LAND AND BUILDINGS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 14491, 4 October 1910, Page 7

LAND AND BUILDINGS.

NEW CITY PREMISES. SEVERAL NEW CONTRACTS. SUBURBAN AND COUNTRY WORKS. The marked activity of the building trade in Auckland continues to be more and *nore in evidence. A large number of tenders have been received during the past week for various works, both in the city find suburbs, and in a number of cases contract;, have been made with the lowest tenders. In other cases the acceptance of r, tender has not yet taken place, whilst in other instances an extension of time for the sending in of tenders has been announced. This latter fact is in itself a noteworthy evidence of the busy state of trade, tho reason for the extension of time being generally due to the fact that, contractors are unable to prepare their estimates by the dates originally fixed for the clof ing of tenders. Tenders for the handsome block of buildings which are about to be erected by Messrs. H. M. Smeeton, Limited, on the. Old Mill site in Queen-street, closed with j the architect. (Mr. W. A. Holman) on i

Thursday last. Eight, tenders were rereived, alternative prices being given for the building with and without a basement. The matter is now being considered by the firm, and a decision as to the acceptance of a tender will be arrived at shortly. The building, which will consist of four storeys in front, and five storeys at the back, will have a frontage of nearly 90ft. to Queen-street. The front, elevation will be an imposing one, and the building will be a vast improvement to that portion of the street. Work has been commenced on a twostorey brick building in Queen-street, adjoining Messrs. Cochrane and Co.'s auction mart, for Messrs. R. Hannah and Co., Limited. This building will replace one of the oldest of the old-time brick buildings in Queen-street. The following were the tenders received :J. J. Holland, £5747; C.revatt and Son, £3759; J. T. Julian and Son, £3887; \\. Ball, £4230; W. G. Smith, £4600; Howie and Matthews (Wellington), £4734. Mr. Holland's tender has been accepted. The architects are Messrs. Wade and Wade. A five-storey warehouse in Albert-street, near Durham-street, is about to be constructed for Messrs. Ormiston Brothers, Limited. The tender of Mr. J. McKinstry, at £4242, has been accepted for the work. The other tenders received by the architect (Mr. W. A. Holman) were as follows :—J. Lye and Sons, £4499; C. F. Hamon and Sons, £4697; J. Webster, £4776; -J. J. Holland, £4814; Guthrie and Colebourne, £4850 ; J. T. Julian and Son, Limited, £4975; J. J. Moody, £5075; C. H. Gordon, £5365. . A two-storey brick building, for which Messrs. Wade and Wade are the architects, is to be erected in Albert-street (between Messrs. Buchanan and Pet-ford's premises), for the Overland and Hupp Motor Car Supply Company. The tender of Mr. W. Ball, at £1397, has been accepted. The following tenders were also received :— Webster, £1434; J. J. Holland, £1447; G. G. Pollard, £1474; Grevatt and Son, £1477; J. T. Julian, Limited, £1527; R. R. Ross, £1529. Two brick shops, with dwellings attached, are to be erected on the west side of Upper Symonds-street, a short distance above East-street, by the trustees of the late Mr. Chas. Hamon. The following tenders have been received for the buildings by the architect (Mr. E. Bartley) — W. Massey, £2376; J. H. Keat and Son, £2124; W. A- Clarke, £1795; J. Lye and Sons, £1780; W. Ball, £1779; W. E. Trevarthen, £1767 ; J. Webster, £1745; Hamon Brothers, £1738. The erection of a new two-storey brick factory in Wakefield-street for Messrs. W. A. Thompson and Co., perambulator manufacturers, was commenced yesterday. The site is opposite that firm's present factory, and the building will have a frontage of 33ft-, with a depth of 76ft. Strong foundations are being put in, with a view of the addition of extra storeys as may be required. A new two-storey brick factory is about to be erected in Carlton Gore Road, Newmarket, by Messrs. hittome, Stevenson, and Co. The building will have a frontage of over 120 ft. The plans are being prepared by Mr. H. C. Grierson.

