Page:Municipal Handbook of Auckland 1922.djvu/144

 floors; the other portion is an Auction Mart, of one storey.

Building No. 2 is of similar construction, with dividing walls 9 inches thick. The first floor and the middle portion of the ground floor, 70 feet wide, are formed with wooden joists covered with 1¼ inch T. & G. flooring, the remaining 56 feet being of reinforced concrete; the roof is covered with 26-gauge galvanised corrugated iron, the principals being of steel, and the purlins of wood. The cost of this building was £36,100, and includes a proportionate cost of back roads, paved with concrete, draughting charges and Clerk of Works' wages. The building, with the exception of "A" portion (which is of three-storey construction) has a ground floor, 3 feet above street level, 14 feet high, and a first floor, 9 feet high to the underside of the beams, the total floor area being 116,016 square feet. In the "A" portion, a cold store was provided at the expense of the firm leasing that portion, but the cost is not included in the above-mentioned figures. It is interesting to note that the Council acquired this site on account of its proximity to the waterfront, and subsequently erected buildings to accommodate, amongst others, those who had been its tenants in the old Market buildings, situated near the Town Hall. By this course, the produce business has been more or less confined to one part of the City, thus reducing cartage to a minimum and preventing traffic of produce to and from the