PROSPECTUS OF THE “CONCRETE PRODUCTS, LIMITED.”

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 6 December 1924, Page 6

PROSPECTUS OF THE “CONCRETE PRODUCTS, LIMITED.”

THE SOLUTION OF BUILDING PROBLEMS.

A PROFITABLE INVESTMENT AND NATIONAL SERVICE.

The issue of the prospectus of the , above company should prove of the utmost interest to all who are contemplating building and, as an investment, the proposition must be conceded to be one of the safest and most attractive that has been offered to the public for many yearsIn view of the important statis that “Cambist” holds in the estimation of the investing public of New Zealand as a thoroughly competent and absolutely fearless and impartial critic of the financial aspect of the porspectuses or balance sheets of all public companies the following extracts from his criticism of the above company’s prospectus, as published in New Zealand Truth of November 29, will prove both interest-

ing and instructive. “Cambist,” after careful reading of the above document and a personal and critical inspection of the dwelling erected by Mr. de Montalk at Wadestown, Wellington, is forced to the conclusion that at last the majority of the difficult problems, both of cost and production, have been solved in the scheme of and series of inventions, which the proposed company is to exploit. In other words, ' the practical. * whole of, building engineering, construction, and efficient supply of everything connected with housing, ware- , housing, storage, shelters, • garages, factories, etc., have at last been brought into cheapness and within the'range of enormous extension for the particular improvement of every class of financial enterprise having to do with the endless requirements of the community in these respects.

Concrete Products, Limited, will exploit the -de Montalk patents which it is. to acqpire from that gentleman. These patents ramify into every direction of the building trade. There is no glass of building to which the patents cannot he applied. THE. BASIC PRINCIPLE upon which construction depends is that all parts needed, both inside arid out, are manufactured at some central point and from there conveyed to the building site, under which everything is assembled and composed into the design of the architect. In the factory where the various concrete building units are produced, all of the patented concrete supplies are seasoned and kept in stock in readiness for the enormous demands which will surely arise when once the scheme is set on foot by this, proposed company. This, of course, is a very different method from that of the ordinary building pactice. The elements of construction are prepared and ready for all requirements at a given place, all of which are accomplished in advance of any architectural design.' So soon, as the latter takes place the needed goods are immediately available at prices that can undercut anything else on offer at the present time. Whatever is demanded by the builder can be supplied to him, and he has only to assemble the various units, the result being the completed structure at the very lowest possible cost. In addition to the latter remarkable feature, there is also a vast saying in the time that is usually taken in the course of individual constructive effort; moreover, the article produced, (be it house, shed, church or warehouse), is everlasting in its durability, cheaper in upkeep and BETTER THAN ANYTHING we have hitherto known in the pudding line. • “Cambist” regrets that he cannot “let himself go” to the extent lie wishes ‘in this case. The space to clo so is limited for the purpose. He considers that if only cautious investor's will' at once acquire a, copy of the prospectus issued that these persons wiir*"become keenly interested in the pioposed company. That the claims made by Mr. de Montalk are modest to a degree will Be amply shown on persual of the various reports made by architects of the highest standing m their profession and of builders whose names were well known to most of us. The illustration of the only de Montalk house in the Dominion, all made of reinforced concrete is a most striking example of what can be done m the operation of the valuable patents which that gentleman is the author of. Here, indeed, is substantial evidence that “the goods can be delivered.”

i °f millions liave been absolutely wasted in the construction of wooden and other classes of buildings in this Dominion. The history of the expenditure on these matters can be summed up in a few words, namely, borer dry rot, wet rot, and other inherent detriments which in the end mean nothing short of 'economic folly economic waste, general depreciation and loss, however viewed. The future outlook is, however, much brighter, lhe Concrete Products, Ltd., supplies the reason. Under the aegis of the latter corporation enormous capital sums will be saved in this Dominion, in the first place, everlasting buildings will supplant the wasting structures that we have been accustomed to if®™!Z St 1)0 something approaching Ll ; 5OJ,OO0 annual loss on our old buildings. This is a. terrible waste of invested capital. How long can it be suffered ? In the case of concrete products that would be obliterated entirely. Mr. H. H. Barnard, borough engineer, Lyttelton, in his report on tins system, states that the upkeep for .-’ ears <jl ;i wooden house costing LdK) is no less than £741. 10s, while tor a, concrete house at the same cost r n co , , tjlc same calculation it is only ~oJ 4s! Practically, Concrete Pro uets, Limited, will have only two real" competitors . against them, namelv, uo°d and bricks. If only the question ot wood has to lie considered then wood has ‘met with its defeat right fJiim the start. Mood is costly and this system is at its worst no dearer than wooden construction But is is better by reasons of the conditions sot out- in the foregoing. But Mr. n ar . nard in his report (see prospectus) states that a concrete building of this iiind “would work out at 25 per cent cheaper than a wooden one.” To-dav the cost of bricks is exorbitant The price charged to builders makes brick building very costly. In fact, just at the moment, the brick and timber trading combinations are injuring building enterprise and keeping out of execution numerous plans which, if carried, through, would relieve the pressure for housing and other building demands. One thing is clear, however, that while conciete products are bound to bring about reduced building costs they will at the same time encourage aiid increase building enterprises in every direction. Both town and country will benefit through cheaper and better buildings, modern designing, new colorings and better art in construction and coloring. To sum it all up. the Concrete Products, Ltd., will in time

SET THE PRICE. for building work. It cannot he competed with, for it is “boss of the situa-

tion” and it does not require any combination to boost prices or to rob the building customers of the future. It can earn honest profits and pay fat dividends to those who invest their moneys in the company. We all need cheaper and better buildings, and here is a means of arriving at a quick solution of the problem. Already several parcels of shares have been applied for, which proves that considerable interest is being taken in the proposed company. Its objects, respectability and worth stand out so plainly that it would be strange indeed if it should not soon reach the first steps in business, the completion of the share list, the erection of its first factory, and finally the active construction of many new buildings which arc badly needed at the present time. Mr. Geo. IT. Buckeridge is the Taranaki Broker, and an advertisement will be found in another column of this issue. (Published by arrangement.)