TOWN PLANNING.

Taranaki Daily News, 3 September 1917, Page 7

TOWN PLANNING.

DEPUTATION TO MINIS'! ER. [ THE QUESTION OF FINANCE. Wellington, August 31. The special committee set up by the Town Planning Leagues' conference to make recommendations to the Minister of Internal Affairs' with regard to the proposed town planning legislation, waited on the Hon. G. W. Russell tonight. The deputation comprised Messrs Parr, Payne, and Ell, M.P.'s, Hon. J. T. l'aul, M.L.C., and Mr. J5. Hurst Seager, of .Christehurch. Mr. Parr said they were strongly impressed with the South Australian Act, and they wanted to bring before the Minister some of its basic principles which they sought applicable to Ne\v Zealand. Mr. Seager taid the deputation hoped the Minister would givo favorable consideration to the question of housing, so that proper provision might be made for garden suburbs, workers' dwellings, etc. The Minister thought there would probably be no difficulty in making the necessary arrangements for town planning, so far as future extensions were concerned, but the problem affscting the towns in existence was: Where was the money to come from? Thu Department had already been instructed to take steps to prepare the general structure of a Bill for consideration, but he was afraid he could not hold out much hopo of the Bill being put upon the Statute hook this session, though if they could, pet it printed, the subject could Lo discussed during tho recess. At tho b*ck of the question lay the subject of finance. Town planning could be done, he thought, if a loan could be iloated and a long time allowed for the building of a sinking fund, but he did not think' there was the slightest chance of the State footing the Bill. Whatever was done must be done by local bodies. If a. poll were taken many of the latepayers were so apathetic that they would oppose the scheme, objecting to pay an extra os a year in rates. If a scheme, were formulated by a local authority and gone through by the Government experts and, as a linaj safeguard, approved' by the Minister, he did know whether they should not give local authority power to borrow without the authority of the ratepayers. He did not know whether that would be considered democratic, but he thought the point might have to be considered.