LESS BUILDING.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 77, 1 April 1930, Page 5

LESS BUILDING.

CITY PERMITS DECREASE.

FIGURES FOR LAST QUARTER

XO VERY BIG CONTRACTS,

Lack of large contracts and a decline in house building is responsible for the value of building permits issued by the Auckland City Council in the first quarter of 1930 being less than half that for the same period last year; The following are the returns for the three months of both years: — 1930. 1929. January .. £03.163 5J27,3D9 February •• 30.754 jj&»}4 March 34,270 10'0,4-tl £177,199 £373,844 Permits issued for the erection of new dwellings numbered' 65 during the last three months, compared with 124 last year, the figures for March alone being 1? and 40 respectively. Only three permits for contracts of over £5000 have been issued this year. These total £19,577, as compared with £100,425 from six contracts of over £5000 last year. Last year's big contracts included the second portion of the Queen's Arcade (£37,000), the Queen'* Hotel, Upper Symonde Street ( £24,000), and Fergusson* Buildings, Civic Square (£20,000). It should be remembered that quarterly totals are jiot so reliable a measure of "building progress as yearly figures. The contract for the Civic Theatre ( £220,000), for instance brought the total for June alone in 1929 up to £302,708. .

Permits issued last month included those foT a warehouse in Emily Place (£0715), a -workshop and foundry at Grey Lynn (£3514), a block of four shops at Grey Lynn ( £4000), and an electrical sub-station at Remuera (£4000).