MANPOWER FOR BUILDING

Press, Volume LXXXI, Issue 24536, 9 April 1945, Page 3

MANPOWER FOR BUILDING

'• _♦ - EFFECT OF LATEST CALL-UP MR SEMPLE REVIEWS % POSITION “Obstacles in the way of house building in war time are serious and numerous, and this calling up of further grade one men is just one more hurdle which will make my object of producing houses in ever-increas-ing number the more difficult of accomplishment," said the Minister of Works (the Hon. R. Semple) replying on Saturday to recent criticism about shortages of manpower for the building industry. However, the replacement scheme was essential to allow , long-service personnel to return to New Zealand, he. said. After five years of war the pool of grade one men available was so depleted that it was impossible to fill the quota of reinforcements by restricting the calling up to specified industries, said the Minister. Men could only be found by combing through the entire resources of the nation’s manpower; Admittedly the building industry would suffer as a result, but there was no certainty at this stage that by a readjustment of manpower New Zealand would not be able, at least to maintain, or even accelerate, its present building programme. . v-', “For the five years ended December - 31, 1944; a total of 24,899 permits for dwellings was issued, 13,241 of Which were for private dwellings, and 11,658 for State rental houses,” the- .Minister, said. “For the year ended December 31, 1944, the number of permits issued was 3300, of which 1455 were private and 1845 State. For the whole of Australia in the same year there was con- • structed a total of 354 houses. “The truth of the matter is,” said Mr Semple;: “that the' building.iqdustry to-day enjoys a seller’s’ market. The. demand is, far greater , than the.; supply, and the component factots are ,- ’ out of equilibrium. ’ The supply „qf manpower is out of equilibrium with ■ materials, and the material supply is- : out of equilibrium with the demand. It behoves the Government ,to Ah-, deavour,' .to’ preserve a proper balance’ -T,, between. the three, and 1: tbinkthe' measure -of success that has been at- - taihed can be. gauged by the results achieved”’ ’