SHORTAGE OF PRIVATE GARAGES CONCERNS MANY MOTORISTS IN CITY

Wanganui Chronicle, 15 January 1949, Page 4

SHORTAGE OF PRIVATE GARAGES CONCERNS MANY MOTORISTS IN CITY

With a slight relaxation in the resrictidh on the erection of private garages for motor-cars, more garages are now being built in Wanganui. Recently local bodies were given power to grant permits for such buildings without reference to the Building Controller, but there are still some limitations.

There are two preference classes who may use new materials with the exception of cement and materials which are subject to controls. These classes include doctors, ministers of religion, power authorities, invalids, cripples and those whose cars are in regular use. The ordinary private owner may build his garage of se-cond-hand material but if new timber is used it must not be heart rimu, miro or totara. Shaky heart totara, however, is permissable. If new joinery is used for doors or windows it must not be of heart timber. The work, if done by a builder, must be done outside the 40-hour-week and private garages are limited to a maximum size of 200 square feet. The need for the provision of more private garages is evident in almost every street in the city where cars can be seen standing in the street at night in all weathers. The position has been further accentuated by thr fact that in recent years many houses have been erected without garages The position is so serious that new cars have to be left out-of-doors at the mercy of the weather. Those whe have garages and no cars have nc difficulty indisposing of them; in fact they are usually besieged by car owners who are paying up to 4s a week in rent.