STATE HOUSING PLAN.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 292, 10 December 1936, Page 15

STATE HOUSING PLAN.

BUILDINGS IN WELLINGTON

WORK FOR 770 MEN,

(By Telegraph. Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, Wednesday. A statement that work 011 the construction of 37i> houses in the Wellington district, as the first largo housimr scheme prepared by the new Department of Housing Construction, would be started early in the new year was made by the Prime Minister, the Right Hon. M. J. Savage, to-day. "There has been criticism of delay in commencing the actual building," said Sir. Savage, "but, from an inspection of the plans and contract documents now available, those members of the community qualified to judge will appreciate the tremendous amount of work which has been accomplished in the past two months by the officers of the Department, the architects and the quantity surveyors whose services have been enlisted. "The Department lias now in liand preparation of the contracts for the scheme for Auckland. The first group of houses will be situated on the Oralcei settlement. Sewer extensions to serve these houses are at present in hand by the Public Works Department. Immediately after the new rear I hope to announce when the tenders for the first Auckland contracts will be called. The joinery factories at Kaiwarra and Penrose are -well advanced. These factories will be leased to firms offering to manufacture joinery on the most favourable terms. "An estimate of the number of men necessary and directly employed to complete 400 houses in 28 weeks is as follows: Carpenters, 240; joiners, SO; labourers, 86; plasterers, 44; fibrous plasterers, SO; bricklayers, 54; drainlayers, 40; painters, 76; plumbers, 70; total, 776. In addition to that, further employment will be available in transport, brickyards, sawmills, roofing tile factories and in the manufacture of stoves."