THE CEMENT SHORTAGE.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 June 1920, Page 5

THE CEMENT SHORTAGE.

NONE FOR NON-ESSENTIAL WORKS. REASONS FOR PRESENT POSITION. By Telegraph —Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. In a statement relating to the Board of Trade's control of cement supplies, the president (the Hon. E. P. Lee) says that as time goes on and the demand for cement grows more Insistent, the Board's responsibilities with allocations become more arduous. The stoppage of and delaying of supplies for certain works not absolutely essential may cause certain hardship, but publio duty obliges the Board to restrict cement to essential operations, because ,the supply ie not nearly sufficient even for these purposes. The regulations enable the Government to require special permits for the erection of buildings at an estimated cost exceeding £3OOO, but experience from the viewpoint of cement has proved that additional regulations will be necessary to show that the price of cement has been kept at reasonable figures by the Board's control. There is the fact that the lowest price for imported kinds 'is at least £3 per ton higher than the local prices. Even at the comparatively high charges of oversea manufacturers it is very difficult to obtain any quantity. The Board has- tried to place orders in Hong Kong, Australia, the Pacific coast of Americai and Great Britain, but with very little success. Private enterprise is free to import as much cement as it can, and to control its use here without restriction. Though circumstances have obliged the Board to agree to increases in the price, the present quotation is much below the charges in other coun- . tries. Recent increases here were mainly due to the raising of wages and the heavy cost of coal. The latest increase of 12s per ton for cement was wholly due to the rise in coal, for wh>»'i the cost has gone as high as £4 12s Od in at' least one instance. Before any increase in the price of cement can be passed on to the users full documents setting out the reasons have to be submitted to the Board, which decides the matter on the evidence. 1