DOINGS IN THE SUBURBS. NEW SHOPS AT GREY LYNN. A block of four shops, with dwelling attached, is being erected by Mr. J. Dawson at the corner of Great North Road and Pollen-street, Grey Lynn. The following tenders were received by the architect (Mr. W. A. Holman). — Lve and Sons, £3029; W. Ball, £3330; W. Maud, jun., £3522; G. .G. Pollard, £3586; Heron Bros., £3593; J. J. Holland, £3625; J. Webster, £3645; C. F. Hamon. and Sons, £3650. The tender of Messrs. Lye and Sons has been accepted. The expansion of the Remuera district has led to the Tramway Company undertaking the duplication of the present single .line through the district, from Newmarket as far as Victoria Avenue. With the exception of a small contract for the track foundation, the whole of the work is to be carried out by the Tramway Company's staff. The cost of the work will be" about £10.000. The work, which has just been started, will be completed before Christmas. The Mount Eden Borough Council at a meeting held last evening, allocated various amounts for different street works out of the new loan of £29,000. It was also decided to call tenders for the following roads forthwith —No. 1 ward, Eden Vale Road, Wynyard Road, Edeneireet, George-street, Norman-street No. 2 ward, Belle Vue Road; No. 3 ward, Prospect Terrace, Milton Road, Grange Road, Ewington Avenue, and Kenyon Avenue: No. 4 ward, Stokes' Road, Grange Road, and Disraeli-street. The following tenders have been received , by the Grey Lynn Borough Council for the new work in Rose Road:—G. Knight, £s£o 5s ; A. D. Brodie, £596 I3s 4d; A. J. Francis, £686 ss; Forest and Lovett, £525 2s. No tender has yet been accepted. Tenders were received as follows by MrE. Mahoney, architect, yesterday; for additions in wood to Messrs. Macky, Logan, and Co.'s factory in Eden Terrace :— W. Bambury, £649; Johns and Sons, £571; J. Ellingham, £436; R. Oliphant, £407. The new members' stand for the Avon- ! dale Jockey Club is amongst the works that are now on the point of completion. I Messrs. A. Pollard and Son are the j builders, and Messrs. Wade and Wade the architects, the contract price being £985. Amongst new residences of a superior class that will shortly be erected in the suburbs will be a handsome nine-roomed dwelling on the Sunnybank Estate, near the Three Kings. A property at- Newton, at the corner Litchfield-street and Newton Road, and j

consisting of a small cottage on an allotment 33ft by 62ft, was sold by auction by Messrs. R. Arthur and Company yesterday. The price realised was £395.

THE LESLIE ORPHANAGE.

BUILDING TO BE ERECTED. The Leslie Presbyterian Orphanage Board, of which Captain Prater is chairman, has decided to proceed with the erection of an orphanage on the. Meadowbank Estate at Remuera, and the tender of Mr. 0. E. Farrow, at £3410, has been accepted for tho work. The building, which will be in brick, with slated roof, will be all on one floor. It will contain two dormitories (one for boys and one for girls) each 40ft. by 18ft, 'and capable of accommodating: 15 children. The plans, which were prepared by Mr. E. Bartlcy, have been so arranged as to make it. possible to double the size of the dormitories as occasion requires, without disturbing the arrangement of the building. There will be a diningroom of 50ft by 25ft, rooms for the staff and an administrative block. The orphanage has been founded by a bequest bv the late Mr. Jas. Leslie, of Paruell, who directed that it should be applied to an orphanage for destitute children. There is no limitation of tho creed of children on their admission, but tho conditions of the bequest stipulate that they shall be brought up in the tenets of tho Presbyterian faith.

