1935-03-09 — Page 2

Page

MAIL NEWS FROM CHINA

Railways, Mining, And Road Building

HUNAN-KWEICHOW HIGHWAY

Changsha, The projected Huran-Kwelchow Inter-provincial Highway must be completed in 110 days, states an order of General Chiang Kai- shek, President of the Milltary Affairs Commission. The work 15 to be rushed in order to facilitate the operatiors against the Red bandits.

Soldier-labour will be utilized in the construcilon. Units of the 53rd Government Division under Lieut-General Li Yun-heng and the Kwelchow Division under "Lieut.-General Yang Chi-charg will build the Kwelchow section of the highway, 385 1 (128 miles) long. The men of the 23rd Divi- sion under Lieut.-General Li Yun- chleh will build the Hunan por- tion, totalling, 375 1 1125 mlle). Kuo Min.

OMNIBUS CARAVAN

"Kueihua

over

A fleet of seven omulbuses left here recently for Eami, eastern Sinkiang, along the Suiyuar-Sin- kiang Elghway. Besides 8,000 cattles of cargo and mall matter, the, buses carried 16 pas- sengers, including six women and two children, who are relatives of former North-eastern Volunteers now staying in Sinklang,

A consignment of radio equip- ment and materials, donated by the Ministry of Communications to the Sulyuan Sink'ang Motor- bus company for a radio station at Erklitsuho in Sinkiang, was also on board.—* ̈ ̈* Kuo Min.

ALCOHOL INSTEAD OF "GASO- LINE FOR OMNIBUSES

Nanking.

The Ministry of Industry is in receipt of a telegram from the Hunan Provincial Highway Bureau, suggesting the use of alcohol, in plage of gasoline, in the operation of omnibus services. The mess- age states that experiments with the new fuel have proved success- -ful, and after further experiments on the Changsha-Hengyang High- way, its use will be extended to ather highways.

In this copnection. It may be noted that the Hunan Provincial Government recently established

an alcohol plant in Changsha to develop the industry in" the pro-,

vince.- Kuo Min.

NANNING-KWETYANG LONG DISTANCE TELEPHONE

Nanning.

INDUSTRIAL

Nanking,

It is learnt that Mr. D. J. Býans, who for nearly five years has been adviser to the Bureau of Foreign Trade in the Ministry of Industry, has accepted a concurrent post as adviser to the National Govern- ment Commission of Administra- tive Efficiency, recently establish- ed under the chairmanship of Mr. Wang Ching-wel, President of the Executive Yuan.

This Commission was establish- ed last year to undertake a syste- matic study of administrative me- thods and make suggestions for the improvement of the existing System with a view to greater eff. ciency and economy in the Civil Service -

Kun Hin -

CO-OPERATION IN MATCH MANUFACTURE

-

Nanking, Arrangements for co-operation In the manufacture and sale of matches have been agreed upon between match manufacturers" in the six provinces of Kiangsu, Che- Tupeh klang, Ahwel, Klangsi,

and Hunan, so as to secure a unit- ed front in resisting the dumping of Japanese goods.

It has been agreed that produc- the various factories tion of should be determined by quota according to current demands. Areas of sale are to be demarcat- ed among the factories, avoiding competition and price-cutting with, one another. It was also de- cided that all unnecessary ex- penses be cut down for the sake of economy.— Kun Min

BANKS AND FACTORIES IN KLANGSI

A

-Nanking, With regard to the recent joint petition of the Klangsi Provincial and Karhsien District Chambers of Commerce for the establish- mert of banks and factories in Klangsi, and as a result of con- ferences between

the Ministries

of Finance and Industry, it is un- derstood that the Central Bank of China, Bank of China and Bank of Communications have been instructed by the Ministry of Finance to establish branches in that province.

The big industrial concerns have likewise been urged by the Minis- try of Industry to open factorles In Klangst, in order to facilitate the economic rehabilitation of the province. Kua. Min

HONG KONG DAILY PRESS, SATURDAY, MARCH 1935

ENGINEERING AND BUILDING

THE SKYSCRAPER OF

THE FUTURE

The ten-storey Home Insurance Building. Chicago, erected in 1884, is credited with being the pioneer skyscraper of skeleton construc- tion. It was demolished," with five adjoining structures, in 1931- 3 and on their site was erected, the Field Building. the centre portion of which is 43 storeys, 535 ft. high. This building when formally opened, April 28, 1934, "made available 1,000,000 sq. ft. of rental area. « Between the two dates, 1884 and 1934, 5.000 bullde ings of ten storeys or more in height were built in the United Giant struc- States and Canada. tures like the Empire State Build- ing and the Rockefeller Centre, both of New York City, mark the end of the period. At the close of the past year, building cons struction of the skyscraper type was practically at a standstill. The question is being asked: Is this condition permanent?

was

It

An editorial article in the New York Times, of August 21, 1934, contained the "following satement: "Even before the great crash and the great depression the sky, scraper

under

suspicion from the standpoint of sound economics. It did not always pay for itself as a renting enter- prise. A large part of the re- turn was supposed to be in ad- vertising. But for that purpose a skyscraper had to be more than tall It must be taller or tallest. People were not erecting high buildings but higher buildings, primarily for the world to look at and talk about and only "subse- quently for people to dwell in. The economic collapse has turn- ed this into very costly publicity.”.

