More Come Backs For Mr. Sullivan

Chronicle (Levin), 3 June 1948, Page 7

More Come Backs For Mr. Sullivan

SYDNEY, June 2. "Nousense, " exciaimed Mr. A. "W. Edwards, senior vice-president of the Mew South Wales Master Builders' Association, when shown the statement by Mr. W. Sullivan, M.P. for Bay of Flenty, that the average cost of housing construction in Australia was £133 per 100 square feet for brick dwel'lings, and £110 to £120 for wooden house§.' • He described as erron'eous and'vriiisileading the statenxent by Mr. Sullivauin Wellington on May 27; t*hat 'in New South Wales and Victoi'ia, houses were being built at 30s per square foot. 'The figure you quote, £200 per 100 square feet, is much more aecurate, ' ' he said. " We wouid be flat out to complete any job under the niost favourable conditions at that figure, and any i.all in the section, requiring extra t'oundations, wo'uld cause the price to rise accordingly. You can be sure we could do it for less only by omitting such neeessary items as stoves, baths, 'clothes lines, fencing and intemal fittings. ' ' He also described as misleading Air. Sullivan 's statement that the average wage ror housiug tradesmen in Australia was £7 I3s 21 a week, and said that before considering additional increments for various skills, any competent statistician liiust add an arbitrary 10s a week as travelling allowance/ alone. In lns reply on May 27 Air. Sullivan quotes an liistance of a Brisbane house bfcxiig built for 40s per square foot. xius coriesponds to the figure given by my imonuaut in my dispatch of Alay -5, but is greatly in excess of Air. .sullivan s "average" figure. In a uouse of 1250 square feet the dift'erence . rouiti ainount to £83S. Aly own house, • oinpieted uine months ago in a Syduey su.mrb, cost fillo per 100 square .eet. This compares most favourably .. itn the costs ot houses being built in „ue neignbourhood today. a'lie price ot pineapples in Brisbane is not nidicative of the average price in Australia. I'ineapples grow within a ievv miJes of Brisbane, but in Sydney, .ud iniles away, prices have not fallen •>elow is (5d. Similarly the prices at which cases of bananas are sold on the Adney market liear no relationship to viieir prices in Ihe retail greengrocers. • Today 's retail prices in Sydney are: Muudai ins, 2d each; apples, pears and -oranges, 31 to 4d each; Avocado pears, 9d each; eabbages, ls Od each; cauliUowers, 3s each; peas and beans, 2s a pound. Grapes are ls a pound in Sydney, for Ihe same reason as pineappJos are 8d in Brisbane, because they are grown in the vicinity. In the Huon v aiiey, •fS.sm ama, pears are ffee-to allcomers, but they are still a luxury. tt'.Mii in Sydney. CiOt.luers ni Sydney are at a loss to account'lor Mr. Suiiivan,'s 10s shirlis. • We have nothing- like tliat Jiere," ■aid an empioyee of David Jones's .arge department store. "We cater for all ta'stes, but we cauuot meet that order. " Another store produced a slnrl With two coiiars at 19s, but did not recojnniend it.*' iiU 1 > Air. Suilivan- mentions such items as . ountain peus and pressure cookers, but msregards cigafettes, which many people uould coh'sider more important tlian either of tliese. In Australia a pack'et of 20 Jocaliy-made 'cigarettes retails at 2s' 3d for first gi'ade and 18 to 20 cigarettes of second quality cost is lid. imported. cigarettes run-ffom 2s 5M1 to over 3s. Goncerning groceries, comparisons are dilficult, liecause to subsidise sucli Items as tea, floiit' and butter, the Aujs. iiaiiau Government takes betvveen 30 and 40 uiiliions a year from citizens in direct tuxation.