BUILDING OF HOUSES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25208, 24 April 1943, Page 4

BUILDING OF HOUSES

AN INCREASE EXPECTED PLANS FOR POST-WAR PERIOD (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Apl. 22. Although there has been a lull in building owing to the demands on constructional workers for defence purposes, the building of homes for the people will be accelerated as defence works are tapered off. This statement was made to-day by tne Minister of Housing (Mr R.-Semple). “We are planning a long way ahead,” said Mr Semple, “but unless we do, the housing conditions of this country will continue to be unsatisfactory.” The Minister added that, in spite of the drain of man-power for public works, 1259 houses had been built by the Department of Housing Construction during the year ended March 31—an average of 24 per week. These included 347 in Auckland and 162 in Wellington, where the need was greatest. Most of this work had been carried out spasmodically while the contractors were waiting lor further defence contracts. Up to the present there were about 1300 houses in various stages of completion awaiting the return of organisations from detence work.

In order to make way for defence construction, said Mr Semple, numerous permits for private owners had been withheld, while labour from many others had been diverted to detence works. With the relaxing of control as defence projects were completed, hundreds of houses would be erected for people who wished to build. The present labour force. engaged in the building industry was estimated at 8000 men. When this force was transferred back to normal work it would ne possible to build 5000 houses (private and State) each year as long as the war lasted, plus a programme of hospitals and essential factories. It would also be possible to carry out the necessary maintenance.

A programme of this size, the Minister continued, was not only, dependent on the labour available, but also upon the availability of siich materials from overseas as electric cable, glass, water pipe, etc. It had been found that even in cases in which priorities had been granted- fpr this material, it had’ 'been crowded’(nit‘by" the urgent need for shipping space for war supplies.

Mr Semple indicated that he had reports prepared for a housing construction programme after the war, and was aiming at a minimum of 16,000 houses a year.