No More Skyscrapers? It may be taken as certain that until a large percentage of the now unrented space is occupied, ro more skyscrapers will be built. Mr. William Orr Ludiow, chairman of the Committee on Industrial Relations of the American In- stitute of Architects, says in his report of April 11, 1933, to the Institute: "It is possible that skyscrapers will not be built again for many a long day, perhaps never. The skyscraper era 13 -closing, and the tall buildings of to day may be curiosities in the future." It is certainly probable that no more super-tall buildings, "sky-piercers." will be required.. However, when the présent vacant. rental space is occupied, "as it one day will be, new office buildings will be needed and un-

Director of the Kweiyang Pact ENGINEERS AND

THE EMPIRE

Direct long-distance telephone Forces, and General Esleh Yo, service between Nanning and Hwelyang, respectively provincial capitals of Kwangst and " Kwel- chow, was inauguarated when

·General Ld, Tsung-jen, Comman der of the Kwangsi Provincial

Acation Headquarters, spoke to each other through the phone and" complimerted the engineers on the successful installation- Ko Min:

AND

PORTL

GEMENT

EMERALCRETE

RAPID HARDENING PORTLAND CEMENT

IN PAPER BAGS OF 94LBS NETT

PRODUCT OF

GREENSLAND CEMENT CO. LTD.

EXCHANGE BUILDING, HONG KONG

Huge Undertakings. Completed

It is a trite, but nevertheless true saying that the creative artist is more interested in his work while it is in production than he is when it is completed. The novelist and the poet not un- commonly regard their outpour ings, when they have been trans lated into type, with a coldness and even an aversion that the layman finds astonishing, and the humble technical writer is not unfamiliar with the same mental Fattitude.

OF

less land 'values' in 'large cities depreciate far beyond what at present appears Ikely, they will be of the skyscraper type.

Engineers and architects during the past two or three years have given much thought to the Cen- tury of Progress Exposition in Chicago. The Exposition, which was a success in 1933, was again re-opened for the season of 1934.

The buildings housing the ex- hibits differ from those of any, previous exhibition. _My___Daniel Hudson Burnham, Director of Works, as well as secretary of the Exposition, has decided views on the subject of the coming skys- craper. In an article entitled "Skyscrapers of the Future, he described some of the unique features of the Exposition build, ings, which were the result of economic necessity.

Skyscraper Built in 180 Days The Exposition, unlike all pre- vious adventures of the kind, was It financed by private capital. was to last 150 days after which the buildings were to be tom down. "However,” Mr. Burnham says, "in a few years, or perhaps in a few months, we may expect skyscrapers to go up in 180 days and be replaced in two decades. They will be built to last just as long as their elevators, plumb- ing and other mechanical fix- tures may be expected to remain serviceable and no longer." He proceeds: "To morrow's skyscra- per will not be a skyscraper at all in the ordinary sense of heavy steel and heavy ma- sonry." The "synthetic skys- craper he claims, can be built for less than half the cost and can be erected in half the time

- now

required. Moreover, *its useful life will be limited to twenty years, after which it will be salvaged. Walls will be only three or four inches thick, the outer ones enamelled with insula- tion between. It will be virtually windowless, illumination coming from neon hidden_in ́ portable torches. Its heating plant --will purify and humidify the air, and maintain a cool temperature in summer. It will bring about stabilisation of present property -values and tend to break up shift- ing of business area.” „Mr. Burn- ham feels sure that the occupants of such a structure whether it be fifteen storeys or a hundred and fifty storeys, will live under more healthy and comfortable" éonditions than are possible in the most luxurious office to-day.

CLYDE ORDER FROM GERMANY

A contract for the ventilation equipment of the passenger liners at present being built in Germany for the Norddeutscher Lloyd and the Hamburg-Amerika Line has been received by a Scottish Arm. Altogether there are five ships in-. der construction for these com- panies, there being for the Ham- burg-Amerika Line and two for the Norddeutscher Lloyd.

