REBUILDING OF CORK

Meeting of Reconstruction Committee
‘A meeting of the Cork Reconstruction Committee was held yesterday afternoon in the School of Art. …Mr. John Ryan, Building Inspector, submitted a report of the progress of the reconstruction work in the city.

Mr Barry said there was very little doing in the rebuilding operations, though the weather was most suitable, and yet they had hundreds of men walking the streets of the city idle. Wages had come down, and that did not have the effect of speeding up the work. They had the money lying idle in the banks. He thought the existing state of things was a disgrace. There was an urgent need for action being taken by the [Cork City] Corporation to try and urge on those people and make them alive to a sense of civic duty. The delay which was so much in evidence in the rebuilding, also represented a considerable loss in rates, which could be utilised for the advantage of the city….’.

(Extract from Cork Examiner, 15 March 1924, p5)

Wednesday 19 March 1924

Meeting of the Housing Committee
‘At a meeting of the [Cork Corporation] Housing Committee held at the School of Art yesterday afternoon, the Lord Mayor presided. Also present – Councillors William Ellis and Barry M. Egan.

…Messrs W. H. Hill & Sons, architects reported as follows – “On the instruction of the Housing Committee, we attended at the Wycherley housing site on March 1^st, and met there, as directed the City Engineer, Mr. Wild (representing the contractors) and Mr. Smith of the Youghal Brick Company. The Lord Mayor and some members of the Housing Committee members also attended. An examination was made of the various houses affected with damp chimney breasts. …We are of the opinion that all the brick shafts should be coated with cement and Pudlo or other suitable weather proof material. …the chief contributing causes [for the damp] would appear to be as follows: (1) The abnormally wet winter season.

(2) The absence of the usual methods for ensuring inside walls against dampness viz. the quick tenanting of the houses after construction to give the essential dry conditions internally by the heat of domestic fires, more especially in the grates where the flues have been affected.

(3) Months of driving, continuous rains on the outside surface of the brick shafts.

…The construction has been attested as sound and good workmanship and in accordance with the requirements of the specifications. …Both contractors agreed that in this district the exposed surface of stock brickwork should be rendered with cement plaster, and we are in agreement with their opinion’…

(Extract from Cork Examiner, 20 March 1924, p12)

AN ILLUSTRATED LECTURE ENTITLED
‘Nature and The Imagination in Art’
Will be delivered by MISS GLADYS SCOTT, in the
LECTURE THEATRE, SCHOOL OF ART, on
WEDNESDAY NEXT, 19 inst,. at 8pm.

Mr Daniel Corkery, Vice-Chairman of the Art Sub-Committee will preside.

The Citizens are cordially invited.
F.B. Giltinan
Secretary

(Advertisement in Cork Examiner, 18 March 1924, p 4)