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Wednesday 31 October 1945
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Big Shortage Of Supplies
For Building
-:-^-«
Grave shortages in all building materials were hampering the State housing programme, and building trades generally were in a distress
iiig condition, the Minister for Housing, Mr. McGirr, said in a statement issued yesterday«
' "There is no co-ordinated effort," he said, "to asses's the relationship of tradesmen to the materials supply, and to relate these to the building quotas so as to obtain a clear pic- ture of the extent the State can pro- ceed with its construction programme.
"The review necessarv is not so much one of man-power, but of tradesmen for construction, and specialists for processing in fac-
tories."
Mr. McGirr's statement was made in reply to questions asked by Mr. Gorman (Lab., Annandale).
Building activity in New South Wales had outstripped supplies, he
said.
"The sharp transition from war to peace had virtually found the indus- try stranded.
"A total of 1,3 7 í houses were under construction, and 5,091 had been allocated to contractors and day
labour.
"These would be begun as soon as men and materials allowed. The State Housing Commission's building rate over the last three months had ex- ceeded that of any other State."
43 MILLION BRICKS
Current metropolitan production of bricks was about 5,000,000 a month, and orders were in hand for 43 mil- lion, of which 23 million were for jobs sponsored or carried out by the Housing Commission, Some brick- yards were booked out for 12 months.
The Commission faced a brick de- ficiency of 14 million for the October to December quarter; of 15 million from January to March, and of 21 million for the April to June quarter,
1946.
That deficiency was equal to 1,900 brick houses.
Mr. McGirr said that the Commis- sion's Co-ordinator of Man-power and Material Supply, Mr. Harrison, had íepoited that unless very ener- getic action was taken, the brick supply would bcome hopeless.
There was a total deficiency of 600,000 squaie yards in all building requirements for asbestos cement sheets, and of 3,150 cooking stoves.
Mr. Harrison had also reported a serious shortage of stoneware pipes; cast-iron pipes; fibrous plaster; terra cotta roofing tiles, and timber.