TOO BIG CITIES.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18487, 15 September 1925, Page 9

TOO BIG CITIES.

SKYSCRAPERS AND BEAUTY. MR HURST SEAGER RETURNS. (PSKSS ASSOCIATION TKLSOBIH.) AUCKLAND, iSeptomber 14. The opinion that America is still groping for the national expression of architectural art was advanced by Mr Hum Seager, of Christchureh, who with Mrs Seager, returned by the v Niagara after an absence of six years. During that time Mr Hurst Seager has travelled extensively in England, America, and on the Continent. LastApril, as the representative of the New Zealand Government, he attended the world conference in New York ou town planning. He was also directly interested in the erection of the New Zealand war memorials on the French front, and at Chunuk Bair, Uallipoli. Great differences of opinion were to bo had on town planning, and the aesthetic values of American buildings, derisively nicknamed skyscrapers, said Mr Hurst Seager,. Despite all that had been said to the contrary, these architectural creations were beautiful. However, they creates a Yery material traffic problem. Their great height was forced through lack of building space. Thousands of employees were daily housed in one edifice, and the streams of people which flowed in *nd out were enormous. It was a great mistake to concentrate such numbers in confined spaces, and New York's, trafiici difficulties had consequently become acute.

England realised tbo material difficulties that surrounded the erection of skyscrapers, and was fighting against their introduction. Despite everything, they were both convenient and inspiring. There was no cathedral in the world that caught tho imagination as did the Woodworth Building, America's great commercial temple. Pyzamid Buildings. Mr Hurst Seager, referring to tho effective -way tbe skyscrapers shaded all sun and light from the streets, said a new method had been introduced by which a building ascended for about 100 feet, and then receded from the street to rise again in steps. This was developing a new form of architecture, and its pyramidal effect was novel. American architecture was mainly based on classical linos, there being little that was really original. What promised to be a real national monument, the church of St. John the Divine, in New York, had been spoiled by allowing three architects to handle it, all of them possessing different ideas. Overgrowth 0 f Gttiea. Referring to the question of the planning of garden cities and suburbs, Mr Hurst Seager said he was pleased to hear of advancement in this direction in Now Zealand. After seeing greet. cities that had outgrown, he could not but hope we never would have huge commercial centres in the Dominion which made a secondary consideration of beauty, The garden city movement had not reached Americayet, although garden; suburbs were on. the verge of popularity. Tie, ideal garden city should be self-contained and self-supporting. The only real example to be found in England was at Letehwith, Hertfordshire, where theeisy wa» well fanned, while encompassing the town was a belt of arable land which was inviolate.

He hoped sincerely that New Zealand ' would fall inty*Jine, and prevent what had proved a veritable curse «Q over , the world, namely, the over-growth, of \ large cities. i - - t > ' "In passing through Ajserk* one, ' cannot bnt be struck by the moffOn» amount spent on the boanttnetttson s£"*-. cities," said Mr 'Hdrsfc Seaftfear"Chicago alone is at present daWtoffng' ,-' 45 miles of parks, yet they ba/TO nofev the foresight to preserve what beaJrty there is. Seven miles of a oeaatlral f ; avenue leading fj oo * New York if>\ Philadelphia is a long sneoMSJon of < advertisement hoardings. PeopJ* are,,.beginning to realise Hits should BOs be, but the commercial interests are so - deepjr rooted that they are difficult <to ; eradicate." "'. ' 7 \ ■ -mss