BUILDING TRADE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18580, 14 December 1934, Page 4

BUILDING TRADE

RENEWED ACTIVITY TOWN AND COUNTRY JOBS BIG DEMAND FOR TIMBER A decided increase in building activity in the Poverty Bay and East Coast districts has brought about a mild boom in the timber-milling industry, as well as in the building trade itself, and a number of other allied trades are reaping benefits from the general demand for dwellings and other buildings. In all the tinnier yards in Gisborne, the staffs are being kept unusually busy, while sawn and bulk timber from the Rukauroa-Matawai-Motuhora area is helping to swell the freight statistics of the Gisborne railway section. On the Coast road in particular, the carriage of timber has given a good fillip to lorry services, and though the activity is likely to slacken during the holiday season, a renewal of business is expected in the early part of the New Year. So far as the Borough of Gisborne is concerned, the figures relating) to building permits have shown a good recovery during the last two months, after a rather quiet winter, - and ■ -though - the year’s building figures are likely lo be well below last year’s, the - volume of business has been sufficient to give employment lo a large number of men. The number of dwellings being erected in the borough indicates a good demand for new houses, the subsidy arrangements offered a few months ago by the Unemployment Board having been availed of by a number of investors, with satisfactory results for the trade. The bulk of the work now proceeding is made up by small jobs, on which the employment of mechanical contrivances is not widely exploited. Consequently, there is a better demand for labor in the industry at the moment than for some time.

Details of the borough building figures for the past 11 months are given below, the corresponding figures for 1933 being shown for comparative purposes.. In making any comparison, however, it is necessary to keep in mind the fact that last year’s figures were increased substantially by the subsidised building scheme sponsored by the Unemployment Board in 1933, when the subsidies were available for practically all classes .ol work.

Total for 11 months £48,053 £63,545 Indications given since the start of December suggest that the volume of building, especially in regard to dwellings, will he well up to that of November, ii not in excess of the figures for that month

' 1934 1933 £ £ January 1,4515,326 February 10,048 1,724 March 3,800 3,832 April 1,717 3,237 May 3,197 4,315 June 1,397 1,195 July 5,755 3,165 August 4,249 14,855 September 2,586 8,271 October 5.548 y j76v) November 8,305 8,890