"THE EMPIRE CITY"

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 16, 14 October 1919, Page 5

"THE EMPIRE CITY"

AND ITS FUTURE DEVELOPMENT (Contributed.) — Tho Empire City! It is a proud name/"' and brings before one's mind tho picture of a metropolis perfectly planned and a fit capital of a. .progressive Dominion. But it is doubtful if "Wellington is living up to its claim to bo tho Empire City. One of tho spokesmen of a deputation to a City Council committee declared that Wellington Tiad tho reputation of being • tho ■ ugliest and dirtiest city -in Now Zealand— that it beauty spots. The fact that tho chairman's protest was greeted with laughter is significant. -It would be hard to imagine citizens of Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, or any of the cities in the Old C-ountry allowing 6ucli a statement to bo made regarding their mpectivo cities without emphatio contradiction. Has Wellington really such an unonviablo reputation? If so, it is up ( to every decent citizen to join in a unit-' ea effort to removo tlte stigma.. There is no earthly reason' why Wellington"--, should not bo the finest city'in New Zealand from every point of view. What is sorely needed first of all is strong civic patriotism permeating all classes. The city for all, and all for the city— that is the ider.l; true citizenship does not mean everyone woAuig selfishly for his own ends, it melsSfccvery man or woman in tho commmffly striving for tho good of all. So long as tho narrow vision and selfishness of certain property owners and vested interests are allowed to obstruct any plan of improvement „ tho city can never be obher than it is. In " a recent work on "Town.Planning/' the author says:—"Tho extent to which a city, goes in planning for tho future is in largo decree tho measure of. its modernness. In fact, nny city that is selfishly content with its present attainments, and that thinks mora of its taxrate than its future well-being cannot bo classed as a truly city," And .Mr. W. H. Morton, City Engineer, is quoted as having written, in a letter to.a .Wellington gentleman, that "tho great lesson to . be learned, so far as municipal government is concerned, ifj in finding out wfiat should bo avoided. Tho original planning of a city is a most vital matter." Mr. .Morton- has hit the nail on tho head in saying that wo should find out what should ho avoided, and what ho has learnt during his travels in Amorica and England should, if put into operation here, be of immense benefit to Wellington. Fortunately for tho Empire City Ihero are public-spirited men working awnv ■ patiently for tho betterment of conditions in every department of civio life. The Greater Wellington Town-plan-ning and Municipal Electors' Association, which is composed of such men, is in existence for the purpose of making Wellington beautiful and efficient, so that Welliimtonians can promll.v boas(f of being citizens of no mean city. While the city itself requires much improvement, ono of the chief concerns of tho Townplanning Association is to prevent tho perpetuation of existing ovils in new districts. Tho association, assuming it fulfils its functions, will look ahead and think and plan more for fiituro generations than for tho men and women of today. The science of town-planning is centuries old, but of Into years it has been given a fillip b.<- reason of the demands of modern civilisation for better living and workiug conditions. . So far little or nothing has been done in New Zealand in the way of (scientific laying out towns or cities, ljufc the signs of the times point to the early application of un-to-dato town-nlanning'ideas to the building of new suburbs and the alteration of existing streets and districts. Wellington can cortainlv do with some beautifying.. While wo do not agree that it is dirty or ugly, as seaport cities go, it must be /admitted dial there is a great deal of need for o. town-planning association and wide scope for its activities in this, the seat of Government in New Zealand.