TOWN-PLANNING LECTURE.

Press, Volume L, Issue 15022, 17 July 1914, Page 5

TOWN-PLANNING LECTURE.

"Town-Planning is a subject which is receiving moro and more attention from the Press and people of Australasia," says Mr W. M. Hughes, late Attorney-General in the Federal Ministry. During last year the Garden Cities and Town-Planning Association of Great _Britain (of which Mr W. R. Dayiuge is a leading member) received shoals of enquiries for information and advice from many parts of the British Empire, as well as other parts of the world, including Newfoundland, Trinidad, India, China, Japan and South America. Town-planning is clearly a world-wide topic, and it litis made its greatest advances in England, Germany and Europe, also America in recent years. Mr Davidgo is exceptionally well informed of the developments in Europe and America altogether apart from his professional association with the British garden cities ami town-planning movement. Both he<and Mr Reade bring a fine collection of slides illustrating the latest phases of tho movement, and his lecture hetre should be listened to with the deepest interest, bearing as it .will upon local problems and difficulties in New Zealand cities, arising from the absence of care and forethought in controlling their growth. The lecturers will be able to show that, as Sir William Lever declared recently to a big public gathering in Sydney, it is fundamentally a matter _f sound business principle. Too many people are apt to imagine that the movement is simply a craze for planting trees or giving people so-called "arty" homes to live m without regard to expenditure of capital. The lecturers will disillusionise people on these points, as well as show how the geneml well-being and attractiveness of towns depend primarily upon orderly planning beforehand and intelligent anticipation of public needs. The first lecture to be delivered by Messrs Davidgo and Reade on "TownPlanning for New Zealand," will take place at the University (Canterbury College} Hall, on Monday next, at S p.m. His Worship the Mayor will preside, and admission will be free.