ECONOMY IN BUILDING

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23818, 20 November 1940, Page 8

ECONOMY IN BUILDING

An example of which the New Zealand Government might well take heed has been given by the Federal Government in Australia. It has decreed that anyone wishing to erect a building to cost more than £SOOO must obtain the consent of the Treasurer. The purpose is to conserve material vital to the war effort. However the restriction in New Zealand is not needed for private building, but for the many extravagant projects to which the Government is itself committed. In Auckland most attention has been focussed on the new building for the Commercial Broadcasting Department. It is a glaring enough instance, but is only part of the story. It is true that in a number of instances work has gone so far that there is.no option save to. continue until the buildings are at least capable of use, though there should still be scope for revising plans with an eye to saving material and public money when the need for husbanding both is urgent. There are other projects with which complete suspension should be feasible ; at least it should have been decreed before the public works estimates for this year were presented. Two outstanding examples are the new building for the Internal Marketing

Department in Auckland, and the Government printing office in Wellington. The first, when authorised, was estimated to cost £100,975, Just under £21,000 had been spent at the beginning of the present year, and £BO,OOO was voted for expenditure in 1940-41. The printing office, is estimated to cost £600.000. At March 31 £10,473 had been spent, and £50,000 was voted in this year's estimates. The country is studded with similar instances, mostly more modest, but altogether representing an enormous consumption of material. In Britain far more drastic restrictions have been put on building even than in Australia. New Zealand goes serenely on, unperturbed by war.