PUBLIC WORKS DELAYS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20302, 9 July 1929, Page 12

PUBLIC WORKS DELAYS.

RESTORATION OF ROAD.

CONCERN IN MURCHISON

BUTTER AWAITING TRANSPORT

Inv TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.] NELSON. Monday.

At a meeting of the executive of the Earthquake Emergency Committee Mr. 15. F. Spiers, on behalf of Mnrehison residents, said ho was in the township on .Saturday and the opinion was expressed that judging by the way tho Public Works Department was carrying out tho work it would lie at least three weeks before tho GlenhopeMurchison 'Road would be available for heavy traffic. Ho asked the committee to urge on tho department to concentrate on getting this portion of the road fit for heavy traffic. People were now going back and the heavy goods would be required to reconstruct the homes.

Mr. Dinwiddie, manager of tho dairy company, said there was a considerable quantity of butter which should bo sent away, as the freezer was damaged. Tho longer heavy traffic was held up tho longer the Mnrehison people would bo in Nelson, as heavy material could not get through. Doctor's Creek and Clay Bank Creek were the worst spots. Mr. Eraser supported Mr. Spiers in his request. There was not less than £ISOO worth of butter in store which should bo shipped.

Tho Mayor said it was highly desirable that all able-bodied men should get back to work as soon as possible. Mr. Eraser said that with the conditions existing at Murchison up to a few days ago tho department no doubt considered there was no immediate need for a road to carry heavy traffic. It was resolved to inform the Public Works Department that in tho opinion of tho committee the most urgent necessity is firstly to mako tho Glenhope--Murchi-son Road fit for heavy traffic and, secondly, to give access to the dairy farmer. SAFETY IN BUILDING. LESSONS FOR ARCHITECTS. DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION. DAMAGE DUE TO FAULTS. "The greater part, if not tho whole, of tho damage done to buildings through vibrations in tho zouo of the recent earthquako could have been avoided by sounder design and construction," said Mr. C. 11. Ford, yesterday, after a tour embracing Nelson, Murchison and Westport, as a member of the committee sent to inspect it by tho Instituto of Architects with the approval of tho Minister of Scientific and Industrial Research, who attached Dr. Adams, Government seismologist, to tho party. Elaborating this opinion, which is that of tho whole committee, Mr. Ford said that tho damaged buildings, no matter how sound they were in respect of ordinary stresses, had obviously not been designed to withstand earthquake vibrations. This may havo been excusable in tho past, but it would not be so in the future. In many instances thero had been a total absence of connections between the different parts of a structure. There were brick walls facing shops supported by inadequato columns below and not secured to tho sido walls, or if secured at all, only by light wooden walls—a feature common to tho smaller towns of New Zealand which had been a prolific cause of damage in tho earthquako area. Floors and roofs inadequately tied to walls had helped to add to tho damage. "Each element in a building has its distinct period of vibration according to height and volume," said Mr. Ford. "It is an elementary principle, but wo have seen where floors vibrating at a different rate from tho walls have helped to batter them, and thero also is tho fact that such separate elements as towers havo become serious agents of destruction for tho same reason.

"In certain instances modification in planning will bo required, but speaking generally it is a matter of applying a few now principles to existing forms of construction to enable buildings to resist tho lateral forces induced by earthquakes. "Brick as a material has been condemned by one lecturer on tho earthquakes. No such sweeping assertion is justified. Thore are in Nelson several brick buildings, soundly built to withstand lateral vibrations and adequately tied, which have suffered no damage whatever. Solid bricks can be used within certain height limitations with perfect safety, provided that well reinforced concreto ties are wisely placed." Mr. Ford desires neither to hide faults he has noticed in design arid construction from tho point of view of earthquakes uor to arouse unnecessary anxiety in tho mind of the public. lie believes that certain principles will have to bo insisted upon which would mako it impossible for tho consideration of a small percentage on the cost to over-rule an architect's prudence, but in view of tho importance of tho matter ho refrained at this juncture from doing more than, touching upon it. His considered conclusions will appear in the New Zealand Herald in due course THE RELIEF COMMITTEE. DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS. The first meeting of all members of the Central Earthquako Relief Committee, set up by the Government, will bo held in Wellington to-morrow morning. The committee is charged with the distribution of tho funds being collected throughout New Zealand and which are not specifically allotted to certain parts of tiie affected area.