of the proposed building- must accompany the application, which is to be forwarded to the local certifying officer for transmission, to the board. Plans and specifications of any building in respect of which a subsidy is sought must in every case provide for a fully-equipped and completed structure, and shall not be departed from in any way. which involves an-altera-tion in totally enclosed new floor space without prior approval. Plans and specifications, after approval, will be returned to the applicant, who must, upon request, produce them to any representative of the board and afford to such representative access to the works and any information which he may require. The board reserves the right to decline any application, or to approve of only a reduced subsidy without revealing the reason; to cancel the whole or part of any approved subsidy in the event of a breach of any iof the rules or special conditions as prescribed in the notice of approval; and to recover the whole or part of any subsidy which may havo been paid to the owner prior to the detection of any such breach or of any misrepresentation. .The decision of the board in respect of any questions arising in connection with interpretation or breach of ' rules'arc to be accepted by the owner as final. MAIN ALTERATIONS. The main points of difference with the No. 10 scheme are that the scheme is restricted to dwellings or additions to them, whereas formerly reconstruction, painting, etc., wore included, and the scheme was not restricted only to dwellings. ■■ Under the No. 10 scheme the rate of subsidy was 50 per cent, up to £.650, and 33 1-3 per cent, abovethat amount. Tho present subsidy is per square' foot of floor space, irrespective of tho cost. The board, under tho No ; 12 schente, reserves tho right to decline the subsidy in respect of a building costing more than £1000, though applications for such buildings will be considered. Under the No. 10 scheme tho subsidy was based on the actual workers paid, but in this case the schemo -does not consider the labour costs, the subsidy being based purely upon the floor space footage, wages, etc., not being taken into consideration as regards the subsidy. Tho work under the No. 12 scheme must be earned out by contract, day labour not. being approved. Plans and specifications niust accompany applications: this was not so under ■ the No 10 scheme.

times when the balloons were dispatched was not more than a few degrees but tho temperatures recorded at a height of six miles varied from 62 degrees Fahrenheit to —8 degrees. The lowest temperature recorded in tho stratosphere by any balloon was —67 degrees. On.the occasion when the ninth balloon found the stratosphere so low down tho temperature in tho stratosphere remained constant at —18 degrees. The atmospheric prcssuro in tho stratosphero is only a few inches compared with 30 or so inches on the ground, but this docs not remain constant like the stratosphere's temperature, and decreases the higher the altitude. This low pressure which is encountered makes tho stratosphero an ideal flying highway, for in it speeds unattainable lower down would be easy, but the difficulty at present is for aeroplanes to reach this region. As the result of the Kelburn pioneer experiments much more is now known about the stratosphere, in theso latitudes than was known a few months | ago. Data as regards its height, tern-j porature, nnd pressure under varying' conditions have been obtained, and the more .that can be learnt about its un-1 dulatory motion and variations the closer will be the meteorologists to the solu-1 tion of the problem of really accurate long-distance weather forecasting, for the changes in the height, etc., of tho1 stratosphere are undoubtedly ' closely connected with the weather experienced ■ in regions below it.