TENDERS £200 LOWER

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 195, 3 September 1937, Page 4

TENDERS £200 LOWER

-Presa Association.)

State Houses To Be Erected in Gisborne MR. LEE'S C0MMENT

Bs Telegrapb-

WELLINGTON, Last Night. Tbe saving made by calling tenders a second time for tbe construction of dwellings in Gisborne under be bousing scheme was mentioned by tbe Parliamentary Under-Seeretary in Cbarge of Housing, Mr J. A. Lee, tonight. Tenders bave also been called a second time for houses in Hastings, witb a similar result. "It will be recollected," said Mr Lee, "tbat some time ago tbe Department of Housing Construction met witb a very unsatisfactory response in its efforts to secure tenders for a scheme of bouse-building in Gisborne, tbe tenders being about £300 above tbe tender for a similar type of house in otber centres. Tbe department appreciated tbat tbere were certain itoms wbicb must neeesarily be more expensive in Gisborne, becauso of the freigbt cbarges, but stated at tbe time there was no reason for sucb an exorbitant inflation as £300 a house. "The tenders recently called again for Gisborne are much more satisfactory, tbe saving in each instance, as against tbe earlier tenders, being well in excess of £200 a house. Tbe narnes of tbe successful tenderers will"be disclosed after tbe contracts have been submitted to Cabinet. "A similar position prevails in Hastings. Altbougb tbe last Hastings tonders wero not so highly inflated as the Gisborne one 3, tbey sti.ll showed an appreciable difference over tbe same type of bouse in towns sucb as Masterton or Palmerston, tenders bave been called a second time, and there bas been a most satisfactory response. "As a matter of fact," concluded Mr Lee, "a feature of the recent tendering is the interest being taken by the building trade. Although in two towns in the North Island and one town in tho Soutb Island, tenders bave not been so easy to obtain, the difficulty of securing tenders in these places is attributable to tbe amount of otber work avadlable. ' '