WELLINGTON NOTES.

Hokitika Guardian, 30 July 1924, Page 1

WELLINGTON NOTES.

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(Special to “Guardian”.) WELLINGTON, July 28. It .seems tintl four anti live roomed houses can he built cheaper in all centres than in Wellington. To build it four roonied cottage in a suburb in Wellington, that is merely the buildingwith the ordinary conveniences, no labour in excavation iu preparing the ground for the building, cannot he done under tifOO. and such a building could be erected in about eight weeks. It is extortionate, hut it cannot be done for less. There is the regulation price for timber, for the timber merchants have a schedule of prices from which they will not depart, and of course the schedule prices leave them with a generous profit. There is no competition, and the timber prices are the same whether you go to this merchant or the other. The Brickmakers also work to schedule. It is a ease of about Cl per thousand and you can take it or leave it. There was, and probably is, some hope that bricks may become cheaper when a recently formed company gets into full operation. The highest cost of building is wages, and carpenters can command a very good wage just now. The Dunedin exhibition building contractors are oiiuring Ills per day. lor carpenters and promise plenty of over-time, lienee builders here must pay a lcusurate wage or lose their men. Building sites have gone tin because ol the demand and it is a poor section that one gets for C2OII. The average value of a section in a decent suburb runs to C.’lOfl and over, sections nearer to the city costing CliOO and more. The working men earning Cl and Co per week and borrowing .from the Advances •Department are sowing the wind and will later reap the whirlwind. The first setback the country gels through a drop iu prices of produce will plunge many if nut most oi such borrowers into trouble. However they can follow the example of the returned soldiers and insist upon a reduction of mort"ttees. The State will lose heavily, and ii is a (|i'.eslion whether the loss is unavoidable. Better arrangements in respect to providing timber, bricks etc., might have reduced the costs very materially, but stieli a procedure is too much to expect from any Government. HIDES AND SKIN'S.

For some time past bides and skins have been depressed and business til the fortnightly sales in Wellington wtts disheartening. It was stated by a tanner in Victoria in bis evidence before' a Royal Commission there was enough leather in .Melbourne to meet tlie requirements of the whole of Australia for the next two years. And that statement wtts made a low months jig,,. It was also reported that the lanti'..'l's in the I’nited Slates where the consumption of leather is enormous wore al-o iivei'-s!oeketi and one or two 1,;,, rom crus had gone into liquidation. These world conditions were naturally reflected ill the quotations ruling in New Zealand. A change, how-over, seems to have rulin' over the situation ami the market mil look appears liritdit'.'f judging by the results ol the sale lield ill Wellington last week. For sheepskins competition was keen and prices till round for dry skins were lit ui at the rates ruling at the previous sale. Sallies were easier, and declined |iv (td oil rates ruling at the previous sale. A few special lines of super ext re heavy I iill-wmilled skills were sold tit good prices. At the London sheepskin sales the market was irregular and crossbred sheepskins were par to per cent lower. The position in Loudon was theriorc rcllecled in the local sale-. The competition for liidus at last week’s stile wtts animated at times. i leave hides show ed tut improvement, and may he quoted at par to Is Sd per lb lietter. Medium and light weight hides showed the best improvement and were Is 8d to !,d higher. Tlieie*was a demand for kip and yearlings which advanced .’,d to Id, and call skiiis were higher by ,‘,d per lb. Os hides 7U lb and over made Sd to sd ; > 111 to !it) lb, Till to sd ;ml lb to ,Ydh. (i‘,,l to 7.1; calfskins medium t„ good, up to 111 lb. (id to 12td. FARMERS’ CONFERENCE.

The annual conference ul the far mors I’uioit concluded last week. Ihe enufi'i’ettee worked through a tett lengthy agemla. atul more than half the resolutions were directed in the Government or to some Slat' 1 Dcpaitment. and practically till lh:"c resolutions revolved round the one ' word "give." Most of the resolutions demanded concessions or favours of some kind. How much real good these ennferettees achieve it would be bard to say. but at all events I bey help to place before the public tb" views belli by farmers on many topics iu w hit.-Ii Die whole community is interested. However, judging by present conditions the immediate outlook for farmers appears to be excellent, and with another guild season, grievances, real and imaginary should vanish.