FINE CONTRACTS EXCHANGE OF

Some Recent Orders

BIGGEST DAM IN les limited, Prescot, Lancs, manti-

THE WORLD

115 Miles Long, 600 Feet Deep

Lowered inch by inch during the night, a huge steel gate, weigh- ing 1,350 tons, which is to hold back the turbulent waters of the

Colorado River and from the large est lake ever made by man, has Anally stopped the flow of water.

The lake will be in the bound- ary region of Nevada and Color- ado,

This is the first phase of a pro- ject costing by the construction of a great dam known as the Boulder Dam and to use the stor- ed-up water for the generation of electricity and for the irrigation at 1,000,000 acres of arid land. It has been completed in four and A half years--two and a half years-two and a half years » ahead of the agreed time.

It will take three years to fill the great reservoir, which will Enally extend for 115 miles up the canyons of the Colorado River, ranging in width from a few An hundred feet to eight miles. aqueduct 250 miles long will carry

SHIPYARDS

Agreement Between Two Clyde Firms

Messrs. British Insulated Cab-

factured and supplied the whole Fof the conductors for the telephone and telegraph circuits-connecting Halla and Tripoll with Hassar,

A. scheme of shipyard exchange: through the principal operating between the two noted Greenock. station at Haditha, along the Iraq arms. Messrs. Scott's Shipbuilding Petroleum Company's new pipe- and Engineering Company: Limit- line routes, referred to in our last ed, and Messrs. Greenock Dock week's issue. Upwards of 5,000 yard Company, has been finally miles of cadmium-copper wire, agreed to and will take effect al- weighing 300 lb. per mile, and most at once. The Dockyard. 600 miles weighing 70 lb. per mile, Company's yard is at present were supplied, or 696 tors in all sandwiched." in between Messrs. Quantities of other types of cables Scott's East and West yards, and

at is. and conductors' were

the arrangement arrived also sup

that the former will move into plled.

Messrs. Scotts East shipyard' and. hand over their present yard to the latter. From all points of view it would seem to be an ad- mirable arrangement: for both. companies, as Messrs. Scotts will now be able to concentrate all their activities in one large com- plete shipyard, whereas the Dock- yard company will be able to mp dertake the building of a larger class of vessel, and will be, incid-" entally, brought into closer touch. "with the Garvel Graving Dock, where they are carrying on a large amount of ship-repair and over- haul work. They will also have the added advantage that a rallway- line runs into their new yard. They have one vessel at present

Messrs. Harland and Wolf, Limited, North Woolwich, London,„ have received orders from Messrs. Cowans, Sheldon and Company, Limited, Carlisle, for a steel crane pontoon for Cliffe, Isle of Grain, and from the Grand Union Canal Carrying Company. Limited, for 24 pairs of motor boats and butty

boats for use on the Canal.

Messrs. The Fretwell Heating Compary, Limited, Abbey House, Victoria-street, London, have secured an order from Messrs. A. E. Lindsey. Limited.. Edmonton, for steam

plant, unit-heating system and dust-extraction ap- paratus. Other recent orders are for heating and air-conditioning installations for two cinema the

atres.

35

1!

Messrs. Hopkinsons, Limited. Huddersfield, have supplied 12 centrifugal all purifiers to Messir. some of this stored-up water to Iraq Petroleum Company. Limited,

Southern California.

Flood Controj

Part of the electrical power generated, which is expected to reach the equivalent of nearly 2,000,000 .p. will be carried over the biggest transmission line in the world to Los Angeles, 270. miles away. Enough water will be obtained by next autumn to stårt the generation of electric power, but before then the dam is ex- pected to prove extremely valu- able in food control, protecting an area where widespread damage has been done in the past.

The Boulder Dam itself is "one- of the wonders of modern engin- eering. It is 7271t. high, 1,180ft. wide "at the top, where it is 457t thick and 650ft thick at the base, which stands on solid rock. More than 3,000,000 cubic yards of con- crete have been used in its con- struction, and 6,000 men have been employed on the work since 1930.

When the reservoir is full the water will be nearly 800ft," deep at the dam

SCOTTISH SHIPBUILDING

ORDERS

Two further shipbuilding con- fracts have been placed on the Clyde during the past week, and there are rumours of several more orders being fixed up at no very"

for purifying the lubricating oil, used by the Diesel engines at the various stations along the new Iraq pipe line. The machines are designed to deal with 140 gallons. of oil per hour.

