Plumbers angry, but no apology

Press, 31 August 1977, Page 1

Plumbers angry, but no apology

The Christchurch city councillor who said New Zealand’s plumbers were the worst in the world will not apologise to the North Canterbury Master Plumbers’ Association for his remarks. Councillor B. J. Britten told the City Council's housing and property committee on Monday that leaks in the new Norman Kirk Courts housing project were examples of a suspect genera) standard of workmanship.

The president of the Master Plumbers’ Association (Mr W. J. Wild) said he was incensed by Cr Britten’s remarks. He questioned the councillor’s qualifications to make such criticism, and said his association intended writing to Cr Britten today to ask for a public apology.

Councillor Britten said last evening that he had no intention of withdrawing the remarks because he knew they were true. He said other buildings which were leaking at present included the Town Hail, Queen Elizabeth II Park—where carpet worth $lOOO was ruined recently and had to be replaced with linoleum—and Brougham Courts. “Tlie maintenance of buildings is a serious issue for the City Council, and we are concerned because sub-standard work is being undertaken by plumb-

ers and their subcontractors,” Cr Britten said. Many Christchurch citizens were discontented with the water supply in their homes; and the downgraded state of the plumbnig profession in New Zealand was in contrast with most countries in the world. Councillor Britten said that designs in New Zealand were antiquated. People should not have to put up with a system where turning water on in one room affected running water in another part of the house.

Mr Wild said plumbing in New Zealand was better than in most countries, especially sanitary- plumbing. He said that many leaks that Cr Britten complained of were nothing to do with master plumbers.

"Roofs up to 20 years old have only started leaking this year because of the long spell of bad weather,” he said. But Cr Britten disagreed. “It is now the twentieth century and if we cannot invent waterproof buildings, there is something wrong,” he said. Mr Wild said he inspected the Norman Kirk Courts yesterday and found that the building had been designed by council architects and supervised by council clerks. “Cr Britten had no right to criticise mistakes that had nothing to do with the plumbers. “The leaks are coming from the windows and doors, and i t is obvious that they were not properly flashed or were poorly designed.” Mr Wild said. “Cr Britten has made a real faux pas this time.”