BUILDING PROGRESS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXII, Issue 19432, 17 October 1925, Page 11

BUILDING PROGRESS

A RECORD YEAR. VALUE TOTALS £9,304,000. FIVE MILLIONS FOR HOUSING. A review of building operations in cities, boroughs, and town districts compiled by the Government Statistician, shows that in respect of the value of buildings for which permits were issued, the year ended March 31 constituted a record. There was a decline in the number of buildings, but in the respect of both new structures and alterations and additions, the value was greater than in the previous year, when previous achievements were exceeded. Permits for the erection of 5805 dwellings were issued as compared with 6245 in the previous year. The rate, however, was £4,916,425, as against £5,046,893. The average value of private dwellings erected was: £725 in J 1921-22; £7BB in 1922-23; £Bll in 1923124; and £847 in 1924-25. Additions and alterations last year amounted to £755.126, as compared with £783,864 in the previous year. Decline in Business Premises. For the erection of business premises 1907 permits were issued, as against 1042 in 1923-24, while the value showed a slight decline, being £1,876,696, as against £1,884,859. This was more than balanced by the increase in the value of alterations and additions, which was £583.266, as compared with £456,229. Statistics for both classes of buildings combined compare as follow: 1923-24 1924-25 New buildings 7,804 6,907 Value .... £7,708,933 £7,823,331 Additions .. £1,437,546 £1,480,829 Totals .. £9,146,479 £9,304,160 Information regarding the proposed material of construction in new dwellings is not complete. The available particulars comprise £4,281,370 of the total expenditure and of that - liguie, no less than £3,712,01d vzaa designed for wooden residences —86 per cent. The statistician remarks that the proportion of wooden houses is slightly diminishing. A statement is also given of the total value of all buildings in the principal town for which permits were issued during the year, the amounts including Government operations commenced. In each of the following the value exceeded £100,000: Auckland City .. .. £1,575,377 Wellington City .. .. 1,060,137 Christchurch City .. .. 837,100 Dunedin City .. .. 752,673 Mount Albert .. .. 358,366 Wanganui .. .. 314,181 Palmerston North .. .. 261,550 Invercargill .. .. 233,651 Mount Eden .. .. 186,559 Hamilton .. .. 163,823 Timaru .. .. 151,005 Onehunga .. .. 150,333 Hastings .. .. 147,431 Napier .. .. 133.891 Takapuna .. .. 132.532 Lower Hutt .. .. 124,929 Whangarei .. .. 119,293 Dominion Rents. The statistician has also completed his investigation of rents in August, the survey covering 25 towns. Hamilton and Taihape show reductions since February, but all other towns show increases. The smallest increase has been in Auckland, this being apparently due to the fact that building activit has recently been exceptionally brisk, with the result that the housing shortage has been partially overcome. Rent statistics_are based on the average during 1909 to 1913 in the four chief centres, and compared with this base, the latest returns show the following increases:—

Wellington 95.5 Hamilton 91.6 Whangarei 82.5 Palmerston North .... 80.7 New Plymouth 79.9 Christchurch 75.1 Auckland 72.3 There has been a decline in Waihi of 19.6 per cent and in Alexandra of 6.3 per cent. Dunedin shows an increase of only 39.7 per cent, and in Rotorua the increase has been 48.3 per cent. The statistician explains that the returns represent rents actually paid, not the figures at which houses could be obtained to-day by would-be tenants. Rents have lagged behind the cost of building. Whereas the level for the whole Dominion in August was only 68.2 per cent, above the 1909-13 level for the four chief centres, in March, wages for building employees were 81.3 per cent, above the corresponding prc-w'ar level and wholesale prices of building materials were in August 106.8 per cent, above pre-war prices.