TOWN-PLANNING

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIV, Issue 10285, 21 May 1919, Page 7

TOWN-PLANNING

CONFERENCE OPENS

VARIOUS SPEECHES AND SUGGES-

TIONS MADE.

The first New Zealand town-planning conferenoo and exhibition "was opened in the Concert Chamber of the Town Hall yesterday. The conference has been organised by the Government, and the Minister -under whose department the matter comes is the Hon. G. W. Russell (Minister for Internal Affairs). THE GOVERNOR'S ADDRESS. The Governor, who formally opened the conference, said that the delegates had been brought together to consider a very urgent problem which affected the period l or reconstruction which was in front of us. He trusted that the ques.ion would be considered from a, really broad standpoint, and be dealt with solely as amatter affecting the rsrhole (Dominion. Town-planning did not by any means confine itself to the better provision of housing, accommodation and Construction, but embraced the whole condition of affairs connected with the life of the community, and which included in its sphere of activities all the attendant necessaries which go to improve our social fabric. No hard-and-fast plan of action could be laid down, as the situation, needs, and requirements of every locality' must be studied separately. The broad ideals to be aimed at were to endeavour to ensure that the population is provided with well considered ; schemes by which the community could live under healthier and more congenial environments, and provide better conditions and surroundings than lip to now has been the case While there were not the same squalid areas in the Dominion as in the Motherland, the late epidemic demonstrated that there was considerable room for betterment in many of the localities of our larger centres of population. "°F could that improvement be brought about only by the erection of up-to-date buildings, if such buildingg were not going to be kept clean and sanitary. • So far as actual buildings were concerned, while one should study a_ pleasant exterior, the primary consideration must be for a suitable interior, in order to satisfy modern hygienic conditions. Another subsidiary but very important adjunct to all schemes of town planning was the proper means of access in the shape of good roads. It was hoped that the time is not far distant when some large scheme will be evolved placing this question on a sound basis, more esi/ecdal]y in order to assist those parts of these • islands which were deficient in metal reauirements. THE MAYOR'S WELCOME. - The Mayor of Wellington (Mr J. P. Luke) .welcomed the' delegates to th» city. l£e hoped the delegates would do their best for the communities of the country- He thought they'were indebted to Sir James Allen for his suggestions. As to town planning thev should; remove the evils of earlier administrations and correct mistakes of the past. He hoped the conference would do great good. THE MAYOR) OF CHRISTCHTJRCH. , Dr. H. T. J. Thacter. M.P., Mayor of Christchuroh. said that it would be felt chat the Minister had spoken as it was from the horse's mouth—from the National Cabinet. Thev had been told that the question was one of finance. Had i the war gone on till June as had been reckoned likelv anotUer ,£20,00<>,000 '■■' : J>*monev would have been demanded! NoSv, if the monev could have been secured to fight the Hun. it should be available to fight the slum. (Applause.) "Some of us are going to make them vote the money whether thev like it or not/' He was clad the Minister had touched on the importance of woman in the matter of town planning. Her influence in such a matter was good and srreat, but let an effort be made to provide improved homes as •well as improved towns; "while we are talking of better planning without let us have better planning within." "INTENSELY PRACTICAL."

The Minister for Internal Affairs (the Hon. Q. W. Russell) said that the Chicot o,f the conference was intensely practical, and he trusted this aspect would be kept uppermost throughout its deliberations. ."This is a young country, and it is our business and our duty thus earlv )• ;'-. history to endeavour as far as nossiuie to avoid the mistakes which have been made bv countries in the Old Lands of the -world, especially in the Mother Country. There the growth of industries during the last 100 years has tended to the oggregation of population in tie cities, the depletion of the rural distriota and the creation, of slums." In such an environment, a healthy Taoe could not be reared. Great Britain had realised her mistake, and during reoent years town planning associations and activities had been strongly in evidence. As a result, various garden towns had been laid off. suburbs had been created for the purpose of improving,conditions, and a higher standard of living for the masses was ibeins: looked for. THE FINANCIAL SIDE.

