GREAT SHORTAGE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23274, 17 February 1939, Page 13

GREAT SHORTAGE

BUILDING TRADESMEN DEFICIT OF 20,000 HOUSES 6000 MORE A YEAR NEEDED "If the building programme of the Government is fully implemented, anything up to 10,000 tradesmen could be employed. In the Housing Xopartment alone we are short of at least 3000 skilled workers," said the Minister of Labour, the Hon. P. C. Webb, yesterday. The housing survey, he said, had revealed that New Zealand was at least 20,000 houses short of its requirements, and to meet the normal demands at least 6000 houses a year should be constructed. "At the rate we arc going we cannot even supply normal requirements, let alone catch up with the shortage," the Minister continued. "In addition, we have public buildings to construct to the extent of over £18,000,000, embracing schools, hospitals, departmental requirements and post offices. Obviously the more tradesmen we employ the greater will be the demand for unskilled workers, so that if we were up to maximum requirements in skilled men there would be a shortage of unskilled helpers." In explaining that the Government had decided to import skilled men from overseas, Mr. Webb said it had been reported that a considerable number of skilled workers were out of employment in West Australia, and builders from that State had been making inquiries whether it would be worth while to transfer their plants to New Zealand and bring labour with them. The Government was anxious to obtain the artisans and would see what men could be recruited from Australia.

IMPORTED WORKERS SELECTION IN AUSTRALIA TASK FOR MR. J. HODGENS £by telegraph—PßESS association] WELLINGTON, Thursday Following the statement which he made yesterday, the Prime Minister, the lit. Hon. M.'J. Savage, announced to-day that Mr. J. Hodgens, M.P. for Palmerston, was going to Australia almost immediately to select building tradesmen for employment on housing construction in New Zealand. Mr. Hodgens, who is a builder, will have a free hand in the selection of the men.