TOWN-PLANNING

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 203, 22 May 1919, Page 6

TOWN-PLANNING

NEWZEALAND CONFERENCE HOMES FOR THE PEOPLE SOME INTERESTING DISCUSSIONS The Tywn-planning Conference and Exhibition'was continued in the Wellington ■Town Hall yesterday. Several papers were read to the delegates during tho day, and soinc interesting discussions took place. The Mayor of Dunedin (Mr. AY. Bigg) took the chair at the morning session, and the Mayor of'Christchurch (Dr, H. T. J. Thacker) presided at the afternoon session. Gafdcn Cities. A paper, dealing with "Tho Garden City in Eelation to the Reconstruction and Repatriation Problems," was read by Mr. S. Hurst Seager. This paper is summarised in another column. It was discussed at. some length. Mr. J. L. Salmond said that, the condition Qf the- New Zealand cities was fairly i well known now. and he suggested that it would }■? tetter to set about the improvement of the existing citics than to undertake the buildincr of new cities. The cities of (he Dominion were in process of erowth. Many extensions would bo made in the near future, and many improvements' could be made comparatively easily in the existing portions. They could not fairly be compared with the old-established cities of Europe, and it was not too late to rectify the mistakes that had been made. The conference ought to be able lo suggest lines of improvement. It must be oractical in its suggestions, and for that reason the conference, he felt,-ought not to . ask for the settlement of returned soldiers in garden cities. The men roisrht be qualified for the old-age pension 'before the garden cities were ready. Nor dill ho agree w'th the idea of nroviding c'ty pleasures for t.'ie men on the land. The country had its own attraction*, nml if the men had wod land, proper homes, and adequate finance tbev would not need, to bo provided with city pleasures. Pastoral Aspects,

Dr. C. J. Reakes. Director-General of Agriculture, said it was important, lo remember tlint conditions in Now Zenland were sot the Fame ns in. Great Britain, and comparisons wero not always safe. Britain was n .nwiuifnctur.in ; r country, with a biff industrial popu-, lotion; New Zealand was a oostornl 'country, with a relatively small popuIntion. But he agreed that soma of the lesswis taught by the town-nknnofs tn Britain conld bo ifpblied to thisjjomitry. The difference between received by the producer for vegetables and the price paid by She consumers, for example, was fur tcojnrse, and garden villi??? ought io help in sc.lvin? iliis problem.' Fruit-farminsr settlements ought to benefit both producer and consumer.' and the same principles of coucon tuition - and co-onr-ration could -he ai)t»licd to ponllTy-farn-injj. pic-farming, and 'bee-farming.. Piir-farming undoubtedly wa® very profitable if 'c.nnduct"d in the vicjnitv of centres where supplies, of wnsto fond could be obtained from the homes. He had secured proof of this .fact in connection with the military camps, where the food had been use.' l tn feed pie« end h'-'d p^dn-ed

very sat'sfactory returns. D'r. I'eaVcs mcntionc' tl'.e advnntapns of co-oneratjoi 'as an adjunct to village 'settlement plans. . The Future of Town-plannina. A paper on "The l'uture of Townplanning," contributed by Dr. i: Prioc, was presented by Mr. G. Carwell Cooke. Dr. Price pictured a countryside covered with garden towns, model villages, and group farms, all linked in the mo'f convenient and efficient' way. He believed _ tlint the development of communities on' these lines would .enormously increase the happiness and prosperity of the nation. Mr. Cooke urged strongly that the nation had a tilain duty to perform in lifting its citizens from conditions of discomfort and degradation. Town-planning would pay because it was right. Why should any man or anv woman be required to live in an insanitary, inconvenient home amid sordid surroundings? Such conditions did not belong to nature; thev were tjio work of men. and they could be remedied by united action. Local Bodies' Powers. Mr. M. J. Keardon (Wellington Workers' Educ.itioiial Association) said the Io&il bodies of New Zealand had not used the powers already at. their disposal for the improvement of the housing conditions of 'tho people. ■ , Several delegates dissented. They said some local bodies had done their best. Mr, lieardon said the time had como for the Government and the local bodies to redeem the promises made during the war. If the local bodies were sincere .in their desire to proceed with hoiisjng and town-planning, they had powers already at their disposal. The use of _ these powers was the most pressing problem of repatriation. Working men in Wellington were paying «Cl a week for a single room and ,£1 7s, Gd. a week for three rooms, out of a tobil wage, of £3 or -t!i 10s. ,The local bodies were to blame if they allowed such conditions to continue.

