"PRETTY GOOD TIMES."

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1045, 7 February 1911, Page 4

"PRETTY GOOD TIMES."

» BUILDING ACTIVITY iN AUSTRALIA Mr. King, of the firm of Mitchell and King, of Sydney (formerly of Wellington), has returned after a few weeks' absence on the other side to wind up his business affairs in this city. In the course of conversation with a Dominion' representative, Mr. King stated that the building trade was most certainly very busy in Sydney. Sydney was undergoing the process of being rebuilt, and big buildings were supplanting small ones in every direction. There would be a lot more building to bo done immediately in connection with the widening of Oxford Street. Many of the old buildings on the side to be altered are already down, and these will have to bo replaced on the now alignment as soon as possible. "The trouble," said Mr. King, "is to get men. There is plenty of building, but not enough men—no skilled tradesman could go to Sydney at the present timo without being snapped up. Masons are particularly scarce, owing to the number of buildings that are being bnilt m Sydnev sandstone. When it is to stop I could not say, but this year is likely to bo everv bit as busy as last. Ivot onlv is the shortage of tradesmen acute in Svdnev—it is the same all over Australia—Queensland, >ew South Wales, Victoria and South Australia—so yon can guess they are enjoying pretty good times over there."