CONCRETE HOUSES.

Northern Advocate, 23 October 1919, Page 4

CONCRETE HOUSES.

A NEW SOUTH WALES EXPERI-

MENT

The New South Wales Minister of Houseing (Mr Hall), has found a builder of cheap concrete houses. Replying to a deputation the other day, he said he soon after taking charge of the department how difficult it would be to overtake the shortage of houses by building in brick. For one thing there were not- enough bricklayers. For a long while he had been inquiring into the possibilities of concrete. He had found however, that many of the concrete enthusiasts were faddists, who could not "deliver the goods." When ever a man came to him with a concrete house-building proposition, he had given him a plan, and told him, "Build that one, and if it is satisfactory I'll give you an ord f, r for 50. He was glad to announce that he had now found an acceptor for his offer. Thi s was Mr Menkin, who was in charge of the construction of the big silo at Glebe Island. Making ample allowance for Mr M<*nkin had undertaken to have both houses up within three weeks. "I don't know whether he can do it," said Mr Hall "But I have undertaken that if he does, and if the houses are the kind the people want, those who can construct them will not lack opportunity."

He wa s not quite sun 1 of the cost of the houses. The larger one would probably be purchasable at about £1 Is a week, and the smaller at about 17-s. One will be a monolith—made out of one big piece of cement—and the other would be built out of slabs. As to the first, the builders had offered i for every 50 cottages ordertd , < to deliver one a week. As to the cost, for every £100 the Government spent on a cottage the tenant would, on his principle, have to pay 3s a week, in order to make the cottage his own in 25 years.