STATE HOUSING

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 13819, 29 March 1938, Page 5

STATE HOUSING

SHORTAGE OF TRADESMEN?

V Telegranh—Press Association WELLINGTON. This Day.

**Buildmg construction under :he Government’s housing scheme is proceeding in 48 towns.’* said the Parliamentary Under-Secretary in Charge of Housing. Ml J. A. Lee. in an interview yesterday. "'Contract* are now being let at the rate of 100 houses a week. l! this should be maintained the total for tin* year will be 5200 house*.”’ Mr Lee said that the only obstacle to that achievement would b» t* e lack of "killed builders. Meanwhile the rate of building tonstruction was well over 50 per cent above the peak level. The output was being rapidly accelerated.

General progress on the count ruction of private dwellings has been exceptionally good this year throughout New "Zealand. The building permit figures for January last were 437—the highest January ligures since 1927 Ti. tw*> ol tin- last four months the building jierniits had been above those recorded for the coriesponding months in the peak yea To. For example, the returns of permit* last October were 492 <oinparecl with 475 in the peak year 1929. and iu January this year the total was 437 as against 370 at the height of the boom. The latest progress it port ol St at

housing for the week ended Man li I s * showed that over 8900 persons wer * now directly ami indirectly employed. More than half of that total were engaged in construction. Th« numb *r of houses advertised was 2969 ai d there were 1477 under construction.

Mr Lee pointed out that -n 1932 during the depression the permits for tho construction of private dwellings totalled 1555. Last year the total was 4555—an increase ol 30t*0.