BUILDING REPAIRS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 5 April 1943, Page 2

BUILDING REPAIRS

CO-ORDINATION SCHEME IN WAIRARAPA EARTHQUAKE REHABILITATION. ORDER OF PRIORITY PROPOSED. “Steps have now been taken to coordinate the use of building material and labour in the Wairarapa for earthquake rehabilitation,” said Mr. J. Robertson, M.P., today. “The Wairarapa was hard hit by the recent earthquakes and it was peculiarly unfortunate that these should have occurred at a time when all building material and labour was absorbed for urgent defence works. “Last week,” said Mr Robertson, “a visit was paid to the district by Messrs R. L. MacPhail, Deputy Building Controller, S. F. Goldstone, secretary to the Building Controller, and L. C. Cooper, secretary to the Housing Department. In company with the local officers and others interested in building construction, visits of inspection were made to various parts of the Wairarapa most affected by the earthquake and conferences were held with representatives of the local bodies in the areas concerned. The idea was to enable the visiting officers to get a visual grasp of our requirements, and by collaboration with those interested to attempt some equitable scheme for the allocation of labour and materials pending a return to more normal conditions. “At a meeting held in the Masterton Municipal Chambers on Friday,” said Mr. Robertson, “it was agreed to set up the following committee: Messrs. G. Turnbull, Public Works Department; C. R. Mabson, Borough Engineer; G. Eliott, building inspector, Lower Wairarapa; J. W. Swain, building inspector in Northern Wairarapa and F. C. Daniell, architect, Masterton. At the meeting there were present representatives of the Wairarapa Builders’ Association and of the Masterton Borough and County councils, as well as the previously mentioned officers. Mr. McPhail presided and explained the purpose of the visit to the Wairarapa, and the scheme it was proposed to operate in order to secure the proper and best use of the building material and labour available. Many questions were asked and answered and the committee was then set up. “It was made clear,” Mr. Robertson continued, “that the success of the scheme depended largely on the cooperation of the local bodies. The procedure to be adopted is that all applications for building permits will be referred by local bodies to the committee which, after conference with the associated builders will make recommendations to the Building Controller, who will thus be guided in the issue of permits and assist by seeing that material is made available when required. It is hoped that, by the loyal co-operation of all concerned, work will be proceeded with more rapidly than has been possible up till now and that the various jobs will be done in a proper order of priority.”