BUILDING TRADE

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 13, 15 July 1939, Page 7

BUILDING TRADE

PRESENT-DAY TRENDS

"I think all present associated with the building trade will agree with me that our problems are becoming more and more acute," stated Mr. F. E. Greenish, replying on behalf of the architects to a toast at the smoke concert held last night by the Clerks of Works' Association.

"We have a continual development of different systems, Different ideas," he continued, "for which we have no traditional basis but for which tradesmen have to be trained, and yet there is no actual craft in connection with them built up over hundreds of years, as in the case of some of the older trades."

Mr. Greenish referred particularly to concreting and the idea of developing a definite trend of concrete worker—a man who was specially qualified to do the work and kept to concrete only. He thought it was very hard for a carpenter with a good set of tools to have to play about with boxing, both old and new. "1 sympathise with him greatly," added Mr. Greenish, "and I really think the man who handles that work should have a special kit of tools and should be a special tradesman, a concreter who understands the job thoroughly."

It was necessary that those associated with building construction should get down to an understanding of the inner secrets of the different trades and get to use them in the best way possible. The development of concrete alone was in its infancy at the present time.