Contractors fear loss of work

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32543, 1 March 1971, Page 2

Contractors fear loss of work

(New Zealand Press Association)

HAMILTON, February 28.

Contractors in Waikato say that they face a hard winter and the prospects of a summer with few jobs.

Possible National Roads Board cuts in expenditure and farmers’ reluctance to carry out improvements will mean less work for many contractors, says the secretary of the Waikato branch of the Contractors’ Federation (Mr C. Clare). "Contractors are usually very busy at this time of the

year but things are slack during the winter when the weather stops bigger jobs. However, most firms carry staff over to the summer when the work load increases again,” said Mr Clare. He predicted that because of the cuts, many contractors might lose confidence and be reluctant to carry staff. “There are many different types of contracting firms but these affected most by the cut-backs would be those which specialise in road construction and haulage of roading material, and the firms which do a lot of agricultural work,” he said. Over the last few years a number of contracting companies, in particular those specialising in big excavation work, had gone out of business because of the reduced amount of work available, said Mr Clare.

Pest work.—Six men will begin training soon in pest eradiction work under the first such scheme launched by the Agricultural Pests Destruction Council. They will do two years training on seven selected training boards In the North Island and South Island.—(P.A.)