BUILDING BAN.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 62, Issue 138, 24 March 1942, Page 6

BUILDING BAN.

STATE HOUSES ALSO AFFECTED. (P.A.) WELLIINGTON, March 23. “Contractors for the building of State houses will be affected in the same way as everyone else,” said the Minister for Housing (the Hon. H. T. Armstrong) when asked to-night if the embargo on the issue of building permits without the consent of the Building Controller applied to the State housing scheme. The Minister added that other works, including State housing, would be considered only when cement became available after defence and hospital requirements had been met. , , “As far as supplies of cement and other building materials are concerned, defence works must come first,” said Mr Armstrong. “If there is an insufficient supply of these materials, then everything else must wait. After defence needs have been met, the most essential of the other works will have first call, and housing will naturally be considered very important.” , , An indication of how substitute materials were being used wherever possible to replace those in short supply was given by Mr Armstrong. He said that because of the shortage of galvanised iron guttering for carrying surplus rain water, several State houses already had been fitted with wooden gutters treated on the inside with a coat of bitumen. These were very satisfactory, and they lasted longer than the galvanised iron article.