TOWN-PLANNING

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIV, Issue 10288, 24 May 1919, Page 8

TOWN-PLANNING

WORKERS' HOMES

THE PROVISION OF PARKS AND PLAY GROUNDS.

The Town-planning Conference was concluded yostertTay. A paper prepared by Mr F. W. Rowley, Secretary for Labour and Superintendent of Workers' Dwellings, was read by Mr H. B. Moston.

The subject of the paper was "Homes for Workers," and the author contended that in one' way it might -be considered the most important feature of townplanning seeing that the workers were the bulk of the population. For present purposes ho would regard as workers those who in the ordinary course did not earn enough to enable them to buy houses under the usual conditions, but required State help. Thus all persons whose earnings did not exceed .£250 a year might be included. It was estimated that out of 316,000 men of 21 years and over in New Zealand about a'iO.COO earned less than £250 annually. Town planners should have the housing of the workers chiefly in view, for the rest of the community could more easily be brought into lino with improvement schemes. He contended that tho Slate Department had several advantages over private builders in the matter of building chiefly. Tho department could buy land more cheaply, as it had ready access to Government valuations and could consult Government experts. It bougnt a number of sections and erected several houses simultnneoi'«lv. thus effecting considerable saving. The legal expenses W'ero limited to the cost of the transfer of t'tlo on the completion of the purchase. Moreover, there were no profits. In building new villages or suburbs there wore advantages in building near a railway line. TENT THOUSAND HOMES.

Mr B. J. Howard, Chrtstchurch, thought that 10,000 homes should be erected right away. Before any townplanning scheme was gone on with the housing problem should be solved. Mr P. B. Climie agreed largely with Mr Howard's ideas. One of the most pressing questions here to-day was that of providing enough houses. More Uuuse= must be provided immediately. The first drawback to building progress > was the high cost of building material and speculative building would be delayed for seme years. PARKS AND PLAYGROUNDS. Mr C. J. Parr addressed the conference on "Parks, Playgrounds, and Open Spaces." Town planning, he said, vn» a wide science, embracing almost every phase of human activity, but there »» no aspect more important than 1 the fv*vision of open spaces for the people. The past half-century had been marked by on extraordinary migration of people from the country "to the town. In every New Zealand city work-people were crow.lpd together in ill-built and congested quarters. Instead of five or six houses to the acre there might be found in New Zealand as many as twenty houses to the acre. To the tenants of these quarters parks were a godsend. In the past municipal administrators had failed to realise the importance of parks, and in almost every citv these spaces were unevenly or badly distributed. Many small < prm parks of from one to ten acres were "i'J"* useful as breathing spaces thnn a 1a..,-? park .such as a city belt, which was often miles away from those who wished to use it. I<et us avoid past errors. Parliament should legislate that where w loins r>T nrw suburbs were Tjeing created at least 10 per cent, of the area to be subdivided should be reserved for pnblK' oper, space*. Plavsrovmds within half a mile of all hous*s should.be provided in residential suburbs. Faulty conditions should be, reconstructed. More grounds for football, cricket, and cker outdoor games should be provided. REST. ROOMS FOR WOMEN.

Mr "P. A. de la Stare. Hamilton, paid that the first dutv of local bodies in re«rpeet. to narks and open spaces was to preserve the natural beauties and also to acquire those places specially designed bv nature for tho purposes of recreation. - „ ~ . Mrs C. P.Corliss said that Parliament giounds should be studded with spate for weary travellers, and that the State property around the "largest wooden 'building in the world" should be made oi \ise to Government servants who might, bo glad to go there in the lunch hour. Wellington was vers- badly off for rest rooms for women. More playing spaces for children were needed. Mrs N. E. Ferrier. Auckland, said that tie existence of open spaces in our cities was' of supremo importance. Mr T. W. Reese. Christchurch, thought that anything that tended to increase tho happiness of our young people was worthy of consideration.

