THE CITY BEAUTIFUL.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 March 1919, Page 4

THE CITY BEAUTIFUL.

ILLUSTRATED LECTURE. BY MR WEST SEAGER. Last night Mr Hurst Seager gave an illustrated lecture in the Jinipire Theatre, in which he soughs to show the advantage of the town planning idea a* compared with the commonly accepted idea of town 'building. The Mayor (Mr C. H. Burgess) presided, and in introducing the lecturer, whom he said was well-known in connection with tho scheme he was advocating, expressed regret at the paucity of the attendance.

Mr Seager taid he had been delighted to find such a number of enthusiasts in 'New Plymouth in the matter of town planning, and also to see what was being attempted in the way of beautifying the town. He said town planning was not the dry subject that some people supposed it to be. It was really town building, and city building, and therefore nation building. It was, in reality, pre-planning,. in suoh a way as to be an economy proposal. It meant the combination of beauty with utility. It was a great ideal, and one in which every man, woman and child could take a part. Mr Seager then showed a number of views of old-world towns in which architectural beauty had been combined with practical buildings, but also in to residential buildings, but also in commercial premises. He contrasted these with views of modern towns, in whi»h premises were almost everywhere disfigured with signs and advertisements whioh were offensive to the idealist, and, he urged that these disfigurements of otherwise beautiful places should be removed as soon as possible. He gave instances where success attended efforts in this direction in 'both Christ Mruroh and Napier, quite recently. The lecturer made a strong point of the use of trees in the laying out of streets, and by means of a number of excellent slides showed what had been done in this respect in some of the European capital towns. He stated that, in the streets of Paris there were no less than 100.000 trees, which were under the care of a special board. In some of the New Zealand, town the most beautiful civic building stood alongside what could only be called civi.-? barbarities. Mr Seager then showed a number of views of some of the garden cities and suburbs that have been established in different parte of England, in contrast with some localities in New Zealand towns, particularly emphasising the improved environment of the workers, win were provided with homes in which the.v could take pride, and for which they paid only a reasonable rent, and were also given plenty of open spaces for cultivating and for recreation purposes. A strong feature of the plans shown was that surrounding all enrden towns was a belt of agricultural land, easy of access to the town and separating thfe city from the suburbs, so that there was provided a community of interest between the town and country worker, each of whom was within easy reach of the other. Another strong feature of the garden city was its playing grounds for the children.

Mr Seager claimed that if a proper system of t.ijjvn planning was initiated in New Zealand it would go a long; wav towards solving the returned soldier and repatriation problems. In such town or cities there would be a director who would supervise the development of the town, and soldiers going to their, won 1.1 he properly trained before taking up one of the farms in the surrounding areas, Mr Seager said that so successful had the garden city of'Letchworth become that the BritUh (?overnm|nnt was building ihree garden cities for the special bonctU of returned soldiers. • While the whole thing was based on the strictest economy, the speaker said the advantage was also to lie seen in the up-lifting condition of the uVrkers. He showed how the Government had allowed the workers to be housed at the T.ake Coleridge electric power station, where there was a fine opportunity to make a garden village. The result now was that workers stayed there no lougor than tliev were obliged. He said also that lie had recently made a renort fo; the TCoard of Trade on the condition of the housing of the iniuers in New Zealand. The conditions lie had found were uncomfortable, and he was not surprised at the complaints of the miners. He felt sure when his report canje before the fiovernment they would at once take steps to improve those conditions. His opinion was that much of the industrial unrest in the world was due to the housinsr conditions of the workers. The difference in places, where the workers were properly housed w'is sufficient evidence on that point. Mr Seaser then went on to srate that j in planning: towns care should always be taken to preserve the natural beauties of the locality. The rigid uniformity in tire width of streets was unnecessary, and the "town planners'" idea was that streets should he made expressly for the nmoi'.nt of traffic thov. were required (approximately) to carry. In regard to street formation it, was shown from tests made in California that in the end concrete wa« the best and most economical road construction material. The lecturer stated that, if the New Zealand roads were of concrete instead of macadam the saving : n petrol and tyres alone on the modern motor vehicle would amount to about £f!.12.00a

Mr Seager, after showing a sketch of Hip garden suburb of Dacevville, within tliroe miles ox Sydney, stated that iu that suburb, which was built by the State, wovkers bad beautiful homes for which they raid IS/- per week for!iroomed bouse#, while on the opposite side of the boundary roads, where private enterprise held sway Ihe rent was 22''- for a vary much inferior house of similar size, because there the unearned increment went into t.he pockets of the landlords ihstend of the coffers of the community. Mr Sealer's next point was the low death rate in the garden cities compared with Dominion towr.s and thosa of continental countries. In conclusion he referred to war monuments and expressed the hope that iu New Zealand womethins of a utiliterlan nature would he done to commemorate the heroic deeds done bv the men from this land. His proposal was for a Dominion highway from Auckland to the Bluff, along which should be built farden towns and villages as a memorial to the fallen dead, and in which suitable memorial monuments could be erected. lie showed several views of particularly fine monuments in Kuropean towns such as be would like to see erected in New Zealand. Tn conclusion he said be thought. he had said enough "to show that town plansing was « great ideal, and he felt he

would have failed in Ms task if he had not aroused an interest which would remit in something being done to carry, out some of the proposals. At the Mayor's suggestion a vote of thanks was carried by acclamation. Mr Burgess said he felt sure the address would ba an inspiration to those who had heard it to do more to beautify the town, which possessed swsa- exeeltent possibilities in this respect.