COST OF HOUSES.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 162, 11 July 1928, Page 14

COST OF HOUSES.

RA&WAYWEN'S DIFFICULTY. ■ A PRICES HIGH IN DUXEDDT. BUELDEtRjS UNDER-QUOTED. (By Telegraph—Own Correspondent.) " this day. . A big disparity in the values of house properties in Christchur&t and in Dunedin has been revealed ,as "the result of the efforts of the housing committee appointed at the Addington (£Jhristchurch) and Hillside (Dunedin) riulwav workshops to arrange for the housing of workerf -who are being transferred. It is expected 1 "that approximately 80 men •will/ come to Christchureh from Dunedin. ajijd twice that number will-go from Chtwtchurch to Dunedin.

The men'-coming from Dunedin who have houses of their own,have the advantage of being aWg. to sell in a firm market," but those*-- -"transferred from Christchurch are under the necessity of selling in a depressed market and buying at higher prices.

In order to make it easier for the men, arrangements are being made for the erection of a..number of new houses in both Dunedin and Christchureh, but here again the Christchurch men have b£en placed; at a disadvantage, owinc to building costs being much higher in the southern centre. Recently tenders were called for the erection of houses in Dunedin, but the tenders received were regarded" as most unsatisfactory. Several Christchureh builders were then invited to submit prices, and they were able to under-quote the Dunedin builders by large margins. In one case a saving of £1475 was effected in prices for the erection of a block of nine houses, and it is expected that as the result of the competition of Christchureh builders, over £5000 will be saved on 40 house* that are to be built in Dunedin.