BUILDING STONES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19453, 8 October 1926, Page 8

BUILDING STONES.

Sir, —Please let me draw attention to an object lesson of "how not to do it," showing in onr Town Hall. After being erected only some 20 years, it is being scraped and renovated ,by the aid of costly scaffolding. The soft stone of the upper structure shows three colours—white, yellow and a darker shade; this is the Oamaru stone which is flaking off and otherwise perishing. The base is of Melbourne bluestone and is all right as far as condition, but I want to draw attention to the unbusinesslike action of the city councillors of those days, who sent the money out of Auckland, when there is bluestone in the province just as good. See the railway overbridge abutments at foot of Alpha Road, ParneU, erected previously and, beside this, there is a local granite better than either. With regard to the soft Southern stone, there are stones better than it to be had locally. If that "object lesson" is not enough, I beg to direct attention to the General Post Office, the upper storeys of which are built of Mount Somers stone, Canterbury, and carries a fine crop of moss and otherwise is deteriorating. This should have shown the University authorities what they were about to build with when they also sent the money out of Auckland. I draw attention to St. Matthew's Church which is deteriorating, but say -nothing more, as that was not public money, but Anglican Church funds which were saved up and sent away; but in the case of the Town Hall it was borrowed money, on which the ratepayers are paying interest to this day, end the renovating -will all have to be done over again in another 20 years. My object in writing is to get a better class of stone used in Auckland buildings. The Governi&ent has set an example to every one in employing local granite in the General Post Office, and the A.M.P. Society in the lower storeys of their buildings in Queen Street, The Zealand Insurance Company, however, sent the money south for marble, and it does not need an expert to see change already. The Government geologists say marble is unsuitable for outside work". I hope to see our patriotic architects use imperishable granite more freely in the future and keep the money in Auckland. Local Industry.