BUILDINGS CONSTRUCTION

Greymouth Evening Star, 29 October 1931, Page 10

BUILDINGS CONSTRUCTION

• AMENDMENTS TO NEW’ BILL. [SPECIAL to “stab.”] WELLINGTON, October 28. An assurance that the Government would endeavour to meet certain onjections raised against the Building Construction Bill, was made in the House, to-day, by the Prime Minister. During the second reading debate, last week, the duties and rights of local bodies under the Bill, , were criticised by several Members 7 , who contended that local authorities should have more scope in the administration of the regulations. Mr Forbes said that there had been a request from several members that wooden buildings be excluded from the provisions of the Bill. It was the intention that wooden buildings in rural areas should be excluded, and that the Bill should apply more particularly to congested areas where there was risk and danger involved. The insurance companies welcomed the measure, and particularly those provisions referring to the construction of chimneys.

A great number of fires were caused by defective chimneys and the Government intended to have a properly constructed chimney, designed. The purpose of the Bill was to minimise risks in future. Parliament would be lacking in its duty if it did not make an effort to prevent the loss of life and property which had occurred in Hawke’s Bay. He intended to look into the objections which had been raised, in an endeavour to meet them, as it was hoped the provisions of the Bill would work as smoothly as possible. To permit of investigations of the points of contention, the committee stage of the Bill was deferred.