68 
There should be ample cupboards for linen, stores, clothes, 
boxes, etc., conveniently disposed about the house. There is a sad 
lack of these necessities in most houses. 
The bathroom is, 1 am [ leased to say, an object of great in- 
terest to most Australians, and where means allow, it is everything 
that it should be. The modern custom of putting it in the house, 
instead of on the back verandah, or under the house among the piles, 
as they often do in Queensland, is where it should be. It might be 
still better placed amongst the bedrooms, and not between the draw- 
ing and dining rooms as in many cases I know. In passing* plum- 
bers shops, I note that plain galvanised iron baths are still sold. 
1 hey should be prohibited, as also the sinks of the same material. 
If one cannot afford the expense of the enamel steel bath, the locally 
made cement ones are a good substitute. The washtroughs of this 
material are fortunately gradually coming into use, and are within 
the means of all householders. The English pattern of common 
stoneware sink is a very suitable at tide and is made "hero, but, on 
account of some regulation 1 understand the imported steel one 
must be used. As 1 have before stated, it should be possible to use 
local manufacture for everything about a bouse: the demand will 
create the supply. We should copy the Americans in thinking that 
what our own country produces is best for us. 
Before leaving this part of the subject, I wish to call attention 
to the usual position of the E.( ., mostly obtrusive and unsightlv, 
inconvenient in sickness, and probably very often the cause of colds. 
If there is a sewerage system, there is no good reason against having 
it inside the bouse. If otherwise, it should be nearer the dwelling 
and camouflaged by attachment to a woodshed or washhouse. As at 
present, it is a, vulgar abomination. The inside treatment is also bad 
and rough. Hard, smooth-plastered ceiling and walls, or wood lin- 
ing, and a good close floor, either of cement or wood, are requisite. 
The seat should invariably be of polished jarrah ; in England they 
always use polished mahogany. The existing by-laws should be 
altered to suit these requirements. 
Regarding the materials for constructing the house, the primary 
factor is cost. One should, if possible, employ materials obtainable 
in the locality; stone or brick, if available, otherwise wood, asbestos, 
slate, or a mixture of all. The now popular red brick and cement 
rough-cast for walls, and red tiles for the roof, are not easily im- 
proved upon. The qualities to be avoided, both in bricks and tiles, 
are those which many people seem to value most highly — brightness, 
uniformity of tint, and smoothness of surface, thereby producing a 
stiff dollAs-housv appearance. One should use those with acciden- 
tal variation of tint, which aids artistic effect, and tones down to a 
pleasant mellow harmony. Very often a more rugged and massive 
style of walling might be erected; the pretty, smooth kind prevails 
too much. Good bricks and tiles are now made locally, or elsewhere 
