NEW BUILDING FOR STATE

Southland Times, Issue 23736, 7 February 1939, Page 8

NEW BUILDING FOR STATE

Men's Conditions And Wages EMERGENCY WORK TO BE DONE Representatives To Meet Government (United Press Association) WELLINGTON, February 6. “A combined meeting of building trades unions was held yesterday in the Trades Hall and was presided over by the president of the Wellington Trades Council, Mr F. P. Walsh,” says a report supplied by Mr P. M. Butler, on behalf of the Press Committee, consisting of Messrs Walsh, Butler and J. Moulton. “The meeting discussed matters arising out of the intention of the Government to erect temporary premises for the administration of the Social Security Act on Aotea Quay. The meeting was addressed by the Minister of Labour (the Hon. P. C. Webb), who gave an assurance on behalf of the Government that if it was found necessary to make any departure from present awards for emergency work to be performed, such a departure would not be taken as a precedent and that the workers would be amply safeguarded against the establishing of any such precedent. Representatives of the various unions also addressed the meeting. The meeting assured the Government of 100 per cent, co-opera-tion in the erection of the building in the shortest possible time and, in any case, in time for the inauguration of the Social Security Act on April 1. “Representatives of the various building trades unions, together with representatives of the Trades and Labour Council, are to meet representatives of the Government and to complete details of wages and conditions for the erecting of the premises. Arrangements are already in hand for the carrying out of the decisions of the meeting and the representatives of the unions will meet the representatives of the Government almost immediately. “This is the only official statement made about the meeting and anything which appeared before this is absolutely unofficial,” concludes the report. “The statement published this morning is incorrect when it says that opinions were expressed that the present Government housing scheme could be greatly improved and speeded up under an extension of contract-letting.” An earlier message stated that a mass meeting of workers engaged in the building trade in Wellington was held yesterday to consider waiving the award conditions as an emergency measure to facilitate the erection of the new social security building. An assurance was given by Mr Webb, who was present throughout the meeting, that the proposal to work two 10-hour shifts was merely to meet the emergency conditions and that any agreement reached would not effect future awards. With this assurance the meeting carried a resolution expressing its desire to assist the Government to enable it to put into operation the Social Security Act on April 1 and also agreed to special conditions being applied to this particular building, such conditions to have no bearing on or to establish any precedent for awards.

DETAILS OF BUILDING COMPLETED

STEPS TO REDUCE FIRE HAZARD (United Press Association) WELLINGTON, February 6. It was announced by the Minister of Public Works (the Hon. R. Semple) that as a result of collaboration between his engineers, the Government architects and the engineers of the Fletcher Construction Company the whole of the constructional details of the new social security building had been completed. This had necessitated the continuous working since Friday of a very large staff and reflected great credit on those concerned.

“One of the lessons we had to learn from the destruction of the previous building was the danger of fire and in the construction of the new buildin" the fire hazard will be reduced to an absolute minimum,” said the Minister. “The three blocks are so designed as to be entirely separate, with fire walls between each block. The whole of the outer walls will be lined with fireresisting materials and plaster .will be placed on top of these materials. The inner walls will be similarly lined, while to prevent the spread of fire from one block to the other in the light areas it is proposed to use steel sashes and wired glass. The roof will be constructed of corrugated asbestos roofing. Even in the remote case of fire there is n» possibility of fire spreading, as there will be no adjacent building.”-