e. ADVENT OF THE BUNGALOW. h n * AN ARTISTIC TASTE. r " Aucklander" writes as follows or. the , subject, of suburban architecture, and the 1 increasing vogue of the bungalow :—" Your - articles on the progress of the suburbs are t most interesting, and the reference in last . Tuesday's building column of the typo of B bungalow now being erected shows that at " last we are getting out. of the rut of the 3 "T" villa, with its narrow passage and t box-like rooms, which is no different in j alignment from a prison corridor, with j cells opening on each side. People now realise that they want a home, and not simply a place to live in—the artistic taste " is developing to the permanent good and - beauty of Auckland. The bungalow, as - you state., can bo built as cheaply as any [ cottage, and in a variety of designs, but , the mistake so far made in a number is the ' use of the-stock Italian window, instead of L the casement cash and the high stud, which I is not necessary or hvgenic, as it lmpri- ■ sons the large amount of dead air in the roof above the window, which is the faul£ of nearly all houses. The hinged fanlight should be brought to the level of the ceiling, and thus allow perfect ventilation. " Projecting windows and large roomy ! window seats is the idea, no waste room in passages, no drawingroom for special occasions, and jimerack furniture, but a large living room with dining or music room recess. Then you come near the ideal suburban home, and if the Town Planning Bill is passed by Parliament, the curb will be put on the jerry builder and land speculator, every uwelling will have to be erected according to municipal law, of artistic design, and in artistic alignment. Then, with tree-lined streets and open gardens and lawns, our suburbs will become ideal beauty spots, and the envy of other less fortunate towns. ______ A GO-AHEAD SUBURB. MOUNT ALBERT PROSPERITY. Auckland's suburban statistics are always interesting, as affording illustrations of the wonderful progress that is being made by the residential environs of the city. A glance at a few figures relating to the ' progress of Mount Albert give a very instructive insight into the recent expansion of that progressive suburb. _ The capital value of the district, which was £225,000 in 1903, has increased more than fourfold during the past seven years. At the end of March last it was £611,000, whilst the total estimated value at the present time is £950,000. The income of the Road Board, which was only a modest £1500 in 1903, was £5700 during the last financial year, and for the current year it will probably be about £7000. The number of dwellings rose from 460 in 1903 to 1300 at the end of J!arch last. Since then 104 building permits have been issued, which brings the number of houses up to 1404. The population of the district, which was 3500 in 1906, is now about 6500, whilst there are now about 1550 ratepayers as compared with 611 in 1903. The total area of the district is about 2400 acres. The growth of the district had made the need of various road and other works evident, and with a view of providing for the cost of these the Road Board is placing a proposal before the ratepayers for the raising of a loan of £30,000. This proposal has been endorsed by a meeting of ratepayer, and a poll will be taken during the present month. The most important item in the schedule of works proposed to be undertaken is the extension of the water supply arid the construction of a new reservoir on Mount Albert as an auxiliary to the present reservoir. For this purpose and for laying services to newly-settled estates the sum of £9230 has been apportioned. The water is obtained from springs in the Mental Hospital reserve, and boring is proceeding with a view of procuring an increased, supply. It is proposed to improve the New North Road by formation, kerbing, and channelling work between Dominion Road and Morningside at a cost of £5700. The Morningsido railway crossing is at present an unsatisfactory feature of the main road, and it is proposed to expend some £2700 on the work incidental to the construction of an overhead railway bridge at this point. The Railway Department will construct tho bridge and receive a contribution of £700 from the Road Board towards the work. The remaining sum of £2000 will be expended on the. necessary alterations to the road. Several other streets will also be improved if the loan proposals are sanctioned. In addition to several estates which have been already cut up and' settled, a number are now being subdivided. It is expected that the Tramways Company will extend its service to Morningside before next whiter, and when this work is carried out it is anticipated) that Taylor's Instate, which comprises some 230 acres, will be placed 1 upon the market. It may be mentioned ' that there are three railway stations and two schools in the district. In all proba- 1 bility the district will be converted into a borough in the course of a month or two. \ One of the most interesting features of the district is the mountain of it« name. ' Tho eastern side of -lie mountali is suffer- ] ing considerable from the ravages of a utili- ' tarian Railway Department, which has , more soul for good ~uilast than for the channs of nature; but on the opposite sido ] the people of Mount Albert have a fine ' domain, from which an excellent view of ' the Waitakerei Ranges and surrounding country, as well as the Waitemata and Manukau Harbours, is obtainable. An application has recently been made to the Government by the Road Board for tho possession of some 29 acres of land on tho old Avondale Road at Morningside as a public reserve, and it is anticipated that a favourable answer will be received. An acre reserve on the Taumata Estate, on the - Kingsland Road', has also been vested in f the Board, whilst the Eden cricket reserve, 1 although privately owned, supplies a fur-' 1 ther point of attractiveness to the district. The whole of the district is capable of ( being drained by gravitation into either the < Archil ill Gully or the Meola Creek, and 1 this work will form part of the Greater ' Auckland drainage scheme. The Kings- 1 land and Glenmore districts are already I drained. In the schedule of the proposed 1 loan a sum of £400 has been allocated for s making further connections with the Arch- a hill sewers.

GROWTH OF POINT CHEVALIER.

NEW WATER SERVICE.

Settlement in the Point Chevalier district-, which has not hitherto received the same attention as other residential suburbs, is now proceeding apace. A second subdivision of the Gainsborough Estate,

