Developers told to ‘tidy up'

Press, 22 August 1978, Page 10

Developers told to ‘tidy up'

Cities will continue to have big housing areas lacking facilities until planning bodies are also responsible for coping with the after-effects of their inadequate planning, says the Chairman of the Social Development Council (Dr J. L. Robson). He was speaking at the fourth Australian and Nev. Zealand missions and social services conference, held at the University oi Canterbury. Problems such as loneliness, alienation, crime, delinquency, alcoholism and other drug dependence,

were becoming increasingly obvious in the big city areas, said Dr Robson. They were often aggravated by the high mobility of New Zealanders, and "by the cultural differences between various ethnic groups. We are not really going to come to grips with ' these problems unless people at the local level — and this means local authorities as well as citizens — are in a position to share the responsibilities.” He said that the ability of local authorities to take

a bigger share of social services must be developed by shared financing and control, involving central government and voluntary organisations as well. Dr Robson also said that it was important that national policies recognise the special needs of families. More parent education was urgently needed. Society had ’ gradually’ eroded the authority of parents, but still left them with the responsibility. At the same time, parents with little or no- prepara-

tion for the task were expected to cope with a wide range of difficulties Families should not be placed at an unreasonable financial disadvantage, he said. Equal pay, and the trend to working mothers, had meant that the wage structure was becoming less appropriate as a way of meeting the financial need of families. "Wages based on individual skill and effort do not recognise differences in sizes of families, the life-cycle of rhe family and other variables.” he said.