TOWN PLANNING

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 225, 11 June 1918, Page 4

TOWN PLANNING

THE BIG AUSTRALIAN CONFERENCE.. The Minister of Internal Affairs (the Hon. G. W. Russell) was waited upon yesterday bv Mr. T. Ballinger and Mr. A. Leigh Hunt on behalf of the Wellington Town Planning Association. They asked tho Minister to see that New Zealand was represented at the Town Planning Conference to be held shortly in Australia, at Brisbane. Tho Minister replied that the matter had already been considered by. tho Government, and the decision had been that at the present time it was not necessary for the Government to incur expense in sending one of its experts to attend the conference, seeing that conditions in Australia were 60 dissimilar from those in this country. Another' consideration was that on account of the shortage of 6taffs in all Departments it would bo impossible to spare a man who would adequately represent New Zealand at so large a conference. The reports of the conference would be carefully scrutinised after it wa.s over in order to see whether there was anything that New Zealand could learn from Australian friends. The Town Planning Bill circulated at tho end of last session of Parliament was under tho consideration of town-planninor associations in New Zealand. The Bill had been specially devised to meet New Zealand conditions, for in this country town planning was probably more necessary in connection with growing towns rather than in cities already built. Hero we wero fortunate in' having no slum population, and consequently it was the future rather than the present that had to be I>orne in mind. If, however, the Town Planning Associations would recommend a suitable man to go on their l)ehalf, he would lie prepared to consider the advisability of recommending to Cabinet that the Government should pay part of his expenses.