124 



BUTLOINU MaTEEIAL. 



Embracing the fundamental rocks, building material, such 

 as it is, is plentiful throughout the eastern tracts of Munno 

 Para. As might be expected the best is obtained from the 

 quartzites, and these (with the exceptionof "Williams's Quarry, 

 Section 3092 ; Billings' Quarry, Section 3094 ; and Bald's 

 Quarry, Section 3306 — none of which could be used for fine 

 ashlar-work) are fit for strong rubble work only. 



No attempts have been made to procure building stone from 

 the clay-slate except to the east of G-awler South, and as the 

 stone seems to be less adapted for building purposes than that 

 from Grlen Osmond — and even this, to my mind, is deficient 

 in some respects — I cannot recommend its use. 



Fundamental Limestone. — No natural sections of these beds 

 are displayed throughout the district ; nevertheless, along the 

 line of strike advantageous sites for quarries could be selected, 

 and, in my opinion, an excellent and durable building stone 

 could in many cases be procured. 



Travertine. — Very little of this material has been used in 

 Munno Para for building purposes, unless it be for mortar. 



Mortar. — The travertines of the Munno Para hills, on 

 account of various impurities, are poorly adapted for building 

 purposes generally. Probably the greatest defect is their 

 including small nodules of fundamental limestone. Unless 

 the greatest care is exercised during the process of slacking, 

 the inclusions remain undissolved, bursting and destroying the 

 work months after its execution. 



Sand. — Sand of very fair quality for building and other 

 economic purposes is procurable from dunes of a similar 

 character to those situate in the neighbourhood of Alberton 

 throughout the lower tracts of the district. In the highlands 

 the waste from the Upland Tertiaries furnishes a material for 

 finishing plaster work not surpassed by anything obtained in 

 the colony. 



Brick. — In no case, to my knowledge, except at Smithfield — 

 where the works are abandoned — has this auxiliary to the 

 builder been manufactured. Should a demand ever spring up 

 abundance of raw material will be found throughout the rede- 

 positions of the drift, along the banks of the Crawler and 

 Little Para Rivers. 



Road Metal. 

 If discriminate selection were exercised by those in power 

 over our macadamised road system, abundance of most 

 durable road metal could be procured throughout the 

 quartzites and fundamental limestones of Munno Para. As 

 already stated, in some of the quartzites the feldspathic paste 



