BUILDING SCHEME

Southland Times, Issue 21823, 28 September 1932, Page 8

BUILDING SCHEME

THE NO. 10 PLAN 5 CONFERENCE OF ALLIED INTERESTS SUPPORT GIVEN Under the auspices of the Southern Sawmillers’ Guild a largely attended meeting of representatives from the allied building industries was held yesterday afternoon for the purpose of considering the question of formulating a practical plan for stimulating employment among building tradesmen. Mr M. J. Kilkelly, who acted as chairman, after expressing gratification at the representative attendance, briefly explained the objects of the meeting. In the north, he said, several persons had taken advantage of the Government’s No. 10 subsidy scheme and it was thought locally that some good might result if the representatives of the allied industries could get together to consider the whole question. Mr J. Cuthill (secretary), in giving a synopsis of the scheme, said that the subsidy was payable on almost every kind of building work, large or small. It included painting, paper-hanging, renovating, repairing or making alterations or additions to chouses, or the building of new houses for the bona fide owner-occupier in each case. The subsidy would be paid on the wages of registered unemployed workers, tradesmen and unskilled, engaged on the work at the rate of 6/8 in the £ of the wages paid to each, with a maximum of 25/- for any one man for any one week. Further provisions of the scheme were outlined by Mr Cuthill, who stated that many in the north were taking full advantage of it. The chairman emphasized that the main object of the scheme was to endeavour to create an incentive for the people to spend money which otherwise would continue to become accumulated. “We must try tc induce them to spend,” he reiterated. Mr Cuthill: Subsidies have already been claimed in Wellington on £500,000 worth of work done.

“There are certainly great possibilities in the scheme and, if we can get it under way here, it should prove of great benefit,” agreed Mr Kilkelly. “Then we could try to introduce it to the smaller towns.” No Faith In The Scheme.

“I don’t want to throw cold water on the proposal, but I have followed the scheme very closely since it was first mooted and personally I don’t think the cost will work out lower, though ostensibly it may seem that it will,” said Mr A. J. Ball. Continuing, the speaker said that those who had any idea of labour would recognize that in the case where men had to be put off the best employees were always retained, either because they were the more willing workers or the better tradesmen. “If the scheme is gone on with then you will find that many of the men you take on are incompetent or else have not the necessary ‘kick’ to do a full day’s work,” stressed Mr Ball. “The job will not be so well finished, and in the long run the contractor will save perhaps not more than five per cent. That’s the way I look at it at any rate. I, like everyone else, want to see everyone employed, and this money has to be found at any rate. If you think it is making good use of the unemployed money, well and good. I don’t believe in the scheme from the start.”

The chairman of the Builders’ Association (Mr A. Andrews), said that many did not know of the scheme, and he certainly thought it should prove beneficial in the end and be the means of commencing many works. “All the same,” he said, “I do not agree with the principle of it all, for the money should, in my . opinion, he granted as a loan rather than as a subsidy. It doesn’t seem fair to me to take one shilling in the pound from every worker and pay the money over as a subsidy for building extensions and such like.”

Several other speakers agreed in the main with the view that the scheme,' if properly carried into operation, would be to the advantage of trade. There might be weaknesses in it, but the gains far outweighed them.

It. was ultimately decided, on the motion of Mr A. V. Poole, to approve of the scheme and to do everything possible towards its furtherance in Southland, and that a further meeting should be called for October 4 in order to consider the whole question more exhaustively.