BUILDING COSTS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 11, Issue 47, 30 June 1947, Page 5

BUILDING COSTS

MINISTER’S CLAIMS RECENT REDUCTIONS That building contracts were recently approved by Cabinet at under 30s a square foot, was the information given by the Minister of Rehabilitation, Mr Skinner, recently. This showed that competition was coming back into the industry. The timber position had also improved over the past year, and the - figure for the year just completed—--367,000,000ft. —was the most that had ever been produced in a single year. This had been achieved in spite of shortage of labour. *

Further labour had been attracted to the timber industry, and a still further increase was expected, mainly as a result of the timber workers’ accommodation scheme, under which a levy of 6d per 100 ft. of timber was made and pooled for the building of suitable accommodation.

Contracts had already been let for the building of some hundreds of cottages which would house timber workers under the scheme. They had the same facilities as State rental houses, though smaller in size, and could be dismantled in three sections.

It was felt that the scheme would ensure sufficient men in the industry to produce the 400,000,000 ft. of timber which was the aim for the next year. Forty new mills had recently commenced operations and more would be opening as the year progressed.