TOWN PLANNER

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 70, 24 March 1933, Page 8

TOWN PLANNER

MR. MAWSON RESIGNS

POLICY DISAGREEMENT

INTERESTING CAREER

Owing to a disagreement with, the policy of the Government on town planning, the- Director of Town Plan- ' ning (Mr. J. "W. Mawson) has handed his resignation to the Minister of Internal Affairs (the Hon. J. A. Young). It is understood that Mr. Mawson will complete some work he has in hand in connection with the rebuilding of Napier before relinquishing his position. It is his intention to leave nest month for England, but he hopeii t& return to New Zealand and make his homo here. Mr. Mawson had large experience in town-planning undertakings, and hia career is outstanding. Born on December 1, 1886 (a son.of Mr. Thoma3 H. Mawson, past-president of the Town. Planning Institute, Fellow of "the Linaean Society, late Member of th 9 Koyal Finb Arts Commission), Mr. Mawson, jun., is a comparatively young man. Amongst the distinctions he has earned are the following:—Diploma Town Planning, Liverpool University; Fellow of the Eoyal Institute of British Architects; Member of the Town Planning Institute; member of the Institute of Structural Engineers. Ha obtained his early education from a private tutor at Wiudermere Grammar School. In 1904-OS ho was an articled' pupil of the late Mr. Len Gibson, archv tcct, and with Mr. Thomas H. Mawson, landscape architect. From August, 1908, to June, 1910,- he was a resident in New Zealand; from October, 1910, to August, 1912, Mr, Mawson was a student of the Liverpool University School of Civic Design. In August of 1912 he became a partner in the'firm of Messrs. Thomas H. Mawson and Sons, and left for Canada to take charge of the Canadian practice of the firm, which at that time was very extensive. Ha has been solely responsible for the following -works:—Lay-out, working drawings, etc., for coal harbour, Stanley Park, Vancouver, 8.C.; - replanning scheme for the city .of Eegina; replanning scheme for the city-of Calgary; replanning of the town of Banff for the Dominion Government o£ Canada, including working drawings for the- roads, etc., for an adidtional area of 500 acres; lay-out, working drawings, etc., for the park surrounding the Parliament Buildings, Regina; lay-out', working drawings, etc., for the grounds surrounding the- British Columbia University, Vancouver, 8.C.; lay-out to grounds of University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon; coast protection works and lighthouse in reinforced concrete at Brooton Point, Vancouver Harbour, for Dominion Government of Canada; lay-out, working drawings, etc., for the development of two large- residential estates for the British Colujnbia Electric Eailway Company; lay-out, working drawings, etc., for a residential estate of 140 acres, Point Grey, Vancouver, 8.C.; lay-out of the Borden Park estate, Ottawa (900 acres); a number of architectural and landscape, soniemes amounting in the aggregate to approximately £50.000.

A great deal of 2\lr. Mawson's time was spent lecturing on town planning and landscape architecture in various parts of the Canadian Dominion. H» went overseas with the Canadian forces early in 1916, arid served until November, 1917, when he was obliged to resign, his commission through illhealth. After resigning his commission in the forces, Sir. Mawson accepted an appointment as housing and town planning adviser to the Greek Government.

Trom January to November, 1918, ha was engaged in organising his Depart- | ment, drafting, town planning legisla- | tion, and reporting on the replannig Ipf some of the 'most important provin- . cial towns. He also carried out aa inI vestigation and prepared a report on the social and economic conditions of tha rural committee of Thessally. Follow ing tho Armistice with Bulgaria, Mr. ilawson -n-as sent into Macedonia to report on the reconstruction of the destroyed town and villages, and in February of 1919, was invited to organise and assume the direction of the Department of Reconstruction of Eastern Macedonia. He severed his connection With tue Greek Government on the fall of the VenczoHst Government in September, 1920. during his term of office Mr• Msra-son had complete control of tha staff of the Department, and was solely responsible for the organisation of all technical work, which included the location and surveying of sites for over 100 mVT n,\ &na- Villages' designing over 50 tpcal houses suitable for mafs.produetjon, and organising the manufaetura and supply of the necessary buildiU matenais and transport services. ° H q ,Ma .7 son was also the author of the Salonika Town Planning Act.-Fol-]°mn?a visit to Canada in September, 1920, on behalf o f the Greek Government, he returned to England, and again became an active partner vi. the firm of Messrs. Thomas E. Mawson and Sons, until June, 1922, when ha accepted an invitation to join Viscount Leverhulme's personal staff to take over the managing directorship" of ona of his companies, known as Moor Park Ltd., which had to deal with the layout, and development of an estate of 3000 acres on the outskirts of London. Mr. Mawson's appointment with Lord ieverhulme was for one year only, but he actually remained with him until March of 1924, at which date he rejoined his old firm. The bulk of tho work which had been done at Moor ii an^nA Volving an expenditure of over £100,000, was carried out by direct under his personal direction. While with Lord Leverhulme, Mr. Mawson wa's also responsible for important development schemes in th» islands of Lewis and Harris. Sine* taking up his residence in England h« lias taken an active part in the proceedings of the Town Planning Institute, and has frequently lectured on town planning in various towns.