MOVABLE HOUSES

Greymouth Evening Star, 9 August 1946, Page 9

MOVABLE HOUSES

«* ' PLANS FOR TIMBER MILLING INDUSTRY • -. ATTRACTING EMPLOYEES (P.A.)- WELLINGTON, August 8. Plans to build movable houses of a standard which will attract labour into the timber industry were announced to-day by the Commissioner of State Forests (Mr. Skinner). Finance will be arranged through the State Advances Corporation. It is estimated that 1100 houses are required to bring timber mill accommodation up to standard and to overcome the shortage. Participation in the scheme by sawmillers will be optional. “Adequate accommodation must be provided to attract to the milling industry enough men to achieve the necessary increase in production, and priority building of houses for these men will not hinder but will stimulate the national housing programme,” said Mr. Skinner. Housing and Production.

“For each man absorbed by the industry an additional annual production of 50.000 to 60,000 board feet of timber can be secured. This means that for each house built, each year thereafter the cumulative production of,the 1700 additional men needed by the industry would virtually do away with any shortage of timber, either for houses or any other purpose.” The men could scarcely be blamed for their -reluctance to work at the production of timber for housing while they themselves were inadequately housed, said ,the Minister. The scheme would not only relieve the present shortage of houses, but would generally improve the standard of accommodation throughout the sawmilling industry,, for the Government was, in addition to providing loans for the erection of new houses, prepared also in gertain circumstances to advance money lor the repair of ’ existing accommodation. ~ “The scheme provides for the erection of demountable houses, which can be moved to another site when the location of a mill is changed,” said the Minister. “Many sawmills operating in indigenous forests owing to the gradual exhaustion of supply, have not a very longlife in any one site, and it is therefore uneconomic on the present price level for sawmillers to erect accommodation of the required standard. Poor Standard. “A survey of the sawmilling industry has emphasised that the accommodation problem is acute, not only because of the shortage of houses, but also because of the poor standard of most of the houses already built. The survey, which covered'almost all mill housing, revealed that only 6 per cent, of the houses were up to the required standard. “The sawmilling industry has been seriously affected by manpower shortages, and ihe need for more workers is greater than in any other industry. Although it is expected that the lifting of manpower controls will have its effect, the scheme for the improvement of accommodation should make conditions sufficiently attractive to increase the number of workers. “Current finance will be provided from a pool administered by the Stale Advances Corporation. This pool will receive all repayments of capital and interest from, millers, and in turn will make suitable refunds to the State Advances Corporation. Any deficit in ihe pool will be met by way of a small levy on all timber,' and millers will be compensated in their turn by an appropriate increase in the selling price,” concluded the Minister.