N.Z. BUILDING. PROGRESS

Progress, Volume XVI, Issue 11, 1 July 1921, Page 245

N.Z. BUILDING. PROGRESS

VOL. XVT. No. xi, Monthly.

[Registered as a Naper .]

Afforestation.

The New Zealand Forestry League is making itself felt as a force in the community, thanks to a faith in its mission sufhc.’ent to warrant the enterprise of appointing a good organiser. New Zealand is full of societies and associations for the advocacy of this or that ideal, but unless there is created the necessary public opinion to induce the Government to take an interest in a question, it is likely to languish, overwhelmed by the more forceful pushing of its rivals. We assume that the Forestry League has already justified its existence by getting the Government to establish a properly organised State Department for the development of our remaining timber resources on sound economic lines. This is a definite score, but unless the Government of the day realises that there is public opinion behind the movement, it will be doubtful about voting money for extension of the work. Large areas of land in New Zealand have been cleared of the bush, only to provide room for a luxuriant crop of noxious weeds. The most stalwart supporter of the Noxious Weeds Act is ready to admit that on some areas of cleared land, more money has been spent to comply with the law than the land is worth from the productive point of view. If, years ago, a well educated public opinion Pad prevailed, and afforestation had been advocated for “ waste ” lands, many thousands of acres of these wildernesses of weeds would now be carrying a payable crop of timber. The Forestry League does not stand for idealism, but for a strong common-sense policy in connection with a wasted national resource. We are glad to find so much vigour about the work of the League.

Topsy-turvy Conditions.

In the recovery from the shocks of war, the world seems to have continued to oscillate in a tantalising fashion. Not many months ago we were bewailing the shortage of cement, and the scarcity of coal with which to manufacture it. The Government, for the sake of a maintenance of transport which is the life-blood of production, spent hundreds of thousands of pounds to buy coal in distant South Wales. Suppliers of building materials,- at their

wits’ ends for cement, imported the high-priced foreign product and the Government encouraged them by remitting the Customs duty. A shortage of labour was with us throughout, and a revival of a vigorous immigration policy was recognised as essential to the well-being of the Dominion. We commenced to get the Welsh coal, the outside cem'ent, and a certain amount of immigrant labour. Then, when things seemed likely to take a turn for the better, the financial position became seriously overclouded, and we hear of coal mines stopping work, shipping being laid up, and cement works unable to dispose of their outputs, to say nothing of unemployment in the principal centres. According to a Wellington authority, the architects'.of that city have enough work planned to cause a building boom in the capital, but it is all held up now for want of money. The financing of the wool clips of the last two seasons is undoubtedly throwing a heavy burden on the capital of the country, and it is evident from the response to attractive loan advertisements that there is a good deal of money available at a price. The terms, however, are only such as will be paid by businesses in urgent need of money to extend operations, or to carry over the period of stress. Building on a basis of 8 per cent, or even higher seems to be out of the question, hence the dullness in the industry at a time when all other conditions are comparatively favourable. The reduction in the English bank rate is the one hopeful sign of the moment. New Zealand is able to borrow five millions sterling in the English market at 6 per cent., on a rather heavy discount, which shows that there, too, there is money about if the inducements are sufficiently high to get it into circulation. The Dominion has committed itself to such heavy purchases of railway rolling stock and hydro-electric machinery in the Old Country that it is doubtful whether much of the. discounted five millions will reach these shores, except in the form of goods. However, these are all signs of financial vitality which point to the fact that although we may have to undergo a time of short commons until the next producing season is in full swing, that this will be .the limit of our financial depression. •' - ~ ;

Wholesale Prices.

