RECORD BUILDING YEAR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19144, 9 October 1925, Page 12

RECORD BUILDING YEAR.

VALUE TOTALS £9,304,000. five millions for housing. AUCKLAND CITY'S LEAD. SURVEY OF RENT INCREASES. A review of building operations in cities, ; boroughs and town districts, compiled by i the Government Statistician, shows that j in respect of the value of buildings for j whteh permits were issued, the year ei;d< d >. March 31 constituted a record. There j was a decline in the number of buildings, but in respect of both new structures and alterations and additions, the value was greater than in the previous year, when j previous achievements were exceeded. Permits for the erection of £-805 private dwellings were issued, as compared with 6245 in the previous year. The rate, j however, was £4,916,425, as against 1 £5,046.883, The average value of private dwellings erected was: £725 in 1921-22; : £783 in 1922-23; £Bll m 1923-21; and j £847 in 1824-25. Additions and altera- j tions last year amounted to £755,126, as compared with £783,864 in the previous year. Decline in Business Premises. For the erection of business premises j 907 permits were issued, as against 1042 j in 1923-24, while the value showed a slight decline, being £1,876,636, as against £1,834,659. This was more than balanced by the increase in the value ot alterations j and additions, which was £583,266, as j compared with £456.229. Statistics for both classes of buildings j combined compare as follow:

Information regarding the proposed materia) of construction in new dwellings is not complete. The available particulars comprise £4,281,3(0 of the total expenditure and of that figure, no less than Li /12,045 was designed tor wooden residences—66 per cent. The statistician remarks that the proportion of wooden houses is slightly diminishing. A statement is also given of the total value of all buildings in the principal towns for which permits were issued during the year, the amounts including Government operations commenced. In each of the following the value exceeded £IOO,OOO

,Ri33 in HamSton Beats. The statistician has also completed his investigation of rents in August, the survey covering 25 towns. Hamilton and Twhape show reductions since February, but all other towns show increases. The smallest increase has been in Auckland, this being apparently due to the fact that building activity has recently been exceptionally brisk, with the result that the housing shortage has been partially overcome. Rent statistics are based on the average daring 1909 to 1913 in the four chief centres, and compared with this base, the latest returns show the following increases:—

There has been a decline in Waihi of 19.6 per cent, and in Alaxendra of 6.3 per cent. Danedin shows an increase of only 39.7 per cent., and in Kotorua the increase has been 48.3 per cent. The statistician explains that the returns represent rents actually paid, not the figures at which houses could be obtained 10-dav by would-be tenants. Rents have lagged behind the cost of building. Wb ereas the level for the whole Dominion in August was only 65.2 per cent, above the 1909-13 level for the four chief centres, in March wages for building, employees were 81.3 per cent, above the corresponding pre-war level and wholesale prices of building materials were in August 106.8 per cent, above pre-war prices.

1923-24 1924-25. New buildiEgs 7,604 C,C<r7 Value £7,708.933 £7,823,331 Additions .. £1,437,540 £1,480,829 Totals £3,1*46,479 £9,304,160

Auckland City .. £1.375.37? Weui:.gton City 1.050.137 Ch-xistchurch City . , 837.100 Datitxiin City 752,673 M-unt Aibert , , 358.36G Wangaimi 314.181 Paiiuerston North , . 261,;i50 ■jis.doi £186.o59: Hamilton. Invercurgiil Mount Eden. £ 103.823; Timaru, £151.005: OneHansa. £ 150,333: Hastings. £ 147.431; Napier. £ 133.S31: Takapuna. £ 132.532 • Lower Hutt. £124.923: Whaagarei. £119.233.

P;r cont Wellington . . 95. S Hamilton . , 91.6 Whangansi . . . . . 82.5 Palmerston North . . . SO. 7 New PijTBOtltil • • I?" 9 Cfinsi^nircii . . 75.1 AnckL-ind . . 72.3