To Nationalise Brick Works?

Northern Advocate, 8 November 1946, Page 4

To Nationalise Brick Works?

(P.A.) DUNEDIN, This Day. Investigation into the brick-making industry was being undertaken, said the Minister of Works (Mr Semple) in a letter to the Dunedin Bricklayers’ Union. Questions to be considered included whether the Government should itself tjake over some or all of the brickworks and run them as State undertakings. > Whether new works, cither State or privately owned, should be set up. Whether some action was possible and desirable to improve the efficiency of the existing works. He gave an assurance that officei’s of the Government departments were giving evei’y attention to the improvement of supplies of building matei'ials, As a result of cooperation between Government departments concerned and the Building Controller, who also had the confidence .and cooperation of the majoi'ity of importers and manufacturers, the amount of materials now available, and which would be available in the " future, was considerably greater than would otherwise be the case, Mr Semple added. It was not feasible for the railway workshops to be utilised to replace cement making plant or build new equipment at the department’s programme was already seriously delayed through staff shortages.