Dominion Wide Bath Shortage Slows Down Building

Grey River Argus, 19 March 1947, Page 8

Dominion Wide Bath Shortage Slows Down Building

The acute shortage of household baths in New Zealand is causing considerable concern in the building trade, and at present the completion of several new homes in Greymouth is being delayed because baths are not available. Household baths are manufactured by only one firm in the Dominion- —at Lower Hutt —and efforts are being made through the National Employment Service to obtain additional labour for their production. Good wages and conditions are being offered as an inducement to workmen to enter the trade. Meanwhile, in lieu of baths, showers are gaining in popularity throughout the country, and are now being installed in many new houses. The old type tin “tub” is also finding its way into modern homes as a make shift until porcelain or enamel baths are again available. Although the West Coast is feeling the effect of the shortage it is not as badly placed as some other parts of the Dominion, and only a small percentage of new homes being constructed here are entirely without baths.