THE MAYOR ENLARGES

Evening Post, Issue 66, 15 September 1936, Page 10

THE MAYOR ENLARGES

"INDUSTRY THREATENED "

Interviewed after the meeting, the Mayor remarked that he had not said all he could have said on the question because, being interested in the building trade, he might have been accused | of using the'council for the purpose of propaganda. . It w,as,quite clear that private enterprise could easily have dealt with the j problem if its advice and assistance had been requested. The Government's whole scheme for j this year: provided for some 90 houses j at'Miramar and 300 at Lower Hutt, a total of a shade over one month's possible production from existing fac- j tories. -■•■■''•■'••: '' ■' ■ ■ I •■ | The. announcement' that the houses would be available at from 12s 6d to i 17s 6d per week had great repercus-! Sions, and the whole building industry was threatened. Already hundreds of houses which were oh the point of. commencement had been cancelled, and architects and builders in many parts of New Zealand were disturbed. Unemployment figures had commenced to increase, and there were indications that the numbers would be swelled very considerably within the next few weeks. The period between now and the commencement of the Government scheme was going to be a most difficult one. For some months now there had been practically no unemployed joiners, carpenters, plasterers, and others of the allied building groups, but already they were beginning to look for jobs again. The full effects' of the destruction of confidence in that big industry would not show immediately in Lower Hutt, but they were already apparent in many North Island towns. The Minister was non-committal on the matter of the working of the large joinery factories, and declined to state whether they were to be operated by the Government or leased to a contractor. Owners like himself of joiuj cry factories were feeling very uneasy at the duplication of plant when the present plant was quite capable of carrying- out all the work. Unless the Government met all the charges a private contractor had« to meet the competition would be most unfair.