BIG BUILDING WORKS IN HAND.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 19154, 21 August 1930, Page 9

BIG BUILDING WORKS IN HAND.

TRADE NOW RECOVERING FROM THE DEPRESSION.

Indications that th« business community in Christchurch has no lack of confidence in the future of the city are to be found in the number of building projects now being put in hand. While it cank® said that Christchurch is on the verge of a building boom, the prospects for the trade are described as very encouraging, and it is anticipated that there will soon be sufficient work in progress to absorb the bulk of the labour available.

During the past few years there has been a steady decline in the erection of new* dwellings in Christchurch, and it is apparent that the shortage that existed in the years immediately following the termination of the war has been more than made good. The falling-off in the demand for new dwellings has hit some of the smaller building contractors very hard, but the larger firms have managed to carry on fairly satisfactorily even during the period of the worst depression. Big Jobs Contemplated. At present there are a number of big structures in course of erection and several others that will absorb a good deal of labour will be started in the near future. Among those jobs for which tenders have been accepted but on which work has not yet been started are the alterations and additions to the City Abattoir and the erection of a new four-storey block in Hereford Street, opposite the Union Bank of Australia. Each of these works will involve an expenditure of over £20,000. Tenders will shortly close for the new High Street Post Office building, and it is expected that a start will be made in the course of a couple of months on the erection of the Nurses’ Home at the Christchurch Hospital. New Hotels. It is interesting to note that during the past few years a large amount of money has been expended in Christchurch on the erection of new theatres and the remodelling of others. This class of construction has now come to an end, for a while at least, but it has been superseded by a spurt in hotel building. Recently the old City Buffet Hotel was reconstructed at considerable cost and re-opened as the Central Hotel, the license from the old A 1 Hotel being transferred to it. That work seems to have given a fillip to other jobs of a similar character, for the Rotherfield Hotel, in Cashel Street, is now in process of being completely remodelled, and when completed will be re-opened as the Gresham Hotel. Work is also in hand on the erection of the New City Hotel, at the corner of Colombo and Bath Streets, and on alterations and additions to the Trocadero Private Hotel in Manches- : ter Street. Probably, within the near future, another storey will be added to . Warner’s Hotel in Cathedral Square. Work In. Business Area. Two big construction jobs that are well under way at present are the St Elmo Courts and Commerce Buildings. St Elmo Courts are approaching completion, but there is still a good deal of work to be done on Commerce Buildings. Work is also in progress on the addition of a storey to the building at the corner of Hereford and Manchester Streets, which is owned by the Methodist Church Trustees. During the past fortnight work has been started on the addition of a new storey to the A.M.P. building in Cathedral Square, the total expenditure involved being over £15,000. Other jobs in hand include alterations and additions to the Christchurch “ Times ” and “Star” buildings, alterations to the Colombo Street frontage of the premises occupied by Messrs Ballantynes, and the erection of a building at the corner of Colombo and Tuatn Streets by Messrs J. and W. Jamieson, Ltd. Quite a number of smaller jobs in the business area are also in progress. Empty Houses. Mr E. C. Sutcliffe, secretary of the Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners, said to-day that at the present time the building trade was very dull in Christchurch, but provided the work promised went ahead as anticipated he believed it would be sufficient to enable the trade to carry on under moderate conditions, although he doubted whether all the labour available would be absorbed.