STATE HOUSES

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 66, Issue 268, 24 August 1946, Page 6

STATE HOUSES

“USED AS STOPGAP BY CONTRACTORS”

BUILDING DELAYS CRITICISED (P.A.) WELLINGTON, August 23. Far too many unoccupied State houses were standing about the country, said Mr C. M. Williams (Government), Kaiapoi) during the financial debate in the House of Representatives to-day. He added that he was quite certain that these houses were unfinished, because the contractors concerned were running away from State houses to more profitable jobs. Mr J. Thorn (Government, Thames): Quite right. Mr Williams said that these contractors used their State housing contracts as stop gap jobs when there were not more profitable jobs to do. In a street in his electorate there was a row of uncompleted State houses with roofs on and windows in. They had been in that position for 18 months. He had brought the matter to the notice of the authorities pretty forcibly. Other contractors were finishing their houses in much less time.

Mr R. G. Gerard (Opposition, MidCanterbury) said that there were 30 unfinished State houses in Ashburton, and he was unable to find out just why they were not finished. He.Avas told that the reason was that a contractor had been told to go to work of higher priority. Mr Gerard did not think that Mr Williams’s suggestion could be correct, because he assumed that there would be a time limit in contracts, and if men and jnaterials were available the contractors could be held ,to those limits.