BUILDING BOOM

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 131, 19 June 1937, Page 7

BUILDING BOOM

—Press Assooiation.)

Shortage of Carpenters

(By Telegraph

AUCKLAND, Last Night. The fact that there is at present a serious shortage of carpenters in New .Zealand was ravealed by Mr. J. A. Lee, ; Parliamentary Undcr-Seeretary in jeharge of the Ministry of Housing, in. a telephone interview. The statement has been made in Auckland that there are 200 nnemployed carpenters in the city. Mr. Lee said that a building firm in Auckland recently asked those responsible for making tbe s.tatement to' provide 20 carpenters, for whom steadyj and remimerative work would be madej available. Actually the serviees of only 13 men could be obtained, Mr. Lee said. It ap*-' yeared ver-y likely that the shortage oir i builders would assume serious proportions in the near future. There was a definite shortage alrwady and as the* number of Government housing contracts increased the problem. would become even more serious. The Government was deeply concerned at the position and it might be necessary to consider whether or not steps should be taken to relieve the shortage. "It is fairly obvious," added Mr. Lee, "that, when certain people get hysterical over the fact that an advertisement was issued for 20 joiners in Seotland for work in New Zealand, they can have no real conception of the situation as it exists in tho Dominion. "There has been extraordinary progress in public building in the last few months, " Mr. Lee continued, ' ' and, 1 gathen that, a considierable pxogramme of ordinary commercial building- is likely to be undertaken. in tho near future. For all these operations labour will be required. It is something at any rate j to feel' that there is such an expansion I 'in the building trade and that thefe I are now reasonable opportunities for j yqung men in that particular elass of occupation. ' '