CIVIC MISSIONARIES.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 140, 20 July 1914, Page 10

CIVIC MISSIONARIES.

VISIT OF TOWN-PLANNING DELEGATES. WELCOMED TO CHEISTCHUBOH. The visit, of the Town Planning delegates is an event of some interest, and in the ordinary course of events there would have been a representative gathering of citizens at the civic reception which was tendere#Messrs Davidge and Reade by the Mayor, tliis morning. Owing to some misunderstanding, however, the fact that there was a reception to be given had not become public property, and after the telephone had been pressed into the service, a gathering of twelve or fifteen citizens assembled in the Mayor's room to officially welcome the delegates. , The Mayor said that he had great pleasure in welcoming these illustrious gentlemen to Christchurch. They were in New Zealand for the purpose of olt taining all the information they count in regard to town planning, which subject had been taken up with great enthusiasm throughout the Dominion. Mr Davidge was representing the London County Council, and he was placing his enormous experience at the disposal of the citizens of New Zealand. He was one of the greatest experts in the United Kingdon. Mr Reade was a young' New Zealander, who had been Home to study town planning, and the benefit of his experience also would be available. He gave, the delegates a hearty welcome to this city. MR DAVIDGE IN REPLY.

Mr Davidge, in the course of an extremely interesting speech, thanked the company for their warm welcome, especially 011 such a cold day. The sub- | ject of town planning was not a new one, but it was one which was receiving new light. It was coming to mean the "co-ordination of all efforts and work for the improvement of existing towns and new towns, so that all towns woitld get the fullest possible benefit. It meant that besides looking after the streets, buildings, and squares,-people would also look, after the housing problem, secure children's playgrounds and parks, and get the best they could for their city. He had recently attended a Town Planning Conference'in Toronto, and there were representatives there from every city throughout Canada and the United States. Every one brought some frcsli ideas or information. Even in Alberta which used to be in the Wild West, they had a Town Planning Act. At the present moment the Canadian Parliament* was framing an Act winch would apply to the whole Dominion. In the United States half the States had some method' of forwarding town planning. Every town of over 10,00.0 population had. a Town Planning Commission to study town planning and the future'.-growth of the city. I THE BEST ADVICE. They might get suggestions from outside as to the improvement of the city, 'but the best, advice came from the people who knew the spot. They knew the rate of growth, and the lines 011 which it was developing, and ttiey could take the >isteps to ensure that the_development"would be the best they could get. They would iibt be content witlT simply beautifying and improving their city. Christchurch had done some splendid work in that direction, but in the next thirty or forty years it would (have doubled its size. Would its future growth be up to the standard set by the people who founded Christchurch? With their modern knowledge it was possible to improve on the plan which their forefathers laid down. NEW STREETS.

Mr Davidge went on to refer to the laying out of new streets, pointing out that the owners of estates were more concerned, in their work of subdivision, in the return they would get, rather than the benefit of the public and city. They did not consider that the streets would form one of the possessions of the city. When a loan proposal was made, the citizens had to vote on it, but the citizens had no voice in regard to these new roads, and the City Council was hardly consulted. Under a Town Planning Act the City Council would have power to see that these roads and paths were laid out in the best possible way, for the benefit of the people. It was not going to be a costly business —rather would it save money, as it would enable the city to avoid the mistakes which would be so costly in the future. Cities had had to spend large sums rectifying mistakes of the past. The whole plan was to economise public money, and to get the best they could for what was expended. AN ACT WANTED.

Mr Davidge added that it was the custom for towns to acquire large areas of land on the outskirts of the cities, so that the town would benefit by the improvement in values. New Zealand had in most cases led the world in legislation, and he hoped that when the Town Planning B : ll was brought down it would again give the world a lead. The first thing the Dominion had to do was to get some statutory power to enable municipalities to lay down the lines of town planning. He cordially thanked the Mayor and those present for their hearty welcome. 10XPERIENCE TEACHES.

Mr Reade said" that as a New Zealander he felt very much honoured by the cordial reception of Mr Davidge and himself. He believed that if a referendum were taken on" town planning it would be found that a noteworthy majority of the people were in favour of it. It was not desirable that New Zealand should copy too closely the methods of European countries. They would learn a great deal from those countries, but they could also learn what to avoid. Germany was the leading country in town planning, and some of the cities, there had their schemes in operation long enough to make their mistakes obvious. In some of the cities, however, they foini'l some of the most progressive examples of town planning. One of the great things about New Zealand was the fundamental difference between it and the Old Country in the ownership and tenure of land. New, Zealand did not want to adopt the same cumbersome methods which had been adopted in Great Britain, and neither did they wai:i to meet the same difficulties which had faced German cities after the uncontrolled land speculation since 1870, • It was absolutely essential tliat for sound progress town planning associations should be. formed. There should lie a Dominion Town Planning Association, which would be able to assist the local authorities, much as the propagandist societies assisted the local authorities in England to-day. Cheers were given for the delegates.