Over-importation having caused serious difficulty in the sott goods business—as can be seen by the many inducements given to the consumer to

stock up at “half-price”—wholesale prices in that sphere are erratic. The Government Statistician’s latest figures give some promise of a drop in the cost of commodities in common use, but we are a

long way from the position in which the country stood prior to the war. Wholesale prices probably show the first signs of the much desired reversion to an approximation of the happy time of long ago, but the comparison which the Statistician gives us is not particularly reassuring.- While the prices of basic commodities such as coal and metals in the

world’s markets have shown a very substantial decline compared with the peak of the.record during war time, the index numbers of New Zealand

wholesale prices indicate a stubborn desire to maintain a position which makes it difficult to do busi-

ness under reasonable conditions. Taking the average of the wholesale prices in the four chief centres during the period 1909-1913 as 1,000, the position of these averages at the end of April last was as follows :

The average of all the groups is 2,115, which shows what a long way we have to go before money re-

sumes anything approaching its former purchasing value.

Town Planning Organisation.

It was with satisfaction that we noted the protest of genuine town planning members of the Wellington Municipal Electors’ and Town Planning Association against the way in which that organisation has always entered the controversial arena at election time. Town planning has oeen an ornament of the Association—not its real purpose. The political policy has been pursued with such energy that it has run the Association heavily into debt. Labour’s attempt to make the City Council a class institution was unreasonable, and the result of the election showed that the general mass of electors favoured a wider range of choice. The so-called Town Planning Association showed just the same class prejudice as the Labour Party, and in doing so, it was not assisting the ideal for which it is supposed to stand. This Town Planning Association should either be thoroughly reorganised, or there should be created in Wellington a new organisation truly standing for town planning ideals, and not leg-ironed > to political prejudices. The Town Planners sought to replace the old Presi-

dent and Executive with a new set of officers directly concerned with town planning, and nothing else. The move was quite naturally resented by the retiring officers, who circularised the membership, and a battle-royal occurred at the adjourned annual meeting, when officers for the year were elected. In the discussion, it transpired that the membership generally approved of the decision to concentrate on the town planning ideal, but the result of the election was a mixed triumph. The “ins” and the “outs”, were rather too well balanced to make for satisfactory work during the ensuing year, and it was decided by the three new officers who had been elected to pursue Town Planning exclusively, that their presence on the Executive would only lead to mutual conflict, and a wasted year. So they took counsel with their friends, and decided to resign. Under the circumstances they were wise, for busy men have little time for controversy, especially as it would not advance the cause of Town Planning.

Alternative to Strikes

Mr. Robert Semple, formerly a stormy petrel of the Labour movement, is distressing some of his old friends by telling them plain truths about unnecessary truths. As the head of a co-operative labour gang which has undertaken a very useful work for the Wellington City Council in connection with its water supply scheme, he has been criticised for permitting the inclusion of a clause in the contract absolutely prohibiting strikes. As the workers all agreed before signing that the proposed wages would be sufficient, and the conditions equitable, there seems no point in the objection, therefore Mr. Semple nit out hard recently in defence of his methods. He said that there was a great deal of difference between the competitive contract system and the co-operative contract system on which he is engaged. He is the organiser of the concern, and he rightly takes credit for “ standing in ” with his mates on equal terms. This, although a credit to Mr. Semple’s generosity, might not be altogether fair to Mr. Semple, because he will have to exercise a considerable amount of brain-power as well as muscular strength to make a success of the job. Apparently he is willing to forego what the economists call “ the wages of superintendence.” The co-operative contract is a familiar thing in New Zealamd, and we have had ample time to watch its workings. Mr. Semple’s experiment is likely to be thoroughly successful, for he ha's picked his men and they are all thoroughly up to their jobs. What is wanted is some system of ensuring a fair deal for men who cannot claim the best wages current, but who, : nevertheless, have a right to get a living. We are afraid, in spite of Mr. Semple’s venture and his optimism, that he has not found the royal road to avoidance of industrial strife, but he certainly deserves an encouraging word for, the effort, and his straight talk to the small extreme section of Labour which is always looking for trouble.

Agricultural produce ... ... L54I Flour, bran, pollard and oatmeal 2,010 Wool, hides, tallow, butter and cheese 1,615 General merchandise and crockery 2,250 Building materials 2,522 Leather ... 2,158 Chemicals and manures 1,961 Coal 2,242