ARCHITECTS’ INSTITUTE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16360, 24 February 1921, Page 7

ARCHITECTS’ INSTITUTE.

[Per Press Association.} NAPIER, February 23. The annual conference of the New Zealand Institute of Architects opened to-day. Mr J. L. Salmond (Dunedin) presided. The Mayor, Mr Vigor Brown, welcomed the delegates. The Legislative Committee recommended that Parliament should be asked to give the institute power of bringing members, against whom serious misconduct was alleged, before the Supreme j Court, to be cited similarly to lawyers, minor offences still to be dealt with by the Institute Council. The recommendation was adopted. The general meeting of the institute will be held to-morrow. A communication was received from the Master Builders’ Federation asking for a conference with representatives of ! the institute for tlie purpose of revising | xhe general conditions of contract which have been in force for the last ten I years. ! Tlie matter was referred, to the special ! committee on conditions of contract : that is to be set up by the incoming i council. I Subsequently Mr Chilwell. on behalf * of the Auckland branch, moved : 4 * That i the incoming council bo recommended tc appoint a special committee to amend ! the general conditions of contract- on ■ lines recommended by several district j brandies, such committee to report to : a special meeting of the council, as provided by regulation 187.” The motion was carried. Mr L. D. Coombes moved, .and Air TL Mandeno seconded— 4i That the Government be requested to require counties and boroughs to frame suitable building by-laws.” The mover said that buildings in Otago did not seem to be under any control. One saw all sorts of i things that were really shocking. In Central Otago he had seen scrim and j paper stretched across studs without j any lining, seven-foot spans between floor joists, and bad timber used. An amendment by Air I. E. Greenish — i: That the council take into consideration the advisability or* requesting the Government to bring in legislation to standardise the constructional by-laws of the various municipalities and counties '' —was lost, and the motion was It also was resolved that all local bodies should be written to, requesting them to frame building by-laws which will provide minimum requirements con--1 sistent with good building. Air H. Davis, on behalf of the ! Hawke’s Bay branch, moved — Ci That I the incoming council be recommended I to urge the Government to limit the I-export of native timbers while local i markets are in need, and remove Cusj toms duties on imported timber and make railway freights the same on foreign as on local timbers.” Tho motion was seconded by Mr J. f Greig and carried. Explaining the position. Air Davis I said that there was a duty of 3s per j 1000 feet on imported timber, and the j railway freight, was 50 per cent more | than that charged on local timbers. If • the Government would allow timbers ■ such as Oregon pine to bo imported free ; of duty and placed on the market at tho ! same rates as local timbers, it would ! greatly relieve the building shortage. ! The council for the ensuing year was declared elected as follows: —All past i presidents of the institute, chairman of district branches —Alessrs B. C. Chil- | well (Auckland), J. H. Burr ('Hawke’s | Bay), T. H. Battle (Wanganui), W Crichton (Wellington), E. J. Greenstreet (Canterbury), L., D. Coombes (Otago) and.C- J. Brodrick (Southland), and sixteen persons elected by the general bodv of members in the several districts- -Alessr.; Nash, Ravage, Guminer and Alorran (Auckland), Greig and Davies (Hawke’s Bay), Ford. Page and Munniligs (Wellington), Hart, Penlington and Murray (Canterbury), Hooper and Mandeno (Otago), and E. R. Wilson (Southland), together with the honorary secretary and honorary treasurer when elected.