Council Upset By Minister’s Plan

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30446, 21 May 1964, Page 18

Council Upset By Minister’s Plan

The City Council last evening protested strongly against a suggestion by the Minister of Housing (Mr Rae) that the two Municipal Association representatives on the urban renewal study group should be from the North Island.

It reiterated that Christchurch had an unsurpassed claim to be represented.

The Minister said he could not agree that the four main city councils should have representatives on the National Housing Council. The Municipal Association was already represented. The council was given a copy of the letter by the Town Clerk (Mr C. S. Bowie) to the Minister expressing concern at his suggestion that both the Municipal Association’s representatives on the urban renewal study group should be from the North Island “It is suggested that the acute situation in Wellington and Auckland is not the dominant factor to be considered in making the appointment, and that there are a number of people in Christchurch who have excellent qualifications for the position,” Mr Bowie said.

Membership had to be restricted, the Minister said in reply. He appreciated that the council had councillors and officers who had closely studied slum clearance and urban renewal and would have a worth-while contribution to make. Lesser Problem

“Nevertheless, its problem is not quite so serious as those of Auckland and Wellington which have comparatively large run-down areas,” the Minister said. He had left the appointment of two representatives entirely to the Municipal Association. If a Christchurch representative was not selected, the council should consider preparing a paper or perhaps arrangements could be made for an observer to attend the meetings, he suggested. “The policy on housing reclamation has always been understood to be a partnership between the Government and the council, but now, if this is adopted, we are not a partner but a very poor relation,” said Cr. M. R. Carter. “Done More” “Christchurch has done more than any other city in the field of housing reclamation, housing of the aged and the demolition of substanard houses for redevelopment sites.”

Since 1956 the council had issued demolition orders for 482 houses and cleared 76} acres for redevelopment “I am appalled that representation should be entirely from the North Island,” he said. “Members of Parliament have had no opportunity of having a shot at this. I can assure you we will,” said Cr. R. M. Macfarlane, M.P. The South Island had been told that it should not be parochial, Cr. H. P. Smith said, but in this field it had the best knowledge and experience—Dr. L. L. Pownall and Miss N. Northcroft, to name two outside the council. “Now it seems that the people you bring along to solve the nation's problems are those who have done the least to solve their own,” he said. "This is a plain case of a Minister looking first to the North Island and ignoring the wealth of brains available tn Christchurch.” The central Government should take a larger share of the cost of building up the decayed areas of the cities, said the Mayor (Mr G. Manning). More was done by the Governments in Britain and the United States.