Messrs. International Combus--

on the stocka, and as she is to be

launched this week, the transfer. ence to their new yard can be carried out at once, as approval. to the new arrangement has been given by the Greenock Harbour Trust. The Clan liner ordered re- cently from the Dockyard Com- pany will shortly be laid down in the new yard.—

tional, Limited, Aldwych House, of pulverised fuel. The order in- Aldwych. London, have just cludes all the auxiliary equip secured an important contract ment, buildings, &c., the latter to for boller plant for the West house the new turbo-alternator Australian Government power and switchgear, which are being station at East Perth. The order supplied under other contracts by covers three high-pressure water- Messrs. C. A. Parsons and Com tube.

pany, Limited, and Mestrs, Metro" politan-Vickers Electrical Com- pany. Limited.

bollers, each "evaporating 135,000 lb. of steam per hour, to be fred by the Lopulco system

L'

METAL WINDOWS

MANUFACTURER:

MADE IN HONGKONG

"FROM

IMPORTED

BRITISH

MATERIAL

95%

BRITISH.

distant date. The order just plac- THE TAI YING STEEL WINDOW MFG. CO.

ed with Messrs. ¦ Ailsa Shipbuild-. ing Company, Limited, Troon and Ayr, is for a single-screw vessel of 1,000 tons gross and 1,350 tons deadweight capacity for Mr. Wile Ham Robertson; shipowner, Glas- Bow. She is to be used for the Continental and home trade, and is to be of the raised quarter-deck type and to be built under Lloyd's special survey. The bulb scant lings in several respects will be in The equipment wil be similar excess of the classification require- to what was fitted by the same "ments. A cruiser stern firm on board the German super streamlined rudder will be fitted. liners Bremen and Europa.

Note. The above is patent kah Louvre equipment manufac tured by Thermotank. Ltd.

and

She is to be built at the Troop Pun-yard, and will be propelled by Die- sel machinery atted aft, and bar- ing suficient power for a service speed of fully 10 knots. The auxiliary machinery on deck and done for the Empire, and that in the engine room will be elect they should have called on such rically driven. The other order distinguished rerresentatives of placed this week 1a for a twin- our profession as Mr. Ralph Free screw, direct-drive Diesel pass- man, Mr. Julian Trition, Briga enger vessel about 250 It dier-General Hammond and long, to be built by Mensre Colonel Pollard-Lowsley to tell William

and Brothers, them in twenty minutes some-Limited- umbarton for the thing about their work.

London and Southend Ship ping Company, Limited This ves-"' sel, which is intended for the owners daily summer service be tween London, Southend and the Continent, makes the third con- tract booked by Messrs. Denny within four weeks and is the fourth placed on the Clyde since this year commenced:

It is not surprising, therefore, to find that the engineer, while he may pore for hours over his drawings and exercise all his en- ergies in seeing that construction ls carried out in accordance with his ideas, is by no means always to set down what he has done on The result must have beer to paper for the benefit of his colles show how much such structures gues

still less to expatiate to a as the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the lay public on the way in which Willingdon Bridge at Calcutta, his work, more than one aspect the Hardinge Bridge over the improved the conditions of life. Ganges, and the Zambeat Bridge, From this point of view more the development of such ports a over he has not been too well those at Halfa the construction treated by the historian and, with bf many miles of railways in "almost the single exception of Mr. India, Ceylon, Malaya, Weat Kipling, the novelist has also Africa and Uganda and, perhaps neglected that romance which in above all, the lay-out of extensive the widest sense brings up the irrigation ystems in more than 8.1522

one of the King's Overseas Demi-

Pollard-Low

he

It was therefore hitting that the

nions, hav done to say ife and rezu Royal Empire Society should have both materially and devoted the meeting held at the raise the standard of Hotel Victoria, London, to a con- Tviliustrate sideration of what engineers have one quotation tak

oce

of th ultivated

TELEPHONE: 27482.

OFFICE- 89/85, CHUN YONG STREET.

FACTORY: NORTH-POINT

HONG KONG,

SHIP & ENGINE BUILDERS. SHIP ENGINE REPAIRERS. MECHANICAL AND ELECTRICAL

:: ENGINEERS. BOILER MAKERS. IRON FOUNDERS. (Licensed To Manufacture Lans Perlit. Iran) BRASS FOUNDERS.

· FORGE MASTERS,

OXY-ACETYLENE AND #ELECTRIC WELDERS:

OF HONG KONG, LIMITED.

THE TAIKOO DOCKYARD & ENGINEERING COMPANY

SALVAGE TUG TAIKOO

Wireless

V.P.G.N. S

DRY DOCK

Length 787 Foot Length on Blocks 750 Fest- Brandthest

Depth on Centre of 801 (70.6.T.) 84 1.- 6 ing.

→THREE SLIPWAYB-

Capable of Handling Ships Up. to 4000 Tons Displacement

-CRANES”

100 TON Electric Crane at Bes Wall,

Lifting reach 70 feet. 25 TON High tower gantry Travall-

ing Crane, Lifing radius 773 18 Ing serving the Dry Dock and Bes Wall berthan

BUTTERFIELD & SWIRE, Agents,

HONG KONG, CHIN