The Dominion FRIDAY, AUGUST 6, 1920. A ONE-SIDED SCHEME

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 268, 6 August 1920, Page 6

The Dominion FRIDAY, AUGUST 6, 1920. A ONE-SIDED SCHEME

The managing director of one of tho building firms interested in the co-operative housing plan mooted a week or two ago (Mr,. J. Fletcher) has now explained that the scheme is intended to apply not only to Wellington, but" to the whole Dominion, ' and also that it is propose'd to invite the co-operation of all builders possessed of plant and machinery that would be of assistance'in house-building, while small contractors without plant would be engaged as leading hands, working foremen, or supervisors. Pleasant as it would be to see 2400 houses in course of rapid construction throughout the Dominion, the scheme as it is outlined evidently calls'for material amendment before the Government can afford to consider its adoption. Under the proposals Mr. Fletcher has now elaborated, the building firms concerned and.,the Building Trades Federation would be given for the time a monopoly of all building material availablo for the construction of and of the work of erecting them. Although one clause in a draft agreement which has been published stipulates that 600 houses arc to be erected in Wellington within tho period of twelve months, it docs not seem to be contemplated that any penalty should be imposed in the event of the completion of the undertaking being delayed. In any case,-- it is clear, as the proposals stand, that neither employers nor workers are offered any positive incentive to carry out the work economically and with a minimum of delay. On the contrary, the incentive would be rather the other way,' since it is proposed, that the workers should be employed on a day-labour basis, at an advance on award rates, and that "the whole ( cost of the buildings, land, supervision,- plant, etc.," should be borne by the Government, "together with a further charge of 5 per cent, divided equally between the employers and the workers." Exactly what the Government and people who need houses would gain under this arrangement it is difficult to sec. Apparently what is asked is that the Government should facilitate and safeguard the undertaking at all points, by permitting the "co-opera-tors" to monopolise building materials, and in other ways, and then take, what it gets and pay what is asked. Proposals embodying these features can hardly be attractive either to the Government or to .a house-hungry population. They offer no guarantee either that houses would be built rapidly, or that any check would be' imposed on their cost.

If building firms and'the Building Trades Federation really desire to help the .country out of its housing difficulties, there should bo no serious obstacle to their framing more acceptable proposals. _ The first and most essential condition of an acceptable housing scheme if that payment ought to bear a definite relation to the, results accomplished. Employers and workers alike ought to be glad to accept this condition. There is no. doubt that the readiest key to a solution of the housing problem is to be found in some such broad organisation of the building industry throughout the Dominion and regulation o,f the supply of building materials as Mr. Fletcher has suggested. "With such an organisation efficiently developed and with plant and, machinery utilised to the best advantage, it undoubtedly would be possible to erect dwellings at lower cost and more rapidly than they are being built to-day. Since organisation would make in an important degree for economy, the authors of the scheme now mooted ought to feel quite able to set con(lCete proposals before the Government—that is to. say, to offer to do a given amount of building at a stated price in a specified period. If definite proposals on these lines .were put forward, due penaltiejj, of course, being provided against nonfulfilment of the undertaking, it would be worth while to consider the request for a monopoly of building materials.. The proposals as they stand are too.one-sided. They completely safeguard the employers and workers who' propose- to co-operate in erecting dwellings, and offer no safeguard at all to. the Government and those in need of houses. Neither employers nor workers in the building trade _are entitled to ask for monopolistic privileges unless they arc prepared ir; offer the country something of real value in exchange. The natural corollary to specific proposals by building contractors associated in a housing scheme wouldbe an agreement by the workers cOnccr'ned to accept employment at fair wages to be supplemented only on account of extra production in a given period. Workers arc certainly entitled to equitable extra payment for any improvement in production due to their exertions or skill, but the suggestion implied in the proposals under review is that workers in the building trade consider themselves entitled, simply because they agree to concentrate on the class of building that it is most essential in the interests of their fellow-workers to carry on, not only to a rate of, wages in excess of the standard rate, j but in addition to a bonus of two and a half per cent, on the total cost of the work. People, particularly wage-earners, who find their resources heavily taxed by the present high price and rent of dwellings, may be pardoned if they stigmatise such a proposal as an attempt at cold-blooded profiteering. There is scope undoubtedly for an organised housing scheme, and it is as little .in doubt that under such a scheme it is quite feasible to erect dwellings rapidly at reduced cost. This clearly is an instance in which it is'possible to reducc the burdens of .the high cost of living not at the expense of employers and workers in the building trade, but by organising production efficiently and to the best advantage. With a definite contract, and extra payment to the workers based ( on results, a reduction in the cost of dwellin.es could no doubt be reconciled with the payment of exceptionally high wages. As the co-operative schemo is at present outlined, it seems to resolve itself into an offer by the building trade employers and workers concerned to accept extraordinary guarantees and advantages in return for quite uncertain results.