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Building Industry

Volume 391: debated on Wednesday 14 July 1943

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Brickmaking Process

24.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works whether he has any knowledge of the process employed by the Scottish Oils, Limited, whereby the refuse of shale bings mixed with 10 per cent. of lime makes excellent bricks?

Yes, Sir. Full information of the process is available in my Department. Sand lime bricks made by this process are at present being used on building work in Scotland.

Is my hon. Friend satisfied as to the durability of these bricks, because so many other bricks in the last 20 years, when just touched by frost, have simply crumbled away?

They are sand lime bricks, and they compare very favourably with other sand lime bricks.

Operatives

25.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works how many building trade operatives are now employed by firms operating Government contracts; and how many operatives are directly employed by the Ministry?

I am advised that it would not be in the public interest to give the information asked for in the first part of the Question. As regards the second part of the Question, there were 9,537 building trades operatives in the direct employment of the Ministry of Works at 1st June, 1943, of whom 6,208 were employed on the maintenance of the Government and requisitioned premises for which the Ministry of Works is responsible and 3,329 in the Special Repair Service which was created to deal with emergency air raid damage repairs.

On what ground does the Minister decline to give the information asked for in the first part of the Question?

There are other Departments concerned, and I have consulted these Departments, and they ask me not to give the figures.

New Methods (Mission To America)

26.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works whether he will obtain reports on recent developments in the United States of America in pre-fabricated houses and new methods of house building?

Yes, Sir. My Noble Friend is at present arranging to send a mission consisting of a master builder, an architect and a representative of the operatives to America in the immediate future to study new building methods. I hope to be able to announce the names next week.

Steel Houses

27.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works whether he will have a Report made on the steel houses erected after the last war to determine whether they have been satisfactory from all points of view?

The Committee, which was jointly set up by my right hon. Friends the Minister of Health, the Secretary of State for Scotland and Lord Reith, to report on methods of house construction, has fully covered the various types of steel houses erected after the last war, and its report, which I understand is now being drafted, will shortly be presented to my Noble Friend and my right hon. Friends.

Will this Committee be working in co-operation with the sub-committee—of which I am a member—of the Ministry of Health which is dealing with exactly the same problem?

Are we to understand that other types of building will be covered by the Report?

Agricultural Workers' Cottages

28.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works whether he will consider employing Italian prisoners of war in the building of rural houses?

Every prisoner of war who can be spared from agricultural work and other work of vital importance at the present time is already being employed on the construction of Prisoner of War Camps and similar work. The number of craftsmen among the prisoners is small and the building of rural cottages in small numbers on a large number of isolated sites is not considered suitable work on which to employ prisoners of war.

If further large numbers of prisoners arrive in this country, will the matter be reconsidered then?

I think my hon. Friend had better put that Question down at a later stage.

Why not employ German prisoners? What is the point of taking them and not using them?

Could not Italian prisoners who are in rural areas be employed in repairing farm buildings which are rapidly deteriorating?

30.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works whether the same facilities to obtain labour and materials for building agricultural cottages will be given to the small builders as those given to the large contractors?

While I thank the Parliamentary Secretary for his reply, is he aware that there is a feeling among the small contractors that men would not be directed to them from the large contractors in the same way as men had been taken away from small contractors and directed to the large contractors in recent years? Is he further aware that his answer will give great satisfaction to these small contractors, who play such an important part in the life of the country?

I thank my hon. Friend for his remarks. All the work will be given W.B.A. priority, the materials will be speeded up for their use, and if there are any difficulties in regard to either one or the other, I shall only be too happy to help.

Will the Minister give every facility for the use of local material and not attempt to impose a cast-iron plan at the centre specifying all the materials to be used?

Costs (Wages And Working Conditions)

29.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works what is the estimated effect upon the cost of building, for the period between 28th March, 1943, and 2nd June, 1943, of the Orders and Regulations upon wages and working conditions?

My hon. and gallant Friend refers to the dates of 18th March and 2nd June. As I have already stated, the level of building costs is ascertained by my Ministry periodically. The figure of 80 per cent. quoted by my Noble Friend on 18th March was based on figures as ascertained in December, 1942. Special costings were made at the end of May by my Ministry for the purpose of dealing with the agricultural houses. In order to secure the necessary labour by direction the decision was made that the agricultural houses should rank as part of the Government Building Programme. This brought them within the scope of the Essential Work Order and Uniformity Agreement, which, according to my Department's costed figure, made it necessary to add to per cent. to the tender price. In addition to this there was a rise in wages and a rise in materials which added a further 3 per cent. to the cost. Restriction and zoning of transport has in this period also added to the cost of building generally.

Is this not an example that the interference of the Government with private enterprise always raises costs?

Could we not have a statement by the Department showing the rise in the cost of building owing to agreements made between the workers, on the one hand, and the Department, on the other?

In reply to the first question, I would not agree that the zoning of transport is an interference with the economic production of the country, but only in so far as it became necessary; and in reply to the second point about having a statement in regard to the agreement that has been made, I have already answered that question in reply to the hon. Member for West Willesden (Mr. Viant) quite recently.

As the Minister has not given the figures the House has asked for so often, what is the real increase that is due to this agreement? I cannot think of any answer having been given to that.

Can the Minister say whether any of the increase is due to the fact that the workers are not giving of their best to the industry?

It is extremely difficult to give a general sort of answer without implying something else. On the uniformity agreement and the cost to be applied there is no gain to the worker at all. He is sent from one part of the country to another; his travelling faze and the cost of subsistence are paid. Under the Essential Work Order he is directed to the fob and has to be held there until such time as he is relieved by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Labour, and that necessarily adds to the cost.

But you have no evidence that the workers are not giving of their best and are not contributing as well as any other workers?

I have given figures to show that, as far as comparison with pre-war output is concerned, output is higher than it was pre-war.