BUILDING CONTRACTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18216, 9 October 1922, Page 4

BUILDING CONTRACTS.

Sir,—ln your Issue of the 4th inst. there is a reference to the general conditions of contract which are to be attached to all contracts for buildings called 'for under the supervision of registered architects on and after the 16 inst. At a meeting of the Auckland Master Builders' Federation it was stated that the executive of the Master Builders' Federation had endeavoured to induce the Institute of Architects to agree to a conference for the purpose of revising the old conditions as the builders were desirous, of securing certain amendments. The position here set out is misleading in that my institute on June 22 last forwarded to the Builders' Federation a complete copy of the suggested new conditions of contract as drawn up by this institute and asiked that the Builders' Federation consider same, and any suggested amendments put forward by them would receive every consideration from the executive of this institute. In the event of any of the builders' suggestions not meeting with the approval of my executive we stated that we were prepared to meet a small committee of the Builders' Federation for the purpose of d cussing those conditions in dispute. In reply the Builders' Federation suggested holding a joint conference of ten representatives from each body with a chairman to be decided upon to discuss the old conditions of contract, and refused to negotiate with' my institute concerning the draft new conditions of contract which were then in the possession of the federation. It is most likely that the chairman of this conference would have to be a layman, then if the yiews of the architect on the one hand and the builders on the other were.in conflict the views of the layman chairman would prevail.- Another Ingestion by the Builders' Federation • was to the "effect 'that the tribunal set up should meet without any indication previously given as to the nature of the proposed amendments. Such a course could have no result other than ill-considered, unwise and unworkable conditions. After further correspondence my institute again on. August 11 asked for the federation's criticism of the draft new conditions of contract. T/he attitude of the federation in this matter in refusing to consider the draft new conditions of contract left no alternative but for the New Zealand Institute of Architects to adopt the new general conditions of contract which have beon drawn up with the desire to be fair to the builders while at the same time bsaring in mind >p> supreme interests of the public when embarking upon building operations. D. G. Johnston, Secretary.