FEDERATED BUILDERS' CONFERENCE.
CHRISTCHURCH, November 4. The annual meeting of the Federation of Builders and Contractoi*s of New Zealand waa continued to-day, Mr Andrew Bain presiding. The report of the Committee upon Apprentices and- Technical Education -was received and adopted. -■ I were- that' the federatifln should object to any" increase in 'apprenticed- ■•wages; that builders should pay*th© feee for technical education for the last three years of the apprentice's time, ' provided \sß»t> the, .an- . prentice attended the echoor after working hours, and that the principals of the technical colleg«e should iurtuajL the contractors with a statement of attendancea of apprentices; aleo that the federation choulct- be adequately represented on the Board of Governors. In regard to building clafeefi, a. eoromi-ttee fehbuld be eet up to
* cdriter "wftTT'tiiV Technical" "college ,to arrange a syllabus and examination papers, r^i^fe^^^ft^P^^itf^^^,. become * journeyman he snould navß^wpfejiass an examination. »£_ ' M\ Be^Mtt moved — " That, & the opinion |of "tins fed-eiation, the excessive use *ojf; machinery in technical schools is deti-imental to tlje boys learning the practicairyo^k o/^ a trade. ' V To^' nvatjon |vyas caiTied|_by an overwhelming majorfty. * I A: DEPUTATION rO THJB? PRIME .; MINISTER. '-■• ;' , ( ' Noveanber- 9. To-day a deputation from thd Federated Builders' Association Executhset waited on the Prime Minister to discuss the question of the : duty on imported 1 timber. Mr - Avnold, M.P., 'ntrcdniced 4h~e» deputation, which",urged that legislation should be introduced on. the lines of Hi^ report of the Timber, Commission. _ , ~. Mr S, J. Clarke (president of the federation) eaid trie "deputation was well aware that influence Hadbeeri'brpught to bear to nullify Jbhe -report .of •the-'eOTimission.," auv. the bmldeis, wanted to oiq** it deaf .that they we'rtfnbt inacoordr-wfth that desire. They would have- preferred, however, greater freedom in the importation of timber, . but did not desire, lo injure the 1 trade of anyone. It was enrident' that saw- '• millers bad not 'been able to meet the j demand . for timber of .particular lengths, 1 nor to sell at a price which was acceptable. ,The builders corisid*ped that their industry, "was equally imporfent as- that of the sawmillers, and. they urged that i greater 'expansion. would "be brought about Iby greater of importation. He ; thought ako that the' people of the J- Dominion 'did not realise *hdw near we are to the end of «ar own timber supply. Th» Under-secretai'y for Lands had reportet that it would only last 30 v or 40 years, but he (Mr Clarke) contended that it ,T*'ojQl<L>iK>^^a§t; so long a's tiwt, job the increase ">r^'nl^ be' great .every year, judgijag. by what had hajjoenedjin the last 10 year^ In , conclusion, hei^urged that nothing jih'ould be done to;^6amper the building.' trade, which , was |Ee} barometer of .tfcfr , advancement - and.'y^ja^oTfth and civflisatioi ? of the people. V^ Bennett referred to a recent jud-ginent of Mr Cooper as to lien law,' to the effect' that a chief contractor''was liable to the workmen for the whole' amount- of the contract, and not, as they understood previously, for only 25 per- cent; -of a sub-contract. ■»-- Mj&-,&ieuli (Wangarrai) urgecUan amendment jbf the law to protect the? interests of the builders in case of>'a fire on a mortgaged building, and. fi«r* which' the builder has not been paid. . "7 -The -Prime Minister said he would be glad to pee that the matters referred to were .carefully considered when the Go-vernment-was finally concluding its consideration of the commission^report. He 'jbe}je.Y>edj i>Q\if, knportonb.'jt^waa that the building industry • should be protected, but it was exceedingly difficult, in -view of th"c' various conflicting" interests, to arrive at a deckion which would be effective. They had to protect the timber industry of New Zealand from an invasion of outside timber, and also to ensure that too high a price 9houlchnot be charged to the consumer. The ' Government was considering the question the", timber supply of New Zealand. '^Jt6t was satisfied . that a policy of afforeetatioJi yras necesI £ary. As to the of the law asked for, he would obtain the , opinion of the Crown law officers, and consider the matter, in connection with" £he* other suhjecte mentioned by the deputation. 1 " . . .'
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Otago Witness, Issue 2905, 17 November 1909, Page 2
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677FEDERATED BUILDERS' CONFERENCE. Otago Witness, Issue 2905, 17 November 1909, Page 2
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