Private Building Must Await Finish Of Essential Work

Taranaki Daily News, 25 August 1942, Page 2

Private Building Must Await Finish Of Essential Work

Trade organisation in Tara--naki will benefit. Because Taranaki tradesmen will j be busily occupied on essential | work for the next two or three j months at least it is likely that it j will be some time before much at- J tempt can be made to overtake 1 accumulating private building work. "Even if there happens to be a temporary lull," a builder said yesterday, "the position is changing from day to day , and we may be called upon to do urgent work at any time. In that event we would \ have to drop whatever private contracts " we were doing until we were again free to undertake them." Though the erection of State houses is continuing throughout the province where more essential work has not diverted the labour, private building and house alterations are almost at a standstill. "It may seem strange in the prevailing conditions," a builder said, "but there is a steady demand for new houses in Taranaki. Even when we are freer to undertake such work, however, it will depend to a great extent on the availability of labour and materials, including timber." Electrical Supplies. With reference to materials it was stated yesterday that ranges and certain other electrical appliances were going out of production in New Zealand next month. while as far as labour was concerned it was recalled that 63 Taranaki carpenters were transferred to Wellington recently. It is possible more may have to go later, it is understood, Auckland and Wellington being exceedingly busy with essential works. One feature of the present national emergency that redounds to the credit of Taranaki is the way in which the building trade has responded to the call to undertake essential work, As in othei parts of the Dominion builders in various centres have grouped themselves with the object of applying the utmost dispatch to work that must be done quickly. 'And," a master builder observed yesterday, "no province is better organised in that respect than Taranaki." Essential work is allocated by a building committee, and the opinion has been expressed that the experience in collaboration for the national benefit now being gained should prove oi great value in the post-war period. If, for instance, there should be an urgent demand for houses when members of the armed forces are i demobilised the building trade organisation will be able to start the work quickly and prosecute it with dispatch. "No one knows what developments in efficiency have been set going by this organisation of the trade throughout New Zealand to undertake essential work," a builder commented.