TIMBER CONTROL

Press, Volume LXXXII, Issue 24906, 20 June 1946, Page 6

TIMBER CONTROL

NEW SYSTEM TO BE INTRODUCED GOVERNMENT’S HOUSING PLANS (P.A.) WELLINGTON, June 19. More strict building supply controls and an early announcement of a new system of preventing the sale of timber to those not' fully entitled to it were promised to the Labour Party Conference'by the Minister of Rehabilitation and Commissioner of State Forests (the Hon. C. F. Skinner) Measures for the building programme of 12,000 houses yearly from 1946 to 1951 were reported to the conference by the Parliamentary Labour Committee, and plans for the extension of timber mills were also under discussion. The policy for preventing luxury building was approved. Mr Skinner said that in a few weeks he would be in a position to announce a new control system for timber. The overall position regarding timber was that there were fewer mills and fewer men employed in the industry to-day than in any pre-war year, but production had increased from 50.000,000 feet in 1938 to 60,000,000 feet last year “We tightened up on permits, but there are so many in existence to-day that it would require probably the whole of next year’s output to catch up with those already issued ” said the Minister. Housing was the greatest problem facing the Rehabilitation Department.

he said. Of the 2904 former servicemen who had been assisted to build about 1000 had nqt yet been able to berin work. There were just under 13,000 returned men awaiting State rental houses, and almost 60 per cent of former servicemen applying for housing assistance had already been housed. The Parliamentary Committee said that the Government had launched a five-year plan for 12,000 houses yearly. At present only 75 per cent, of materials of almost all kinds required to achieve the annual target wgre available, but shortages were being overcome as rapidly as was humanly possible. A number of additional mills which would add to the annual timber cut sufficient for 2000 houses had been recently opened, and during the next five years the cutting programme would be further intensified. The Government was determined to apply still more rigorous measures to make the best use of manpower and materials until the housing shortage was overcome. Accordingly timber and other building supply controls would be tightened to ensure the best use of ail materials, and to this end the basis on which permits for dwellings were issued was being revised.