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published so far have been received with intense interest and enthusiasm by the community as a whole. They are, of course, far from complete, but their publication enables Government Departments, local authorities, business interests, and private individuals alike to see for the first time the probable lines of development of the areas in the life of which they play their respective parts. Not only can they criticize and discuss these proposals in the open, and suggest alterations and improvements, but they can set about their respective plans for the future in conformity with and in the light of the information opened up to them. To prevent exploitation of the benefit from works Parliament has enacted legislation holding down the value of lands to be taken for or in connection with proposed works, either Government or local body, to values based on prices ruling at the date of declaration. "When the whole Dominion has been covered in this fashion the Government hopes that regional works plans will be developed which will enable all works projects in the regions to be arranged in logical order of priority, and that this arranging shall be done not arbitrarily in Wellington, but with the full knowledge and assistance of the local authorities for the benefit of whose administrative areas the works are largely being constructed. There are other benefits to be obtained by co-ordinated, planning in the arrangement of material supplies, solution of man-power difficulties, &c., which it is not intended to enlarge upon here. 10. PHYSICAL AND ECONOMIC PLANNING The proclamation of works projects and works plans is an interim measure only. It is the first step taken to reconcile a confused position, but it is realized equally that a much more logical basis for the determination of works projects must in future be elaborated. Both the economic structure and the physical environment of this Dominion are likely to undergo a fairly vigorous process of evolution during the coming years. There will be many new industries established, new methods of using the land, further development of power resources, much new housing, and considerable changes in transport. The overall growth of population and the growth of cities will almost certainly continue. In so far as all these forms of evolution will involve changes in the physical environment —for example, through the growth and redevelopment of towns and cities, the location and erection of new factories, the reclamation and development of land, the planting of forests, and the building of dams—they will involve some form of building and constructional activity and will therefore come directly within the purview of the Ministry of Works. Just as the prosecution of works must be based on physical planning in one form or another, so physical planning itself must be based to some extent on economic and social planning, particularly on economic planning. The prosecution of works and buildings provides the environment for the flow of life and development in the Dominion, and the great task of physical planning is to see that this environment is well designed. But it comes rather within the purview of economic planning to determine what purpose should be served by development works, what industries should exist,

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