CORRESPONDENTS' VIEWS

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 32, 8 February 1943, Page 2

CORRESPONDENTS' VIEWS

HOSPITAL COSTS . To the Editor The figures given in a recent Star by the Prime Minister,' Mr. Fraser, in connection with the cost of the hospital buildings at Cornwall Park, confirm the opinion held by many small builders who have an intimate knowledge of the conditions under which that work was carried out. I confidently assert that any ordinarily competent small builder would have welcomed the opportunity of erecting one or more of these buildings, which would have been well within the limit of his capabilities, at the handsome remuneration figure of £1 15/ per sq. ft, as against the published figure of £2 5/4, viz. 250,000 sq. ft., costing £566 470. The saving thus effected would have been something in the vicinity of £128,000. Those of us who have seen much of this work are not surprised at the revelation contained in the above figures. It is quite evident that the small competent builder is not wanted on these iobs except to assist in swelling the already abnormal returns to the big combinations. SMALL BUILDER.