BALANCE IN BUILDING TRADE URGED

Chronicle (Levin), 20 December 1947, Page 6

BALANCE IN BUILDING TRADE URGED

Press Associationj

(Per .

AUCKLAND; Dec. 18. "Builders are most concerned at the lae)t of balanee in the New Zealand eonstructional programme, which has been strikinglv demonstrated by the huge stoeks of oregon timber lying idle," said the president of the Auckland Master Builders' Association, Mr. R. C. Savory, yesterday. "The pressing need for houses is fully appreciated. but it is felt, as the Minister of Works, Mr. Semple, has previously stated, that there must be a balanced building programme. ' ' The time has eome for the balanee which Mr. Semple has been preserving to be broadened to permit more commercial building, for whicli stoeks of inany materials not used in housing are available, " Mr. Savory continued. "It seems that the Government is not fully aware of the requirements of a cominercial and industrial building programme. The time taken to prepare plans for any large-seale contract and bring it to the stage of calling for tenders uiay amount to 12 inonths, while it is often a further six months bet'ore the contract can be let and work begun. Anything up to two years may be taken in actual coustruetion. "It is obvious, therefore, that longterm planning must be adopted to initiate any extended building programme. The Government should now give some ilefinite statement of policy t'or the future, to allow those intending to build and building contraetors to prepare their work." Approach. to the Cabinet. The New Zealand .Master Buiiders' Federation last nionth appointed a subcommittee to approach the section of the Cabinet whicli deals with eommerciul building pennits, but it was found inipossible for the deputation to be received, he added. Early tliis montli an attempt was made to arrange an interview with Mr. Seinple, but this liad not yet been done. "It is niaintaiued by the trade that a commercial building programme can Ije undertaken without serious detrinient of the policy of pursuing liouse coustruetion to the utmost." Mr. Savory said. " It is felt that alreadv the maximum number of houses is being built in the present state of supply of house fittings, and other materials whicli are not used to any extent for business premises. Iiouses are being built, too, to the utmost limit of roading and similar servicing of sections. Scope for Contraetors. "The only way to speed up the housing prograinme is to incrcase and balanee Ihe supply of materials. A large proportion of the men in the building trade cannot be economically used for housing work. Many cont'racting lirms have been developed specially to meet the econotnie needs of the past for industrial building, and later the demand for large-scale defence works. Such lirms are not now engaged to any extent on housing because of their particular const ructiou. Tliey are, liowever, ideally snited to commercial work, and thev iabour tliey employ can Le used for this purpose. By allowing commercial and industrial building, the Government would. uot be diverting iabour from housing coustruetion." Mt\ Savory added that, if the present large stoeks of oregon remained in yards for any length of time, there was a serious risk of deterioration from weathermg and from termite and other iufestations. Lt was necessarv even on this score alone that the timber, for whicli scare.e dollars had been spent, should be used to the best possible advantage.