BUILDING COSTS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21548, 30 October 1944, Page 4

BUILDING COSTS

WARTIME INCREASES TIMBER’S S?/iALL SHARE MERCHANTS' STATEMENT Recent, references to the building trade’s difficulties, and in particular a reference made at a meeting of the executive of the Gisborne Returned Services’ Association to the shrinkage of the margin between building in semi-permanent materials and in permanent materials, have tended to Crete the impression that a sharp rise has taken place in the price of building timber. This impression, state Gisborne timber merchants, is entirely erroneous. There have been only three small advances in. timber prices since 1939, a representative of the said to a pressman on Saturday. These increases, the last of which came into effect in June, 1942, have aggregated approximately 10 per cent only. In a statement made on behalf of the timber merchants, the position was explained with regard to the local supply and cost of timber, the cost of which is controlled by the Price Tribunal. The advances in buildiiag costs have been brought about by increases in wages and cost of living bonds to sawmill workers, an increase in the sales tax, and increases in the railway freights. "We know that the cost of building has considerably increased, but from the foregoing you will realise that it is due in only slight degree to the increases in timber prices," the statement continued. “As the . value of timber in the average dwelling would run into something like £2OO, the increase' due to advances in timber nrices Would not amount to more than £2O to £25. “The foregoing can be substantiated by reference to the various price lists issued from 1939 onwards which can be produced by the local timber merchants. The price of timber is so frenuently blamed for the high cost of building that it is time the position was made clear. Comparison of Costs “Recently, the Timber Merchants’ Federation of New Zealand, in conjunction with the timber controller, took out a detailed analysis of the cost to-day and in 1939 of the timber and joinery needed to build a standard containing 889 square feet of flo'oi 1 area: In order to obtain a representative comparison the costs are analysed for Auckland, Wanganui and Wellington, -and the following will show the increases due to timber rests:-• Normal train-

•hur with .boos- 1939 194-1 Increase cil timber ,C s*. <l. £ »•. <l. £ s - d. Auckland ’.‘-Mi M II 9 3 IS 14 4 Wellington I7i! S 4 20.> 4 9 2S 10 h UV.nw.uii 17'. 7 7 103 410 17 17 3 “Authentic figures have not yet been taken out for this district, but as prices here are slightly lower than the other centres the comparisons should work out more . favourably than those above quoted."