■ at the Grey Lynn end of the district, ad- ' joining the Western Springs, is now pro- - ceeding. The cutting-up of land along the Point Chevalier Road, running down from the Mental Hospital, is also going on, whilst a similar subdivision has lately taken place along Gladstone Road, and between the Mental Hospital and Mount Albert. The increase of population in this rising district has made the need for an up-to-date wator supply felt, and the Road , Board recently decided' to put this work ; in hand, arrangements being made with i the City Council to take the water from '■> its main, which runs through the Point Chevalier district. The following tenders were received by Mr. Boy lan, C.E., for i the supply of iron pipes and fittings for the new service :—Briscoe and Co., Limited. £1165; Wingate and Co.. Limited, £1185; E. Porter and Co., £1189: Burt and Co., Limited, £1211; Morrin and Co., Limited. £1250: John Burns and Co., Limited. £1254 Hardley and Hardley, ' Limited, £1345. The tendei of Messrs. i Briscoe and Co., has been accepted by the Road Board. The whole of tho . material is to be delivered by January next. The area to bo supplied with water comprises about six miles of mains, and the Board hope to have the supply laid on before the end of next summer. SETTLEMENT AT MT. ROSKILL. BOA DING OF AN ESTATE. The Islington Estate, at Mount Roskill, is one of the latest suburban estates that is being put on the market. The land, which is being subdivided by the Islington Estate Company, comprises about 42 acres, and it is being cut up into 167 sections, each of an area of about, a sixth of an acre. Three streets will be put through the property, and they have been named King's Road, Prince's Avenue, and Duke-street, and the tender of Mr. Harry S. Wilson, at £2490, has been accepted for carrying out. the street works. The following were the tenders received by the engineer, Mr. H. Munro Wilson :— Harry S. Wilson : Prince's Avenue, £964; Duke-street, £814; King's Road, £712. Total, £2490. Geo. Knight.: King's Road, £1018 13s 6d ; Prince's Avenue, £1371 8s 6d ; Dukestreet, £1310 13* 6d. Total. £3700 15s 6d. Wm. Briely : King's Road, £583 13s 8d; Prince's Avenue, £1098 9s 8d ; Duke-street, £849 4s 2d. Total, £2531 7s 6d. Woollev and McLean : King's Road, £922 2s 7d ; Prince's Avenue, £1110 2s 9d: Duke-street, £999 18s 9d. Total, £3032 4s 3d. Parsons and Sons : King's Road, £1054 12s 6d; Duke-street, £1061 13s; Prince's Avenue, £1410 lis 6d. Total, £3526 17s. PROGRESS IN THE COUNTRY. HELENSVILLE AND TE AROHA. Helensville is not behind other country towns in regard to building improvements, and the Herald's correspondent supplies some particulars of various new structures. The present makeshift post office at the railway station is being replaced by a new brick building that is being erected near the station. The contract price was £2800, the successful tenderer being Mr. L. McKinstry, of Ponsonbv. A new Masonic I Hall has lately been erected at Helensville | South, and a new boardinghouse has made its appearance opposite the entrance to the hot springs grounds. Another accommodation house, to contain 14 rooms, is to be erected in the same locality. An up-to-date hospital was erected some little time ago, and within the last few years some 30 new residences have gone up in the township. A bowling green and other proposed improvements will shortly add to the attractiveness of the sanatorium, which is rapidly growing in popularity. The increasing popularity of Te Aroha as a health resort and the growth of the natural industries of the district is making the need of residential building sites on the west side of the river keenly felt. There is (says our correspondent) a borough endowment there of considerable size, but the choicest part of it was alienated many years ago for a gravel pit for the Piako County. As it contains no gravel, the County Council is frilling that it should revert to the borough. But a special Act of Parliament is necessary, according to a letter received from Mr. Kensington, Under-Secretary for Lands, and the Council has resolved to prepare a Bill, for passage this session if possible. The endowment should cut up into several score of residence sites.

PROSPEROUS AUSTRALIA. BUILDING TRADE ACTIVE. The busy condition of the building trade in Auckland is a subject of frequent remark, but, judging by the statement of an Aucklander who has just returnejd from a visit to Australia, the activity is even greater on the other side of the Tasman Sea than in our own progressive city. Australia is just now experiencing a full flood-tide of prosperity, and this is reflected in a marked degree in the building trade. In Melbourne, it is stated, builders are so busy that frequently no tenders are received for works advertised by architects, whilst in other cases only one or two tenders of an unsatisfactory character are forthcoming. The reason given is that contractors are full of work, and that they have a difficulty in getting the additional workmen that the taking of more contracts would necessitate. My informant," says the returned Aucklander, "instanced one or two specific works for which tenders had been invited, but which did not produce a single response. I did not make any particular inquiries in Sydney, but my impression is that the builders are equally busy there." PROPERTY IN WELLINGTON.

A BRIGHTER OUTLOOK.

The Wellington property market is reported to be showing marked signs of improvement. ' Whether it is the season or. the all-round gradual improvement in things generally, I don't know," said a land and estate agent in that city, to a Dominion reporter last week, " but there is. a distinctly brighter outlook in the property market. We have disposed of nearly every section m a big suburban block that hung fire a bit, and arc still getting inquiries. There is also a decided increase in the interest taken by investors in the city properties that are in the market. The values in that respect have not receded appreciably, except in rare cases, where people have been forced to sell on a dull market. I anticipate that by this time next year things will" be normal again both in regard to city and suburban pro! Pc y ;, They will be on a sounder basis, too—there will not be so much paper about as was the case a couple of years ago."