COST OF BUILDING MATERIAL

Taihape Daily Times, 30 April 1919, Page 6

COST OF BUILDING MATERIAL

NO MATERIAL REDUCTION. A well-known Wellington builder was recently approached by a Dominion reporter with the question as to whether the cost of building has docreas ed on war prices. There has been a good deal of speculation on the point of late among certain property-owners, whose houses have come under the notice of the City Council, cither by way of condemnation or as to property •which stands in urgent need of repair. Now that prices are up, the matter of rebuilding or repairing extensively is a very' serious matter to small owners. The builder consulted istated that; though four mouths had elapsed since hostilities ceased, he was inclined to think that the price of building had increased rather than decreased since 1918, Certain imported lines used in building were beginning to come forward a little more freely, but the prices were still sky-high, and he could not see them coming down for some months. • Corrugated iron was quoted at £2S x>er ton f.o.b. in London sis weeks kgo, but such ywas !th<j position that the quote was not much use to builders with a job on their hands as there was no guarantee as to the date of delivery. Indeed, English, manufacturers were, according to the latest advices having the greatest difficulty in shipping anything, owing to the labour unrest at Home, which factor was allowing the American exporters almost a free run in this market, of which they had not “Been slow to take advantage. Only last week he was compelled to buy corrugated iron, and had to pay £75 per ton for it —though it was quoted £2B f o.b. in London. Asbestos slates were coming into vogue to a great extent through the shortage of iron, but the prices in that regard were not encouraging. In 1914, before the war, these slates wore procurable in Wellington for £2 10/ per 10ft. square. The price to-day -was £6 5/ per square. Plumbers’ material was still “up in the air,” and the prices for plumbing work had never been higher in the history of the place. Timber end bricks more than maintained 1918 prices, and wages all round were increasing as the cost of living rose.

“Considering the cost,” said the builder, “the amount of building done in Wellington during the war period has been simply wonderful. In some New Zealand towns there has been stagnation; but Wellington has kept going steadily a 3 far as residential construction was concerned. Most of the architects have a lot of work in hand, waiting for prices to go down, but it strikes me that it will be next year, or even the year after, before they will be able to get jjyicos to suit the purse of their clients