HOUSING CONSTRUCTION

Evening Star, Issue 22689, 1 July 1937, Page 18

HOUSING CONSTRUCTION

EXTENT OF ASSISTANCE TO EMPLOYMENT 4,000 MEN ON ACTUAL BUILDING [Per United Press Association.] WELLINGTON, June 30. Evidence of the extent to which the activities of the Department of Housing Construction are contributing and are likely to contribute towards a solution of the unemployment problem has been made apparent in a study of the figures made available by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of Housing (Mr J. A. Lee). Mr Lee said that up to a fortnight ago there were engaged in actual housing construction 918 employees. These men are engaged in actual constructional work, and the above figures take no cognisance of the men engaged in allied trades, such as the manufacture of bricks and tiles and pipes and stoves, and those engaged getting timber out of the bush and making the concrete accessories, and so on.

“ The department is commencing to call for tenders with greater speed,” said Mr Lee, “ and it is probable that at the point at which the programme contemplated by the Government is attained, there will be no fewer than 4,000 employees engaged in actual building construction. To that could be added at least an equal number engaged in the preparation of the necessary materials. Construction so far has been started only fn Dunedin, Christchurch, Wellington, Hutt, Johnsonville, Auckland, Palmerston North, and Wanganui, and in some of these places the work,is being held up owing to the shortage of skilled labour. Tenders have been called for 1,081 houses to date, but construction is likely to be started on the majority of these during the next few months.”