BUILDING DILUTION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18663, 20 March 1924, Page 11

BUILDING DILUTION.

LABOUR UNIONS' ATTITUDE. OBJECTION TO HASTY TRAINING. Building trade unionists in Great Britkin are reported as being sceptical of Government appeals to their patriotism in the matter of agreeing to the employment of a large number of hastilytrained artisans to accelerate house construction. They have not forgotten the * torpedoing " of tho Addison scheme A few years ago, and the subsequent unemployment in their industry. The new Labour Minister for Health, however, has lost no time in approaching the unions on the subject of building trade dilution, but it is said they hold definite views of the housing problem, and will gertainly not agree to a tentative proposal that 50,000 hastily-trained men should be added to the strength of the building ifiustry within a year. The unions' own preference, writes a labour correspondent of the Manchester Guardian, is for a broad scheme under which in effect the building of the country would be controlled and planned ahead for 10 or 20 years. A definite and guaranteed scheme of house-building would be laid down; commercial building would be budgeted for each year and adjustments made between the percentage supplies of labour and material available for the two classes of building; stringent precautions would be taken against profiteering through the restrictions; the shortage of material would bo met by State enterprise and by rigorous breaking of trusts and price rings. Given these guarantees of a wellestablished programme, the unions would meet the labour shortage by an extended scheme of apprenticeship under which the nge of admission would be raised to 20, and by up-grading labourers, which arc Both forms of dilution. The most serious deoision the Government .must take is how far guarantees can be offered, for the employers no less than the unions will demand them. And as the Labour Government's position is so insecure, it may be neceesarv in the end to secure the backing of other parties and heads of alternative Governments.