EXHIBITION SHOULD GO TO OTHER TOWNS.

The committee set up to consider tho subject of the improvement of towns and cities and of parks, etc.. made a recommendation (which was adopted) to the effect that on tho passing of the Town Planning Bill anyone cutting up more than five acres of land should bo compelled to give at least 10 per cent, of the area to the local authority. The committee set up to consider town-planning as it affects the arts, tho sciences and the crafts made the followinir recommendations: —That the Department of Education he urged to instituto in the "School Journal" a senos at elementary, illustrated ..articles npon the subject of town-planning; that whatever was available of the present town-planning qxhibition should bo shown in various towns of tho Dominion when applied for, and that the Government bear tho cost.

THE UNIVERSITY ANtt TOWNPLANNING. '

Sir Robert Stout. Chief Justice,, spoke on the "Relation of the University to .Town-planning." Ho said that fifty years ago tho term town-planning was not used, but in up-to-dat© works of rt* forence there were numerous allusions to it. Whv the chango? It could only be oxplained by saying that it was duo to a diffusion of higher education. It was no wonder that the town-planning idea was spreading. We were in the midst of a now renaissance compared with which the old renaissance sank into insignificance. The root of this was the advent of new knowledge. Townplanning was only a means of carrying out what science, history and literature had taught us. Tho University, so far ns its ineomo allowed, had not overlooked tho important subject of the need of improved dwellings and improved surroundings in our towns. Even in New Zealand, though wo may not have kept noce with the rest of the civilised world. the> subject had not hcon lost eight of. Auckland University College had instituted a Department of Architecture. We could not expect good houses without skilled architects, and by providing foi their training. University fried to better tho conditions of human life. Efficient workman also were npcessnry, and tho University had started Workers Educational Classes. Behind labour must stand the thinker and b-»hir.d townplanning must stand the brainy, skilled and educated architect, and the scient 1 - fioallv trained horticulturist. The TJni versitv was tho homo of +bo thinker, and nothing that tended to the improvement of humanity was foreign to it. Town-plnnning was s practical outeome of Wivn-otr fetching*. mi? the curr/DRKX. Mrs E. L. Bauine *aid thai good sur-

roundings would have an excellent effect on the characters of children. She could not imagine a child brougnt up in beautiful surroundings growing up to be a mean man. But what could be expected of children brought up in some of tho schools found in the cities of NewZealand? Tho city beautiful would make the child beautiful. Anyone who would make a success of school architecture must have a good knowledge of teaching. All new schools should have an assembly Mrs N. E. Coad mentioned that she could not see why girls' playgrounds were not as big as boy3* grounds. Wellington Boys' College had fiftv acres of ground, but the girls' college had only a little over one acre. The Hon. G. Fowlds said that ho would like, to see the school, particularly tho country school, ihn social centre of the district. Additional buildings and seating accommodation would be needed, but with general co-operation a success could bo made of the idev Mr Wornock (Auckland) suggested that tho Government might offer a scholarshin in' connection with tho studies in architecture now being conducted in Auckland.

•\ committee report was adopted, in which the following recommendations were made:—Larger areas for school sites and plnvinor fields in all sparsely settled narts of the Dominion; all existing school sites should be so enlarged as to have adeonate playing areas and garden spaces ; steps eliould bo taken to exhibit to the schcol children of the Dominion lantern slides - descriptive of townilrnming schemes: that in all reserves in urban areas special sites for children under school age should be allocated; school playgrounds should bo available, under proper supervision, for the children of the neighbourhood at all times; greater attention should be paid to the =tudv of school architecture: the removal of ugly fences: and that the conference should recommend to the University th"t town-planning be added to tho curriculum. Votes of thanks were accorded the Minister (Hon. G. W. Russell"). ■M> n T». Newton. Mr Tr llr =t-Sencrer. Mr H. M. Gore, the Women's National Reserve »m' others for work in connection with the conference, which was then closed.