BUILDING HOMES

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIII, Issue 41, 18 February 1942, Page 4

BUILDING HOMES

SHOULD BE CONTINUED

VIEWS OF HARDWARE GUILD

The need to continue the building Jof homes in New Zealand was stressed at the annual conference of the New Zealand Hardware Merchants' Guild, which has just been helll in Wellington. The view was expressed that the false impression had arisen that building restrictions did not permit of the erecting of dwellings and residences. This was not the case, it was stated. Anyone desiring to erect a dwelling todaj could do so providing the contract price was not more than £1500, and it did not employ more than scwt of steel in its erection. There were three main factors calling for a continuance of building, the president (Mr. F. H. Griffith) stated. "Firstly," said Mr. Griffith, "the building materials used in construction cannot be termed of such lasting qualities as those adopted in other countries. Houses of wood framing and weatherboarding do in the course of time deteriorate through weather and other conditions, and the life of an average home can be set down as possibly 60 years, although it is known that many will ' outlast this period. Therefore, it is reasonable to say that houses built in the late seventies have reached a stage of deterioration and require replacement. On the assumption that 1000 houses were built at that time they will require to be replaced : almost immediately. "The second factor is that a very large proportion of our forces overseas consist of single men, who will on their return to their native land desire to marry and set up homes, just as soon as housing accommodation can be found for them.

"The third factor is that many in the Homeland whose homes have suffered- through enemy action will doubtless prefer to emigrate to the Dominion and it is this unknown quantity that should be invited and dwellings made available to them.

"Untenanted space in our Dominion is an open invitation to an enemy with envious eyes," Mr. Griffith said, in conclusion.