BUILDERS ANXIOUS FOR MORE CONTRACTS

Grey River Argus, 12 April 1948, Page 3

BUILDERS ANXIOUS FOR MORE CONTRACTS

DUNEDIN, April 9. The president of the , Neu* Zealand Federated Builders’ and Contractors’ Association, Mr S. G. Shearer, in his address to the annual conference, said no effort had been made in New Zealand to review ■ building as a whole. There was a very extensive programme of building works for commercial purposes. It was stil] untouched. There were builders who.had the equipment to carry out the work. But, unless some greater efforts were made primarily by the Government essential materials would not be available in the Dominion foi' a long time.

Plans for factory and office buildings are on architects’ racks waiting for permits to he granted, and builders who specialise in that class of work have had to reduce theii staffs,” Mr Shearer added. The under-secretary for housing Work-; Department, in its 1945-46 had estimated the output for the current year at about 10,000 units. The annual report had mentioned a possible requirement- of 180,000 new homes by 1960. At the time of the report 25,000 were needed and in the next 15 years a further 40,000 in cities and boroughs alone would need replacement. Another 95,000 would be required to meet population increases and 20,000 if the policy of improved housing for rural,. mining and sawmilling industries was also effected. The report of the association said: “It is stated that the State housing position has deteriorated to such an extent in recent months that fresh plans have had to be drawn up for the wholesale extension of transit housing on a semi-permanent basis, while the number of new applicants for State houses each month now exceeds the allocation by five to one. It is obvious, therefore, that the Government’s plans to overcome the housing shortage have proved ineffective and, without a more worthy and real approach to the matter, there appears to be no hope of any material improvement for many years.” There we're numerous difficulties to overcome, in obtaining materials and the process was a costly and aggravating one, owing to various forms of control.