ROOFING SUPPLIES

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 89, Issue 168, 18 July 1945, Page 5

ROOFING SUPPLIES

PRODUCTION REPORTED “SERIOUSLY LOW” (P.A.) Christchurch, July 17. “During recent months the production of asbestos-cement roofing from the factory at Auckland has been seriously low,” said Mr. D. G. Sullivan, Minister of Supply and Munitjpns. “As a result the Buildings Controller has instructed the manufacturers that they shall concentrate on supplying orders for defence and in emergency hospital works of a relatively permanent nature, dwellings and other building being erected for the settlement ot former servicemen on the land and other urgent rural buildings, including farm workers’ or sharemilkers’ cottages and milking sheds. “To ensure however, that only essential orders are supplied,” continued Mr Sullivan, “the manufacturers have been instructed to accept only orders certified by a primary production c; uncil or an inspector of the Department of Agriculture in respect to rural works, and by a district building controller in rescpect to other works” The Minister said that it would take possibly seven to eight weeks to complete orders coming within these categories, and that during this period rooting reouirements for urban housing, factories and schools etc., could not b? sunplied. However, he anticipated that from next week it would be possible for the factory to increase production and ho honed that there would be a continuous improvement. “It is most imnortant. however.’* concluded Mr. Sullivan, “that prospective home builders should design their dwellings to utilise roofing tiles wherever practicable, as no guarantee can bo given that ashestos-cement roofing will bo available for urban housing for some little time, nor can relief be afforded bv the release of galvanised corrugated iron, which is as short in sunnly to-day ns at any time during the war.”