POLITICAL POINTS

Evening Star, Issue 24333, 23 October 1942, Page 5

POLITICAL POINTS

BUILDING UNDER MASTER SCHEDULE SYSTEM THE BEST

(Special.) WELLINGTON, October 23. An inquiry whether the Government would J. ise "soldiers’ subsistence allowance of 2s 6d a day for those living out of camp and . engaged on military duties to 5s a day was made by Mrs Grigg ia notice of question to the Minister of Defence in the House of Representatives yesterday. Mrs Grigg said it was impossible even "for a man living at home to be kept on 17s 6d a week, and many men paid £2 a week and more for board. A review of the operations of the Local Government Loans Board foes the year ended March 31 last was presented to the House of Representatives yesterday. It showed that the board considered applications from local authorities for sanctions to borrow sums totalling £4,589,653. Of that sum £2,576,050 represented new applications, and the balance amounts which previously had been r-eferred back or declined. Of the total amount considered, the board sanctioned the raising of loan* totalling £1,898,093 for new works, and £1,391,728 for the redemption of existing loans. Applications for loans for. new works showed a considerable decrease. Local body debt is domiciled as follows: £9,893,025 in London, £2,198,211 in Australia, £55,883.451 in New Zealand. “I am inclined to the belief that this system, inaugurated as a war measure, has come to slay.” said the Minister of Public Works (Mr Armstrong) in a statement dealing with the operations of tin* system of building '’construction under n master schedule, which he was given leave to make iu the House of Representatives yesterday. A good deal of the information given by the Minister was contained in a statement issued earlier tins week by M’i Charles Luney, president of Hie Federation of Master Builders. The Minister said that the- competitive tender syslem would have failed to.meet the tremendous defence programme of the past few months, and in addition costs would certainly have soared. Although he was satisfied that the schedule system was sound, it must be subject to constant: check and adjustment as costs became available. Such a check had. just been carried out, and as a result the works were graded into four sjjiups according to the standard of work required. A final dices was made on the cost of the works after they had been completed, in order to see that the firms concerned did hot reaa>o more than 5 per cent, profit and 4* per cent, overhead on the cost of the work. This system was an incenlive to greater initiative and efficiency, and individual units reaped the reward in an increased turnover. U provided as fair a basis as could he devised for emplover and employee. There was also the advantage of no delay in calling tenders, and all the works were co-ordinated under one control. The master builders themselves, through the executive pommutees, nominated the firms to carry out the jobs for which their plant and, personnel were best suited. Although it lull not yet been possible to tvork out the square footage rates of various building* for comparison with nulitarv " ried out previously by the Fublic Department under the competitive tender system, or on a cost plus basis, the -.!«*- ter said he was assured that the co t under the schedule system would compa.a more than favourable Tins bad f.een achieved notwithstanding .. the mci easel cost of mato’als and labour, and pevl.ro* a lower standard of labour, due to the absorption of so many of the auJ more virile tradesmen into the forces.