' Mr. W. T. Lex'ier. (Mayor of Lyttelton) said it was not fair to suggest 1 -that all the local bodies had neglected their duty to the soldiers. Southern municipalities, at any rate, had dona a great deal for the soldiers, and wero prepared to do-, more.' Tho speeches that had bsen >nade by Ministers on the preceding day had amounted to condemnation of legislative inactivity by the men responsible for that inactivity, and he hope;! that the Government would not be allowed to take any powers out of the hands of the local bodies. .

Mr. D. G. Sullivan (Christckurch City Council) agreed with the statemont of one of the Ministers that the form of legislation was less important than the spirit of the people. The public men and bodies of New Zealand did not lack ability to conceive large schemes; but they did not convert ideas into practical action. It was a fact that very little had been ■ done towards the solution of the housing problem. He had secured' the formation of a housing committee in Chri6tchurch, but the committee had done nothing. Thero -was a lack of civic enthusiasm and idealism in' many of the men elected to local bodies, and the spirit of public interest and understanding was - required. Tho local bodies would not solve the housing problem unless tho people made them do it. Mr. H. SI. Gore (Wellington Academy of Arts)*asked for the introduction of art training in the schools.

.'A Practical View. Mr. N. Patorson (.Society of Civil Engineers) said the members of his society were practical men who approached townplanning with an open mind. He did not know of anv slums in tho Old-World sense in New Zealand cities. There were conditions in Glasgow, Edinburgh, and elsewhere that could not bo duplicated in New Zealand. This country was in a state of transition. Wellington's Haining Street, for example, was simply a temporary phase. Tho street would be absorbed in the industrial area in the not-distant future, and no laeal body would be justified in spending large sums of money on the reclamation of ' such streets. Tho immediate remedy was to provide homes for tho people elsewhere. Thero was plenty of vacant land on tho tramlines in the New Zealand cities. Mr. Paterson added that the peoplo who were going to live in the houses should have a share of control of any housing scheme. No body of faddists should be allowed to arrange homes for other people. Mr. 11. Holland (Canterbury Progress League) said it was impossible at present to build workers' homes at a reasonable price. Tho minimum' cost seemed to be iCOO or .£BOO, and the weekly charge for interest and depreciation amounted at least to .£l. Many peoplo could not pay so much. The Government could reduce the cost of building io some xxtenl: by taking the duty off buildiilg Mr. A. D. Spiers (Gisborne) said, an important reform would be to, insist upon the plans of every home being apI proved by an arojiitect. Too many homes ■ wore bui)t without intelligent thought

Hawera's Experiment, Mr. E. Dixon (Mayor of liawera) said that his borough had fated Hid housing question, aud had tried to provide homes, i Uut there were great: difficulties. A ' houso to suit tko worker could nut bo built except,at a price that involved a very heavy burden for interest or ront. . The building of additional homes . was not tho simple matter sonic delegates had snggestcd. Hawera had cut up forty acres of borough land, and was offering sections on Glasgow lease to workers and soldiers, and wished to help the people to build on those sections, But without cheap money action was exceedingly difficult. Ho suggested that the Government should lend money for housing to local bodies at i per cent. Homes in Wanganui. Mr. C. B. Mnckay (Mayor of Wangann'i) said his borough had the sai.iß difficulty. Wanganui had built a block of workers' homes on its own land. Tlio houses were simple, but they could not be let, except y at a loss, at less than a week. The borough was going now to buy its own materials in bulk, and build houses itself with day labour, with the object of reducing tho cost. Tho Government could help the local bodies by buying building materials in bulk' and then supplying the local hodies. Municipal housing should bo undertaken in brick . and concrete, not timber. The timber now procurable was poor in quality and very expensive. Dr. Thacker's Views. The Mayor of Cliristchurch (Dr. H. T. J. Thacker), who tAok tho chair in the afternoon, demanded that tho children in the schools should be taught more about democracy and politic.ll systems. People should be taught how to vote and why to vote, and then fined if they did not exercise their votes when called upon ti do so. Dr. Thacker advocated "daylight saving," which would give the people more time to spend in their homes and gardens. He also urged greater attention to convenience in the designing of houses. Dr.\ Thacker mentioned educational matters and the needs of returned soldiers, and said he was going to recommend the Christchurch City Council to buy land for a model suburb. Garden Suburbs, Mr. C. Reginald Ford read a. paper on "Garden Suburbs: The Subdivision of Land for Kesidcntia'l Areas, and Arrangement of Sites for Homes and Communal Buildings." He said that a "garden suburb" was not merely a suburb in which the number of houses had been limited sufficiently to leave room for gardens. The ordinary suburb of a New Zealand town was laid out by a speculator, who had regard chiefly .to the profit to b3 obtained from the land and paid tot little attention to .questions of publfo convenience and amenity, to the needs of traffic, and to possible future extensions. • Tho real garden suburb was tho work of an expert, who could not be called in too eftrly. Mr. Ford laid down the principles tn be followed in the designing of garden suburbs. TTe illustrated his paper with, lantern slides showing : model suburbs, existing and projected, in many countries. "He emphasised the success of the system of grouping houses, thereby economising in construction and securing excellent architectural effecl, without any sacrifice of privacy or convenience. The pictures showed modem factories, railway stations, and public buildings designed on lines of beauty as well as convenience, and placed in pleasant and wholesome surroundings. RECREATION GROUNDS. I

