THE ARCHITECTS BILL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 15823, 23 July 1913, Page 9

THE ARCHITECTS BILL.

A lopreccntative of this paner railed upon a prominent member ol tue uuilu'.ng uiu-v yesterday with a view to eliciting an 14111110,1 as to tile Institute ot Arcaiwcts linl in sv far as it alt'eeiecl tile ounu.iij; trade. n.u builder referred to, ;d ttie course of a coi;vernation, gave expression to tnc toliomi.g opinions:—

"±\o one can find fault with the urcli.tecis combining to regulate tnuir oivi. altairs, 'but when tliej auem.ii to deny wi right of anyone outtj.de uieu- pioposcj institute to proclaim hiniseit an urclnteci, 1 think they are going too far. fceeuon 20, olauso (H), of the proposed Act reads iolioivs' |ivery pciaou comimw ;m olicnci: and io liable to it line ol iioO who, nou-tooiiig a member ol the institute, carries on in., butiiiess of an arelmcec. or describes hnueelt in writing as a puolic mcmiecfc or registered aremwet.' ihe oujeci ui this Act, i am told, Js io protect Me i<tti<lic. I am oi opinion that in a irianui m this kind the public ate quite capable o. taking care of themselves and that cue uu. object of the Dill is to protect tne nrcnitat. iiow jnany of the aron.iec.s of uie (lomiiiu,;, could hope to pass the i'.xv.l.ii.A. exam.i...tion? Very few; and yet we are ro.u in,., tno buildings m the dominion are moie ui..u passable, in tlicdo days oi technical education aJid literature uivm w noiii.ng to liinder, say, a builder oi,experience ivom assigning quite as well as an architect, oven thougu lie be a member oi an instituie—o: course, I mean findings ol an ordinary kind. In fact, in some- respects he wou*.. be preierable 0 and in tli.s connection I quote Professor Berc-sford l*iie, an authority whose opinion on a matter of this kmd biiould carry some weight on a (|iiestion ol architecture. The' proiu>sor tay.-,: — " ' How far is it necssary lor builders to study architecture, and lioff lar :a such a study 'desirable or iiiterw>i.i)g'r limldera »re an absolutely necessary part of society, ss a country cannot grew 'without them. . The buildings oi a nation form a solid record of its development, muualiy as well as materially, Ihe bulk ot- the bunding.s erected in Jimgiaiid are doiw probably without architect;, and therefore without architectural thought or design, from the great factories down to the small speculative houses, and so far as these are direct, serviceable, and unatlmed, they illustrate the ' Architectural age in a simple and efteciive jense. But education to some extcne in urchitecturo will be needed if builders are to cultivate their minds in the direction ot the aesthetic, that is, true proportion, propriety of ornamental detail, etc. To acquire any degree ot proficiency in this re- . quires much study ,;i>d constant practice with wide knowledge; indeed, it amounts almost to a giit, and :t is hardly to be expected that practical builders, with all their multifarious duties, caii find time to devote themselves to this branch of the building craft, ft is possible, however, to a limited degree. A builder who is a|way.s erecting churches or country larm buiiuitigs, or indeed any otlur lerin ot specialisation, cannot but tuccomc an e.xperc in the particular line which lie practises. Furthermore, if he keep his fucuii.es of observation clear, .he will, as experience increasM, acquire a very fair general knowledge of the arcnitecturai style oi the building, nc Knows best and of the detail proper io it. liu,"kin's detinition cl art, as expressing the enjoyment a man experiences m the execution of h;6 work, rba.nJs quite good in regard to such building work, the art being that little margin ol pleasure or prolit which such a man puts into it alter the fulfilment of the more material and piosaic parte of the work. Education in technical matters » eminently needful to (lie aspirant for a place in the building trade, but ihe student eoon finds its practical limits. Building ccience and architecture have been divorced far too long in our technical schools. The joiner should be taught not only how to lrarne up a four-panel door, but "what proportion rhe panels s lioul<! bear to the whole and what the shapes oi the mouldings may l>e. Similarly in brickwork and masonry, the btudcjic ehouid learn, not only how w> set out and cut an arch or pilaster, or work a column with cap and bade, but how to draw a properly proportioned column or a regular arch, and what the shapes of the caps and bases should be in the architectural style which he is illustrating.' "I hold no brief," continued the gentleinterviewed, for the incompetent architect, but confidently assert that most of the 'buildings required in this dominion could be designed and earned out successfully by practical men who would probably iail to paso tfte examination required by the institute. Hegird for the public weal from a sanitary point of view is aiso used by the promoters of (lie Bill as one of the arguments ;n favour of this Acr. Well, everybody—architects good and bad—has 110 option in this respect but has to comply with the very stringent regulations in that behalf laid down by ihd civic authorities, As a matter of fact, this is the easiest pa r t o f an architect's work, as he just guvs the work has to be done in compliance with I the regulations, and leuvos the tradesmen to fight it out and get the certilicatc. I am of opinion that even if this Act were carried the duller will not be eliminated, awl the professional duffer is the worst of all There are many ways in which ihe architects might do good at once. To have no money dealings whatever with the builder is one. Many more might be cited. Now, in the matter of building you am to a large extant hedged in by the bnildiiiir bv-laws . which are fairly drastic :ji this city, and all plans have to 'be submitted to the building surveyor for approval before a permit to build can be obtained, so that the public i aro fairly well safeguarded in this respect. My objection, therefore, to the Act is that it, makes the institute a close corporation without any 'benefit to the general public."