BUILDING MATERIALS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 9, Issue 99, 15 July 1946, Page 8

BUILDING MATERIALS

EFFECT ON TRAINING OF EX-SERVICEMEN MINISTER’S COMMENT Shortages of building materials, particularly of timber, had always been a factor to be reckoned with in the rehabilitation trade training scheme, stated the Minister of Rehabilitation, the Hon. C. F. Skinner, commenting recently on how the timber situation affected the training of ex-servicemen at the Rehabilitaton Board’s building trade centres. Mr. Skinner was referring particularly to a statement reported to have been made by Mr. W. D. Young at a recent meeting of the Wanganui Chamber of Commerce, to the effect that because of lack of materials ex-service trainees in Wanganui could not be fully engaged and in fact had at one stage almost had to close down.

“I do not, of course, know the source of Mr. Young’s information nor the authority he had for making such a statement,” said the Minister, but I can assure both him and others who might have been misled by his reported remarks that our rehabilitation carpentry trainees in Wanganui are certainly being supplied with sufficient materials to allow them to carry on their training. The supply problem does not affect only Wanganui. We have over 20 carpentry centres in all parts of the country, and we do our very best to ensure that every centre gets sufficient materials to allow its training programme to proceed without serious interruption.

“As I have already stated—quite Recently—our trade training centres do get a certain priority for building materials. So also does rural housing. I think all fair-minded people will agree that this should be done, that the training of our ex-service-men as building tradesmen should be encouraged to proceed smoothly and efficiently. The Wanganui Builders’ Association is apparently displeased that it is being done and has laid a complaint to that effect before the Wanganui Chamber of Commerce. No doubt there would be a much greater and a much more justified outcry if we were to allow our trainees to mark time while private builders obtained their allocation of materials. As it is they have a fortnight’s supply of timber on hand. They certainly never have more.