FACTORY BUILDING PERMITS

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25161, 17 April 1947, Page 3

FACTORY BUILDING PERMITS

NO FULL ISSUE REPORTED IN CHRISTCHURCH Canterbury’s share of permits for industrial building was discussed by the council of the Canterbury Manufacturers’ Association last evening, when the secretary (Mr R. T. Alston) reported that to his knowledge no building permits had been issued in full in Christchurch for any major extensions or alterations in the last six months, except for fire replacements. Mr Alston asked what action should be taken to obtain permits, and the council decided that the Building Controller should be asked the value of the industrial building permits granted in New Zealand, and what percentage of permits had been granted in Canterbury. Mr Alston said that in September last year the council was somewhat concerned that permits for new factories or alterations to factories were not being granted. After a questionnaire had been sent to all members it was decided that the association should try to obtain permits for eight companies whose factories needed either rebuilding or extensive alterations. The Dominion Building Controller (Mr R. L. MacPhail) had agreed that the applications in the main were reasonable, but the country was bankrupt of raw materials.

“Mr G. A. Pascoe has also visited Christchurch at our invitation, together with Mr F. Johnson, of the Department of Industries and Commerce, and has gone over the applications with us. and agrees that the applicants should be supported,” said Mr Alston. “Correspondence has been passing regularly between this office and the Department of Industries Commerce over this matter, but we appear to have reached a dead end. An extract from a recent letter from the department stated ‘you may be assured that; we shall continue to press for permits to be granted to the urgent cases which we reviewed during a recent visit to Christchurch.’ ”