Drop In Home Building “Dangerous Trend”

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29766, 8 March 1962, Page 17

Drop In Home Building “Dangerous Trend”

(From Our Own Reporter)

WELLINGTON, Mar. 7. An appeal for an urgent meeting of the National Housing Council to consider the implications of recent sharp decreases in building throughout New Zealand will shortly be made by trade organisations to the Minister of Housing (Mr Rae). “I have read with concern detailed figures on building collated from reports by the department of statistics, and believe that immediate action is needed to offset what might well be a dangerous trend,” said the president of the Timber Merchants' Federation (Mr E. 'F. D. Unwin, of Timaru) today. “We shall be approaching the Minister of Housing within a few days to request an Immediate meeting of the National Housing Council. “It has certainly not been established that the building industry has been over-com-mitted, though this surmise has been advanced many

times a* fact in political circles. Unhealthy “TTtere are grounds for doubt as to whether this reduction in building, shown as approaching 16 per cent, in the last six months of 1961, is in fact a healthy manifestation. It doe* not seem wise, either, to talk of reducing private building in order to increase commercial construction, as so often both go hand in hand.” Mr Unwin advanced as an example of to* relation between home and commercial buildings the linkage of housing construction with the establishment of toe aluminium industry in Southland, also the earlier development of Murupora, Kawerou and Mount Maunganui as a result of toe eotabliabment of the Tasmea paper industry. 'The restriction of housing permits is easily brought about by factors other than th* desire of people to own homes,” said Mr Unwin. “The Housing Council set certain long-term housing figures based on known requirements. It is surely time that the trend* of recent month* should be studied in relation to these declared aims.”