Coming now to the position of New Zealand in this-matter, we had not tip to the present as a country grasped and realised the importance of the problem. Our Municipal Corporations Acts had some provisions providing for the abolition 'of insanitary areas, but there ru little in our legislation which provided for securing that new towns should be located, planned and laid-off on lines which secure to the inhabitants of the future an ideal condition as regarded healthfulness of situation, sanitation, drainage, water supply, and l the layingoff of suitable parks and recreation places. Yet upon these things all townnlanning ahould be based. The establishment of a ' Local Government Board should be undertaken. We had known for many years that portions of our cities were occupied by dwellings and tenements that were in danger of falling into slum areas. The j recent epidemic revealed the necessity, as a people, of being upon our guard in these matters. As a result the public conscience had been aroused, and we might look for much closer inspection' >and a. higher realisation by the civic authorities of their responsibilities. Thus the epidemic might'ultimately prove a blessing in disguse. As to the financial asi|jct of the question, the Minister said:—?"Here I think we approach the.crux of the whole question. It is easy to talk in generalities, but when we come down to Ifjdrock the question will be one of finance. It resolves itself into these two questions: (1) Should tho entire responsibility of 111> town-planning be laid upon the people of the localities? or (2) should the State in the national interest accept at least a sham of the financial responsibilities? My considered view is that while the direct responsibility of the improvements in our cities in the way of abolishing slum areas and creating parks and oneii spaces is a responsibility that must },st upon the people of that city, town or district, the State should be prepared to assist minor boroughs, town districts, and growing localities, by expert advice and financial assistance in order that thoso plains may be assisted by ihe trained staff at tho disposal of the Government or tho Local Government Board, and the finances should be provided for them. "There are two methods by which this can bo done: (1) By a process of graduated subsidy, such' as I proposed in the Local Government Bill-of 1912, by which according to" the richness or poverty of the area affected the State subsidy should increase to the poor districts and gradually taper off to the diminishing point for the rich cities and towns; (2) that i Wirough the .Sit'at<>--,Ad,ran!cPs OfKc" a scheme should be- J'shi Wished by, wliifh I special assistance s should be given to

local authorities for town-planning purposes at the lowest.possible-rate of interest and on even -joni|jr .terms as regards sinking funds than obtain : under the present system." - ..OPENING OF A NEW ERA. '

The Hon. Arthur Myers said that the conference marked the opening of a new era in the history of town-planning in New Zealand and he hoped it would be productive of good. Any comprehensive town-planning scheme .must include good transit and proper educational facilities.. The evils that arose through,. the hapj, hazard growth of towns, were : obvious, and in the matter of town-planning New Zealand had been left behind by the countries of the odd world. The question might not - be so urgent here, but if we were wise we "would *not wait and would profit by. the experience of others. Prevention was better than cure. The whole, of northern France had been replanned during the war by Belgian and French architects ■' with - the .assistance of British experts. In : Canada .£5,000,000 had been set aside for work of this kind. We were only- now" beginning to. appre-.' ciate the "foresight ■Oi'those^Wfi.o'set aside the town-belt -in Wellington.' Long -ago Mr C. O'Neill, M.H.R. for ■- Thames, introduced a Plans of Towns ..Regulation BUI, and" he introduced it year after year till in 1875 it was'passed, but with the restriction that it was only"to apply to towns laid out on Crown" Lands. This robbed the Bill of much of itß usefulness and it was repealed ten years later. Sickness,- want -iiand ."'.premature death were, results, o&iwanti<.ox planning. ,The acquire "land "W suitable places where factories, garden cities and electric power could be provided. As the King had said, it was our duty to see that every home wa« fit to rear the highest type of human manhood in. HEALTH OP THE RACE.

The conservation of "the health of the race' ' "would"' •"' "be' '"diffioult to 6eoure unless these things were attended, to. Improvements had reduced, the deathrates from over 100 per 1000-in European cities to 13 per 1000 in London; and crime also had decreased. In the townplanned places of England the deathrate was strikingly less'than-the" deathrate in "God's Own-Country"- without town-planning. Open-air life and goou food made .wdakly men healthy soldiers. Was this lesson to be lost? At least 1,000,000 men had been lost to England, for war purposes owing to their physical unfitness to-' serve. From Auckland, where certain civic improvements had been made, the highest percentage.'. of New Zealland's fit soldiers and the lowest percentage of unfit soldiers was obtained. Whether that was a result of better, conditions or not he left others to say. While the war had filled the graves, it had emptied the cradles. To play our part we needed not only increased population, but a population of the best type. Increased production was one of the first things essentiailin New Zealand, and improved transit and -healthy conditions would improve ;„the- r chances of increased production.. The .user of mechanical contrivances also would assist and in America it was responsible . for the output there, being, twice as, great as the average New Zealand output. He trusted that the result of the conference would be that New Zealand, might one day be renowned for the/ beauty and the nobilitv of its town-planning. The Hon. Mr .1 .issell would have his support in his efforts in this direction. PLANNING LEGISLATION.

