NEED OF TRADESMEN

Wairarapa Times-Age, 17 February 1939, Page 5

NEED OF TRADESMEN

WORK FOR AN ADDITIONAL TEN THOUSAND GOVERNMENT’S BUILDING PROGRAMME, i STATEMENT BY MINISTER OF LABOUR. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) AUCKLAND, February 16. Questioned concerning the shortage of skilled tradesmen in New Zealand, the Minister of Labour, Nir Webb, said that if the building programme of the Government was fully implemented, anything up to 10,000 tradesmen could be employed.' “We are short of at least 3000 skilled workers in the Housing Department alone,” he said. “Everywhere people are crying out for homes, and many cases are most pitiful. We are at least 20,000 houses short of requirements. This has been revealed by the housing survey undertaken some time ago. We want to build at least 6000 houses .a year to meet normal requirements. At the rate we are going we cannot,even supply normal requirements, let alone catch up with the shortage. “In addition we have public buildings to construct to the extent of over £18,000,000. That embraces schools, hospitals, departmental buildings, and post offices. Departments have sent in reports saying that the buildings included in the programme I have indicated are immediate necessities. “Obviously, the more tradesmen we employ the greater will be the demand for unskilled workers, so that if we were up to maximum requirements in skilled men, there would be a shortage of unskilled helpers. “The Government has decided to bring in skilled men from overseas. It has been reported that a considerable number of skilled workers are out of employment in West Australia, and builders from that State have been making inquiries whether it is worth while transferring their plants to New Zealand and bringing labour with them. The Government, is anxious to obtain artisans, and will see what can be recruited from Australia.” MEN FROM AUSTRALIA. ■ MISSION FOR MR HODGENS, M.P. An announcement that the Government was sending Mr J. Hodgens, M.P. for Palmerston North, to Australia to obtain men skilled in the building trades for employment in New Zealand was made yesterday by the Prime Minister, Mr Savage. Mr Hodgens, left Wellington for Sydney by the Wanganella last night. Mr Savage said that Mr Hodgens, who was a builder himself, would have a free hand to act on behalf of the New Zealand Government. "We want these tradesmen for the building industry,” said Mr Savage. "We have a definite job to do, and we have to see that these men are placed in work straight away. There are opportunities of a lifetime in New Zealand in building and in other directions." Mr Savage said that in the matter of land settlement, for instance, they had the Minister of Labour harnessing up modern machinery for the preparation of land. If the machinery could do what was claimed for it, then they would revolutionise the land settlement, just as the Minister of Public Works had revolutionised road and railway construction. “We have to carry that into the farms and building industries.” said the Prime Minister. “I was criticised some time ago for saying that we did not work for the love of it. I repeat that. I want machinery to do the work and men to take'charge of it.”

MOTION BY ARCHITECTS. APPROVAL OF GOVERNMENT ACTION. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) DUNEDIN. February 16. Today’s conference of the Now Zealand Institute of Architects adopted the following resolution: That this council of the New Zealand Institute of Architects expresses its appreciation of the statement of the Prime Minister, as published in the Press, that he is giving serious consideration to the advisability of ensuring the adequate supply of trained artisans essential to the building- trade.