in the one is to be found in the other in such a way that there should be no doubt as to the intention of the designer. Both the drawings and the specifications are signed by the selected contractor, and, as previously stated, such signature forms a lasting and inviolable agreement between him and his employer. Any alterations in either subsequent to the appending of the signatures and approved by arrangement between the two parties are additionally initialled by the builder, and have a similar effect to that of a codicil in the case of a will.

The contractor is supplied free of charge with one copy of all working drawings and specification, and subsequently such detail drawings as are necessary for the execution of any part of the work at the request of the contractor, the request being made within a reasonable time before it is necessary to execute the work in order to fulfil the contract. An architect may demand vouchers from the contractor to show that the materials are such as are specified. The method of paying for work completed can, of course, be decided by agreement between the contractor and the architect, but generally certificates are given from time to time by the latter, vouching for the fact that the contractor is entitled to receive payment in respect of, at any rate, a reasonable percentage of work satisfactorily carried out up to date. As space is necessarily limited in the present work and the question of contracts is of a lengthy nature it will perhaps be best to state that a Form of Agreement and Schedule of Conditions for Building as issued by the sanction of the R.I.B.A. in agreement with the Institute of Builders and the National Federation of Building Trade Employers of Great Britain and Ireland can be obtained at any time at the office of the Institute, 9 Conduit Street, W., at a cost of one shilling.

In cases where building work is somewhat extensive a clerk of the works is appointed by the architect under whom he acts as inspector, and who is entitled to have access at all times to any drawings or parts of the works. His function is to be on the spot throughout the carrying of the contract, to keep records and diaries, and to report periodically to the architect.

A priced bill of quantities is merely a list of all material required which states the amount and cost of each detail. In large contracts this is prepared separately by a quantity surveyor as a guide and check in the selection of the contractor who is to carry out the work. By this means it is possible to discover in the most exhaustive manner the cost of any proposed building. There are other, though not as accurate, ways of estimating, which can be utilised for the purpose of obtaining a fairly shrewd idea of the ultimate cost. The most usual is by cubing the contents: taking as the height the vertical distance from the footings to halfway up the roof and multiplying it by the length and then the breadth. Roughly, the price per cubic foot can be classed according to the type of building in question and may range for purposes of farm and estate work from 34d. to 8d. or 9d. Thus, in the case of a labourer's cottage, when the cubic

contents are reckoned up the cost may be worked out at 44d. per cubic foot. Another way of arriving at the probable cost is by reckoning at, say, £50 a room in a dwelling-house or £8 a cow in a stock-house. This method, however, as can be seen, is the least likely to give very reliable results and would only be used in the initial stages of anticipating the cost of some projected building.

CHAPTER XXI

RURAL COTTAGES

THE question of housing the labourer is one which has attracted an enormous amount of attention of recent years and one which has been discussed very thoroughly throughout the length and breadth of the land from every possible aspect. There is no possible doubt that it is one of extreme importance and fully justifies all the attention that it has recently attracted. But there seem to be several points which a cursory glance at the question does not cover. In a large number of cases a landlord and his territorial possessions, including the dwelling-houses thereon, are in a similar position to a manufacturer and his business. Looking at each from a business point of view, they are based upon the same idea; that is to say, the landlord's capital is invested in his possessions in a similar way to that of the manufacturer, and it is to be supposed with equal hopes of a fair percentage thereon during each year. It follows therefore that any cottages erected on his land are intended to produce economic rents, and it is these rents which are governed by the wages of the occupants. Just as a City clerk earning a very small income cannot afford to live in a house which costs him more than a certain amount no matter how extensive his family, so a labourer working on a farm cannot afford to occupy a cottage whose dimensions necessitate the demand of a higher rent than his wages justify. The landlord from a purely business point of view is surely entitled to the return on his capital which he has left invested in the land to the great benefit of those who require work, and he cannot be held responsible for the maintenance of the ever-increasing families of his workpeople. He may build small cottages and he may build large cottages, but it is always at the option of the labourer to choose between them according to his means. In dealing therefore with the varying rate of wages it is necessary to evolve a series of classes which shall be applicable to cottage building, providing when required the smallest and least expensive type and as required a larger type for those who are able to afford the economic rent charged for them. The smallest type of cottage is at the present moment the one of greatest importance, and the endeavour of to-day is to build such in a way which adequately houses the occupant

and his family and at the same time of such a cost that the landlord is enabled to charge a rent which is at once economic and compatible with his tenants' wages. There are two forms in which cottages can be built (1) Two floored; (2) Bungalow. The latter type is particularly to be considered in exposed situations and where land is possible of cheap acquisition, in addition to which the inconvenience of the necessarily somewhat precipitous and awkward staircase is eliminated.

The drawings of the two types will give a fair illustration of what is reasonably possible where conditions are normal, and it will be noticed from the specifications that though no inferior materials are used great care has been taken to leave out anything not absolutely necessary without reducing the comfort. There are one or two points which should invariably be borne in mind when considering the ultimate comfort of the occupants and are as follows:

1. The kitchen or living room. Used mainly for living and should therefore have the best aspect, i.e. south or south-west. If there be a parlour it is only in occasional use. However, such a room, no matter how small, should if possible be provided, as it is the custom of the class rigidly to set apart one room in the house for the storage of household gods, and in the case where only a kitchen or living room and a scullery are provided, the latter will almost invariably be used as the living room and the former relegated practically to disuse.

2. A larder and fuel store, each of ample size are necessary.

3. In planning the bedrooms due provision should be made for the suitable placing of the beds with relation the doors, windows, and (where provided) fireplaces.

4. In selecting materials prcference should be given to those appertaining to the district.

5. Not only from an economical point of view, but also for purposes of cleansing, the floors should be of concrete or good red tiles downstairs, at any rate in the living room and scullery.

6. There should be facilities for the storage of rain water and such store should be easy of access-that is to say, if possible, pumping should be dispensed with. Even in cases where there is a good supply of well water close at hand it is advisable to collect the rain water, as every housewife will agree as to its value for household purposes. As the first few minutes of a rainstorm will produce unclean water from the roofs of houses it is a very usual custom to provide an inexpensive contrivance which prevents that water from being collected in the storage tank, so that in effect the result is that the roofs are swilled down before the rain they collect passes into the tank. This latter should preferably be of galvanised iron and not the commonly used barrel or water-butt; though the wooden rain water butt is less unsightly it is insanitary and altogether unsatisfactory. The tank should be raised sufficiently above the ground to allow of buckets, &c., being placed under the draw-off tap. A suitable position for this tank will be easily found adjacent to the