SHOULD BUILD NOW

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXIII, Issue 11877, 23 February 1933, Page 3

SHOULD BUILD NOW

WHEN COSTS AHE LOW. “When one' knows that the • finest brains in the world to-dav recognise the almost helpless tasks with which they are faced, you will, ! hope, sympathise with me in my failure to suggest any practical remedy towards assisting the profession in this Dominion,’’ remarked Mr. If. Mancleno, Dunedin,, during the course of his presidential address to ihe annual 'general' mceting"of 'the New Zealand Institute of Architects.

“lit times like the. present. 1 ' lie went on to say. “if is only too apparent to every one of us that our profession must suffer severely. "Whether ifc has not suffered unreasonably is to my mind open to serious doubts. Ts it economically sound at a time like this to practically shut down one of our chief industries? You hear on all sides' that production costs must be reduced in order to compete in world markets. In some cases this may ho attained in some degree by improvements, to the factories. Hotter housing is also very desirable m some parts, and with low building costs and money available in the country such projects seem to me worthy of careful inquiry.

“The Government building subsidy has assisted to a limited extent in lessening unemployment; the scheme may be open to criticism, hut undoubtedly such works as have been carried out under this scheme are economically sounder than using all the money available under the unemployment tax in non-essential s ' works. Undoubtedly, there has been pubhi extravagance and reckless expenditure iu the past, hut there can also be the other extreme and l leel that there is a duty in undertaking essential works at a time when building costs are low and building programmes are under review and finance is possible. Surely this is \the time to undertake work thereby obtaining the benefit of low costs and also materially assisting the community.