Dr. Allan Thomson (Director nf tlitf Dominion Museum) put forward the view's of the Foil. Ci. Jt. Thomson (Duii"din) on tho subject of recreation. Institutions were i-oriiiircd to tnlto tho place of I'otpJs as places of social intercourse and recreation. Tho work could well absorb eonip. of the energy that tlm women h<xl applierf to war work. Dr. Thomson said hp had lioticcd that Hip houses favoured hv town-nlanners were pj.?ttirpsquo, bin', thev made no better provision for free ventilation than the ugly modem houses did. Every house should have opennir sleep,inj; accommodation and dining accommodation. \ Mr. J. Armstrong Noam (Wanganui Beautifying Society) suggested tliat in addition to playgrounds, the towns should have open spaces ' whero women coukl tako young children. His society thought that scattered open spaces of moderate sii-.e were preferable to single large recreation grounds.

'Mr. k. Hurst Seager (organising director. of the conference) showed pictures of workers' homes as planned in garden suburbs, and emphasised that utility and convenience had not' been sacrificed to beauty; they had merely been provided m a beautiful way.

Mr. Ford, in closing tho discussion on his paper, emphasised the importance of seeing that somo practical work was done in, tic near future. England had been able to build garden suburjjs In war time. Now Zealand should be able to do such work in time of peace. EVENING DISCUSSION. In the evening Mr. William Himiliierston" (Waima'e), who had been a gardener in Letchworth harden City, told what the improved conditions had done for children. He emphasised that it was not possible to - secure ideal conditions immediately. The pioneers of Letchworth liad worked hard and thought hard in order to secure progress and realise the fine plans that. had been made. The State had not Supported thii Letchworth Garden City in the early stages. The work had been done by private enterprise. He considered flint tli3 fact of the agricultural belt of Letchworth being leasehold and not freehold hiM been a drawback. The greatest consideration should be to giv% the cultivator every possible encouragement. A lease .never could protect' the cultivator fully and encourage him to secure the maximum 1 amount of product from every aero of land. The sweat of the toiler must not drop ; into the furrow in vain. His own experience or ' Slate assistance to producers* had not convinced him that anv leasehold would be as satisfactory to the cultivator as a freehold. ■!.. 11...,-I Dan lit

Mr. Hunst Seagor's Reply. ■ Mr. S. Hurst Soager, replying to somo criticism of his suggestions, said the statement that garden cities couid not be prepared in time for the repatriation of soldiers showed a misapprehension or the scheme. The returned soldiers could undertako tho foundation of the garden cities. A vory large amount of work would have to be done. Tho improvement of existing cities was another question altogether. The garden cities would simplify tho process by- relieving congestion. 1 At tho same time they would intensify production and lake people back to the land., Tho. concentration of industry and more amenities in a few big cities was a factor operating agaiwt primary production. The placing of garden cities iu the country districts would stimulate the primary industry;?. It hud been suggested' by one speaker that if tho.farmers were given haul and finance they would not need "civic amenities." This ran counter to experience. The attractions of the cities were continually drawing people from (lie land, and the remedy was 1o take the civic amenities to tho'couutry. Hon, G, W. Russell. Tho Hon. G. W. Kusse'.l said that tlie primo consideration in planning the improvement of -housing snould be the health of .the people. No less than fit nor cent, of the men examined for military service in New Zealand had been found to be medically unfit. That' was a fact that could not be regarded without deep concorn. Toor housing, improper feeding, and lack of medical and dental attention were factors in producing /this stato of affairs. With.improved housing, open spaces, and more fresh air New Zealand could raiso the .standard of health .very quickly. Mr. Itussell suggested that 'small open spaces and playgrounds should bo distributed freely over the cities. Tha cost of living could be reduced materially by developing small holdings and encouraging people to undertake intensive cultivation. ' Mr. Itussell mentioned that the committee instructed to report on the Townplanning Bill had prepared a report which would lie printed. It was agreed that the discussion on this report would be taken this evening. During the evening Mr. y. Hurst Scaler showed lantern pictures of Letchworth Garden City. .Moving Auckland, the Ijjghways of England, Brittany, and the New Zealand llnx industry wero shown. Oilier pictures were illustrative of "housing good and bad." The attendance at this evening programme was small, although there was no charge for admission.