The Press MONDAY, JUNE 10, 1946. The Regional Plan

Press, Volume LXXXII, Issue 24897, 10 June 1946, Page 4

The Press MONDAY, JUNE 10, 1946. The Regional Plan

When the Minister of Works, with his officers, presented to a regional conference in Christchurch the North Canterbury regional plan, covering approximately 10 years’ development, it is not too much to say that he signalled, as he had a little earlier done elsewhere, the opening of a new chapter in public policy. It would be too much to say that it is possible to look forward, now, and be sure how the chapter will read in 10 years’ time, or five. The reason is_not that the plan is a plan only, not a programme; that while some of the works may be begun soon, and “ most of them ” within the 10-year period, others may have to wait until “some period in the future”: or that, to consider only the possibilities of a peaceful future, economic, social, and technological change may demand radical revision of the plan or quite overthrow it. So much is obvious. But whether the new policy, as it appears to be, will justify its promise of reform depends on the terms of the promise and how they are fulfilled.

Nobody can questi6n the principle of comprehensive survey. It is not so clear as it ought to be, however, that the surveys which have preceded the Minister’s several announcements have been complete and systematic. Undoubtedly a great deal of information has been collected and worked over. In Canterbury, particularly, there is cause to say that this work has been done well; but nowhere has a regional survey, as properly defined, been carried out. This is not the Government’s fault; it is first and foremost, if not absolutely, the fault of local authorities, and it will continue to be their fault if the tasks of regional survey are not squarely faced .and intelligently attacked. Their excuse, and a reasonable excuse so far, is that six years of war’ have necessarily delayed any such project, and ev£n delayed thinking about it. But all this means, if it means so much, is that any defects in the basis of this first 10-year plan can be-accounted for in that way; it ought not to mean that they may be considered of no account, or that nothing need be done to remove them from future plans or to correct them now. Clearly, as much work should be done to improve the present plan during its provisional currency as was done to produce it. The second question concerns the function of the North Canterbury Regional Planning Council. It would have been reassuring to hear more from Mr Setnple about its share in framing the plan. It would have been reassuring to hear, from representatives of the council, that they had been enabled to collaborate effectually with the Department of Works, had been consulted up to the very last stage, and were not, on Friday, being permitted to see, for the first time, just how far their representations had been successful, but were seeing the results of a continuous, confidential Working relationship made public. Such evidence as there is does not point that way, but rather to the unqualified primacy of the Works Department. The regional councils will die of inanition if their part is not to be positively constructive. To make submissions merely, wait for what comes out of the portfolio, and then have the chance, like any other local body, to look at it and make more, submissions—limited to

such a function, regional councils will need to be explained in a footnote t,o the new chapter, for there will be nothing significant in the text to show what they were and what they did. Finally, when the Minister said that local bodies would be \ consulted in fixing priorities for the works listed in the plan, because “ they knew what they needed first,” he may be thought tc have vindicated the Government’s and his department’s liberal intention to bring regional and national planning agencies into full alliance. It is a deceptive thought. If local bodies are to be “ consulted ” one by one, there will be no advance on previous practice in such matters. The individual local body knows only what the individual local body wants first, and is generally concerned anly to get it first, without regard for what the region may need first; and the devil may catch the hindmost. There is no way out of this fierce local competition and its disruptive results, except as the independent judgment of a national (non-political) works board offers it or as that of the regional council, adequately equipped and empowered to do its job, may do so. There is no such board; there is no such council.