STATE HOUSING SCHEMES

Southland Times, Issue 23337, 22 October 1937, Page 6

STATE HOUSING SCHEMES

Carpenters Arrive From England AGREEMENT WITH COMPANY 40 MORE EXPECTED NEXT WEEK (United Press Association) AUCKLAND, October 21. Under a three-years agreement with the Fletcher Construction Co, Ltd., 40 carpenters from the United Kingdom arrived by the Rangitiki from London to work in New Zealand. A few others arrived in Wellington recently and 40 more are expected to come by the Ruahine, which arrives at Wellington next Tuesday. There will be 100 altogether. Most of those who came on the Rangitiki were young journeymen, between 20 and 30 years of age, and seven are married.

Some said that if they liked the country they probably would stay. A few seemed a trifle uncertain of the reception they would have from the New Zealand trades unions. According to what they said on the Rangitiki just before they disembarked they answered advertisements which appeared in English newspapers about three months ago. They wrote to the High Commissioner in London (Mr W J. Jordon) to discover the working conditions in the Dominion and were told they would receive 2/6J an hour and would be guaranteed work for three years on various housing schemes. Most of them had had experience in similar schemes in different parts of England and were interested in the prospect of working in a new country. A few are from London but the majority appear to hail from the north of England. One is a Greek from Cyprus. All paid their own fares to New Zealand. MOST MEN FOR WELLINGTON They expected that some would be retained to work on State housing schemes in Auckland, while others would go to Wellington, but inquiries made at the office of the Fletcher Construction Co. showed that the greater number would be sent to Wellington. In any event they agreed before they left London to go to places outside the main centres, including locations agreed upon by the Public Works Department for schemes which may be decided upon at a later date.

Some of the new arrivals said they wondered what would be the attitude of New Zealanders towards them as they had heard that advertisements in English papers for carpenters and joiners had brought a great deal of criticism from certain quarters. “We were told in England that there was a shortage of journeymen in New Zealand,” said one, “and as conditions out here are a good deal better than they are at Home, or so we were told, we thought we would try it out. From what I can gather the news of our coming has not been too well received by a few people who are afraid we shall be taking work from New Zealanders. How can we do that when your officials told us there was a shortage of men in the building trade? We are coming to a co #itry that is strange to most of us and we want to be as happy as we can. We hope the feelings of the New Zealanders who work with us will be as friendly as ours are to them.”

Mr William Fletcher, principal of the firm which has entered into an agreement with the men, stated that in no wise was the Government involved. The company had need of competent tradesmen, and as this need could not be fulfilled by Dominion tradesmen, it had been decided to advertise for tradesmen in the United Kingdom. The issue was a perfectly simple one between the firm and the men who applied for the job.

NO GUARANTEE TO FIRM ALL CONTRACTS LET IN COMPETITION WELLINGTON, October 21. Asked whether he had any comment to make upon the reported arrival by the Rangitiki at Auckland of 40 English carpenters, the Parliamentary Undersecretary for Housing (Mr J. A. Lee) said today that with the contracts now let in Auckland and the grave housing shortage that existed, it was obvious that there would be an acute shortage of carpenters. No carpenters were coming under contract to the Housing Department, nor was the Housing Department in a position to guarantee any firm continuity of work. The building contracts would be let competitively from time to time, and the Government aimed at securing the best price. Whether any group of workers was employed on State housing schemes or otherwise depended upon the capacity of the firm to secure the contracts in open competition. To his knowledge, Mr Lee said, a considerable influx of building craftsmen was occurring from Australia, and these were being absorbed in the building industry. For the building programmes that the Government would like to carry out there was a shortage of several thousand skilled men, and every additional craftsman enabled unskilled workers to be taken up, and enabled the building trade to give further employment to timber workers, brick makers, stove, tile and plumbing manufacturers. About 140 houses had been let on the Casey Estate, Auckland, and for contracts in the Mount Roskill Road Board area 21 tenders had been received. The whole attitude of the trade toward the Government housing scheme had changed and in Auckland all the building firms seemed desirous of securing a Government housing contract. A contract for house building in Devonport would close in a few days, and further contracts would be advertised shortly in other parts of Auckland, while roading was under way to prepare a further scheme for Orakei. Mr Lee said there seemed no possibility of a surplus of building labour during the lifetime of the Labour Government.

CHANGED ATTITUDE OF SMALL BUILDERS (From Our Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON, October 21. Gratification at the changed attitude of small builders towards the Government’s housing scheme was expressed in an interview today by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary in Charge of Housing (Mr J. A. Lee). In the early stages, said Mr Lee, small builders were inclined to be critical of

the scheme and not altogether helpful but there was now ample evidence that they were recognizing the benefits which the scheme held out to them. Mr Lee referred to the fact that tenders had just closed for the construction of 20 houses in the Buckland road scheme at Auckland. Applications had been received from 21 prospective contractors, most of them small builders.

“The acceptance of tenders for houses on the Casey Estate in Auckland demonstrated the recent trend of affairs,” said Mi- Lee. “It was proved conclusively that when a small builder makes up his mind he can quote competitively and hold his own with large firms. That is a state of affairs which we wish to encourage.” CHANCES OF JOBS IN AUCKLAND (United Press Association) AUCKLAND, October 21. The secretary of the Auckland Builders’ and Contractors’ Association interviewed about the carpenters from England said the men were quite safe in coming to New Zealand and could get jobs without going to Wellington. A more cautious note was sounded by the secretary of the Auckland Carpenters’ Union (Mr Kennerley) who considered that the new men could not be absorbed in Auckland where an adult apprentice scheme had recently been put into operation and about 30 young men had entered building work. Any big influx of workmen had to be regarded with some concern. The Government housing scheme was not in itself sufficient to provide work.

TENDERS ACCEPTED FOR DWELLINGS , WELLINGTON, October 21. The Minister in Charge of Housing (Mr J. A. Lee) has announced that tenders for the erection of a further group of six houses at Marton have been accepted. Tenders for 14 houses at Taumarunui have also been accepted. It has been decided to call tenders for the erection of 18 single-house units at Napier and eight single houses and one two-house unit at Oamaru.