BUILDING TRADE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19070, 18 July 1936, Page 4

BUILDING TRADE

GISBORNE DWELLINGS FIGURES FOR 24 YEARS FLUCTUATIONS TRACED Evidence of the progress made in the building trade of Cisbonrc. during a period of 24 years up to March 31 last is furnished by an informative statistical table compiled by Mr. L. W. Patterson, building inspector for the Borough of Gisborne, at the instance of the borough engineer, Mr. E. 11. Thomas. The figures indicate that during the period no fewer than 1219 dwellings have been built in the town at a total cost of £818,046. the average cost per dwelling being £671, and the average annual expenditure on houses only £34,080. In a perusal of the figures published below it will be noted that 1912-13, the peak of building activity in Gisborne, produced a total of 122 houses, an average of nearly two and a half per week. In that year, also, the average cost per house was only £420, as against (he average for 24 years of £671. From 1912-13 there was' an almost constant rise from year to year in the cost of house-building uhtii 1919-20, when an average of £846 was reached, after which .there were HuetuationS' leading finally Xo a peak of £977 per dwelling for the'23 built in 1924-25. The' greatest increase in the average cost of liouses in Gisborne, as between consecutive years, occurred between L9lB-19 and 1919-20, from £566 to £846. the increase on the average being £2BO. The greatest decline in average cost per dwelling over a single year was shown between 1930-31, when the cost was £857, and 1931-32, when as a result of the dearth of work in the trade and a general shrinkage in costs the average dropped to £593, the difference between these two figures being £264. A NNUAL EX PENDITURE In respect of individual annual expenditure on house-building, 1921-22 provided the peak with £74,154, for which sum 85 houses were added to the (own, comparing with £01,260" for 1912-13, in which year 122 houses were built, On the other hand, the lowest single year's expenditure in the period was in 1931-32, when only eight dwellings were erected in Gisborne, at a total cost of £4744. In comparing ttio average cost of houses as between pre-war years and later periods, it should be borne in mind that the general idea as to what constitutes a dwelling lias changed radically, while the costs of labour and materials have increased enormously since the days before the war. In 1912-13, for instance, kauri timber was still purchasable at lower prices than are asked to-day for less durable timbers, and tradesmen in the building and allied trades- were receiving from 10s to 12s per day. Moreover, a house which cost an average of £420 before the war could not compare in comfort and appointments with those designed in later years, when the plenitude of money produced a. demand for better types of residence for all classes in the community. Tlie figures for the period reviewed above to -March 31 m ouch year are given in detail below :

Ao. of Year's Average Year dwelling! > outlay cost 1913 • ... 122 " £51,260 £420 1914 ... 118 £55,807 £473 1915 ... 73^ £33,809 £463 191(J ... 77 £37,604 £488 1017 .., 54 .£28.625 £530 1918 ... 11 £6160 £560 1919 ... 15 £8502 £566 1920 ... 38 £32,161. £846 1921. .,. 83 £59,337 £715 1922 ... 85 £74,154 £873 1923 ... 71 £53,900 £760 1924 ... 32 £27,326 £854 1925 ... 23 £22.489 £977 3936 ... 55 £52,848 £961 1927 ... 40 £34.503 £862 1928 ... 38 £29,301 £771 1929 ... 44 £37,070 £842 1930 ... 56 £49,579 £884 1931 ... 39 £33,428 £857 1932 ... 8 £4744 .£593 1933 ... 24 £12.047 £502 1934 ... 52 £19,244 £602 1935 ... 33 £19,106 £579 1936 ... 48 £35,042 £751 1219 £818,046 £671