Mr G. P- Newton sooke on "The Scope of Bxistine liejrislation and Town.-, planninp; Legislation Proposed.' Wider powers, he said, should be given local bodica. " ■ • • ;',' ,Y ? "„'"'' " .' <.i "Town-plannincr Legislation was tlio subject of a paper, by Mr H. F. Ton Haast. who advocated the adoption ~ot. an idea which was beoominß common in other places—the civic centre, a great open space in the heart of the city. Poesiblv we could induce one of the leadinK English town-planners to come out and organise a department in New land. He should be kept free from politics and political pull. The wliole success of town-planninß schemes depended not upon statute provisions, but upon the spirit pervadinsr the and the citizens. New. Zealand s idea of the lay-out of towns was out-of-date. The "frridiron" lay-out was universally condemned. DBPAKTAEGNT OF TOWN-PI/ANNING SUGGESTED.-. Several short addresses were delivered. Sir' C. J. Parr. M.P.. said that there 1 was ursent need for action-.' " Wo lagged behind. flvery other country was anead of us. even Australia. With wnat oaro did we plan our houses,-and yet with what utter carelessness we planned the cities in which the: louse was to be built! Cities wore .allowied to grow haphazard at the will of the land speculator, with the one idea of making the last dollar he could out of it. There was need to correct the blunders which lmd been made. 1 ' Our "legislation''dealins: with this subject consolidated' and our -whole- law' dealing with tlio needs of borousrhs should be recast. In Now Zealand we should have.a Depart-ment-of Town-plahninir and we should brimr hero an expert town-planner wli o would in a few years earn his salary many times. The Hon. Geo. Fowlds said that the system of taxation was responsible for some of the evils of-the day." Che&'ji and rapid transit must bo tho principal fncloi< in the solution of the Wellington housing- problem. Houses were made artificallv scarce and doar because they wero taxed ns soon as they .were erected and the material of wiic-h they wen; built was taxed. He was convinced that no pood for the poor cpuld result until them was ratine and taxation orland vnlucs. and he hoped that a recom mondation iu that direction. would not

be omitted from any legislation favour* ed bv the oonferenc*.

ERECT 500 HOUSES IN "WBLUN'STON The Hon. J. T. Paul said that we . made a ereat mistake if: we. .thought New: .Zealand .led in all for e some of our civic conditions were as baa as con« ditions in some parts- of 'tine older countries. What we wanted was a comprehensive statute dealing with-.town-plan-ning. The first necessity in New Zealand was an export town-planner. Dr. A. K. Newman. M.P-, thought there was a great need for civio centres, , Every nook and corner of Wellington shpuld be planted right away, and n* , horses should be allowed in the city streets. The corners of street* might be -rounded off and plans .of lebuildiny t houses should be undertaken. He did not agree with Mr Paul that our Blumn were as bad at those of other countries. He thought the cost of building houses had grown beyond the reach of the »mall man. The policy to adopt here wa» on» bv wthich the looal authority: would erect in a city" like Wellington (say) 500 houses. .-.-Mr T. F. Martin and Mr JL R. Smith (town clerk of Christchurch) also , spoke,' Mr "Smith urged that any Town-ploaning Commission should not be composed entirely of theorists. Town-planning legislation should be introduced immediately so that municipalities oould. get.to work right away. ' Dr. J. P. Prongler. of the Health Department, addressed the gathering on "The Health and Well-bain* of the People in respect to situation, climMfc soils, their homes and envlroalnenkr He said he could only npproach the subiect from the standpoint of the health of the people. A certain amount of win-' ddw'dressing was helpful,■ but it was to much, in the forefront that he feared that the health of the people might take too small a place. Town-planning would fail if it did not remove the more glaringly insanitary conditions and.,our more cKeerless" surroundings. In recent yean improvements had been made in drain* age; While beautifiers liked rounded streets, drainage engineers preferred straight ones. Who would decide between themf Only he wflio would see the value of beautv and health. Standardisation of houses should be avoided, for rows and tows of houses would bring a. condition of affairs detrimental to at least the mental health. It would be useless to improve the it the houses were not improve'd. ■The.pooxet were forced to go in for s poor eeotionii for their homes' and town-planning mug? tackle that aspect of the question. Dr. C. Munro Heotor also epoke, •TO CREATE SOUND PUBLEO •-•-<;. OiPINION. The Hon. G. W. Russell spoke at th« exhibition in the evening. He welcomed the people of Wellington and the visU tors.. The obicct of the exhibition and the conference was to educate and to •create sound public opinion, in view of; the time when legislation would he brought before Parliament. The object of town-planning was to create higher ideas of health, oomfort and everything that went to raise the standard of living. New Zealand was a young, counwas less than 80 years since the Treaty of Waitangi had been signed—but already we had made mistakes and unless tlie.se were now corrected we would hamper futuie generations. The object of the conference was to rectify these errors and prevent them recurring. Mr Lloyd George had slated that tie war was going to make bv this a new world. He hoped the British Premier was e prophet. Largo town-planning movements had been started in the Old World and a result had been a great reduction in the infantile mortality. No further 1 argument was needed to show that what was'wantod to secure a healthy.race vrai good housing, plentv open-air, exercise, and so on. Figures h© had quoted showed that manv of the houses in. Wellington were of five rooms or Ices'. The housing question was largely a woman's question, beoauso a woman was all day in the home. The objoet in New Zealand, should be to set up a high standard for the home. Ho felt sure the educational effect of the conference would be great throughout the Dominion. The country, the Government and the people were largelv indebted for the oonforenoe and the exhibition to Mr Hurst Seagtr. the honorary organiser. 'PICTURES OF CONTINENTAL • TOWNS. - '- "After tho address a conrinuo'us •dcture exhibition ' of : various phases of townplanning and Continental cities wac given. Music was provided by an «r< chestra. under Mr H. Tombs. | The conference, resumes this, morning