PLANNING THE CITY LEGISLATION WANTED

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 118, 20 May 1914, Page 9

PLANNING THE CITY LEGISLATION WANTED

Town planning, with special reference to the advancement of Greater Wellington and the development of a definite planning' scheme, has been one of the principal aims of the Greater Wellington Municipal Electors' Association since its inception. Debates on the subject were held last winter; but it has recently been decided that the association should take up the question in a comprehensive way. This decision was influenced to some extent by reason of the iact that the membership of the association (in addition to active suburban municipal electors' associations, which have a very large following) now totals 1000 citizen members, and with this large number behind the organisation it is felt that it is not only entitled to speak on this important subject with authority, but also with the knowledge that its views are more likely to be given effect to. At the last meeting of the executive it was decided to commence the winter season debates on Ist June, and the sifbject set down for discussion was as /follows :— "That a petition be forthwith presented to the Government requesting the passing, during the approaching session of Parliament, of a Bill constituting town-planning boards, to consist of representatives of the Public Works and Railways Depaitments, local bodies, and directly elected representatives of citizens." The leading speakers will be Dr. Newman, M.P., Messrs. A. L. Hunt and J. S. Barton. The meeting, which promises to be an interesting one, will be open to the general public, and special invitations are being sent to members of local bodies, chambers of commerce, ratepayers' associations, and institutes of civil engineers and architects. Subsequent debates will deal with various phases of townplanning, and a definite policy, it is hoped, will be evolved thereby. At the same meeting a motion will be proposed to alter the name of the association so as to read the "Greater Wellington Town Planning and Municipal Electors' Association." ' The object of this is to make it cfuite clear to the public that town planning is the leading_ feature of tho association's work, which publicly, has, not .perhaps been at--tained merely by the incorporating ,of this provision in its objects. A great stimulus is expected to be given to the town-planning movement by the approaching visit of Messrs. Davidge and Reade, town-planning lecturers, who open their campaign here in July next. An active canvass for the special purpose of obtaining funds to help to defray- the cost of these lectures and subsequeht work in townplanning, is now being made by tho association's organiser, Mr. C. Smith, and the executive have every confidence that the citizens will realise the importance of the work now actively undertaken, and will respond liberally.

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