NO HOLIDAY CEMENT

Chronicle (Levin), 4 December 1948, Page 5

NO HOLIDAY CEMENT

Press Association)

Stocks Must Be Saved For Hydro-Electric Works

(Per

WELLINGTON, Dec. 3. Because of the general shortage there will be no relaxation in the control of the use of cement during the coming Christmas-New Year period,.according to a statement made today by Mr, R. L. Macphail, Dominion Building Controller. Mr. Macphail said that t.his announcement would be a disappointment to many home-owners who proposed to do concreting work during the holidaj's. This type of work was prohibited under the presenL Building Control Regulations, but for the past two years at Christmas time the regulations had been relaxed to permit this kind Of work to be done. Unfortunately a simiLar dispensation could not be given this year. The cement. "works would be closed down for a number of days during the holiday period with a consequent loss in production of some thousands of tons of cement. In the cireumstanees it was necessary to hold any stocks accumulated before' Christmas to ensure that supplies were available when the building industry resumed wofk early in the new year. The indications were that 1949 would be a very difficult year for cement as very heavy demands were anticipated for hydro development works in both the North and Bouth Islands, and the output from the three cement companies would be severely taxed to meet that extraordinary demand in addition to supplies to norinal consumers. It was, therefore, vital that stocks be conserved to ensure that hydro-electrie undertakings be proceeded with with a minimum of dclay.