LECTURETTE FROM THE BENCH.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 956, 25 October 1910, Page 4

LECTURETTE FROM THE BENCH.

ON TOWN-PLANNING. A lecturetto on town-planning was given from the Bench yesterday by the Chiel Justice (Sir .Robert Stout). The matter - in hand was a compensation claim for land taken to meet the street-widening requirements of the: Public Works Act and tho City Solicitor (Mr. J. O'Shea) had just declared that that measure was "tie wickedest law over, conceived." His Honour said that tho corporaiioii of Wellington,' more thau of any other city in New Zealand, had allowed small narrow streets to be made. Ho believed, somo streets were originally narrowed because it was found that sufficient' land for reserves for the Maoris had not been allowed. ■'■ Mr. O'Shea. said that was so. His Honour said that, after that, tha corporation took no trouble about the width of streets, and he did not wonder at Parliament passing an Act dealing With the subject.. . Mr. O'Shea said the Government was to blame in the matter of the 'Willis Street reclamation., ' .'-. His Honour said that had nothing to do with it. The sins of the fathers were being visited on.the children. Tho only fault of the Government was that it did not act soon enough. If there were 'a proper Department,for laying off'/towna. as/was the case in Germany, and would be, ho hoped, in England, there would be a great improvement The result in Germany had been to make the streets beautiful. The streets hero ought to havo been widened on 6ome proper plan, and the cost charged to the people whose properties had been improved by. it ' That had not been done. V Referring, a little later, to the. 6sm» . subject, his Honour said he' had looked, into it when ho was abroad, and he had obtained books 1 about it. The method in Germany was to appoint an efficient en»" gineef to plan out a scheme for tho wholo • city. They then took a large portion of: the city ,to begin with and estimated ho* much tho improvements would , "benefit each blook and how much tho whole city would bo benefited. . '„■ ' Mr.'O'Shea: I quite approvo,of that system, your Honour. ", ■ _-.._>•, " --jjj . His Honour: Well, why.shouldn't .».;■ have been done hero by the Giby Council: ■ j >years ago? ' '-■'■' h