RECONSTRUCTION WORK

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXII, Issue 11450, 26 February 1931, Page 7

RECONSTRUCTION WORK

EXPERTS URGENTLY NEEDED

GOVERNMENT ACTS PROMPTLY. TWO P.W.D. "ENGINEERS TO ASSIST. (Press Association.} WELLINGTON, Feb. 25. Acting, on the recommendation of the Building Regulations Committee, the. Prime Minister has called for lho services of two qualified engineers from the .Public "Works Department, to .be made available at once to.assist local authorities in Napier ana Hastings to cope with the immediate problcm of reconstruction. ■ Local authorities urgently require export assistance to enable a decision to be reached immediately, indicating which buildings must be completely demolished, and which - may bo passed as sufficiently safe to allow reconstruction to be carried out.

- The Building. Regulations Committee is already engaged in the preparation of emergency-, regulations to be subniitted to Parliament during the coming sessions, tho Prime Minis ted ' stated this evening. It is intended, however, that the committee should continue .its work in preparation of a more complete set or regulations for inclusion in the building by-laws to be applied tbreughout the Dominion. . In response to representations u> the profession that there were not sufficient architects on the Building Regulations Committee, the Government has appointed Mr. AY. M. Page, architect, Wellington, as a member. Tho. announcement of Mr. Page’s appointment was made last evening by the Prime Minister.

HINTS FROM DUBLIN IN 1910

STREETS WIDENED AT LITTLE COST. (Special To : ThA.Times). - AUCKLAND, Feb. 2-5. When it comes to re-planning the business portion of Napier it should be of " interest to study. wdiat was accomplished in this direction in Dublin after the extensive bombardment during the 1910 rebellion. Mr. James Moran, a , member .of tho Senate or the Irish Ere© .'Stgte, who-is now visiting Auckland, has given some particulars of this work, with which lie was closely associated. ... ; • “After the rebel lion,lie said_. the Corporation of Dublin,' of which at that time I was an Alderman, had a Bill called the Dublin Reconstruction Act passed by the British House oi Commons, by means of which it was possible to widen tlie thoroughfares of the devastated part Of .the city, for, o- fraction of what might have been the cost had the work bqpn carried out by tho, usual method. A clause in that Act gave the Corporation power to widen 'any thoroughfare by a very simple .procedure. .The process in effect was to set back the frontages of tho street, and compensate those property holders who were dispossessed with properties acquired at the rear of the block.