ENGLISH APPOINTMENT

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 150, 29 June 1928, Page 10

ENGLISH APPOINTMENT

MR. JOHN W. MAWSON AN OUTSTANDING CAREER Cabinet.has decided to accept the offer of .Mr. John W. Mawson, .F.1U.8.A., M.T.P.1., of London, for the"position'of Director of Townplanning in New Zealand.' Mr. Mawson is to take.the place of Mr. K. B. Hammond, .'A'.M.T.P.I., who has resigned his office to enter "pri- ■ vate practice. '' .. " , ■ The Town-planning. Act, "passed in 102G by the Coates Government, was "ouo.of the''policy measures of the Government. It required the council of every city and borough having a population of .more than 1000 to prepare a town-planning scheme for the district. A period of three* years/was allowed for tho preparation-of'the work. The Act also provided that; all schemes would require to be approved by, a board consisting of. the Minister of Internal Affairs, who shall be the chairman of the board; the Director of Town-planning; one person to bo appointed ou- the recommendation of the Council of the New Zealand Society of Civil Engineers (incorporated); one person to be appointed" on the recommendation of the Council of the New Zealand Institute of Architects, incorporated under the New Zealand Institute of Architects Act, 1913; one person to be appointed on the recommendation.-of the Council of the New Zealand Institute of Surveyors, incorporated under the Surveyors' Institute and Board of Examiners Act, 1008; v tw6 persons to be appointed on the recommendation of the executive committee of the Municipal Association of Now Zealand; one person to be appointed ou the recommendation of the executive committee of tho New Zealand Counties' Association; the persons for the time being holding office respectively, as- the Surveyor-General, the Engineer-in-Chief ,of the Public Works Department and __ the Government Architect; lio.t more than two other, persons to_ be- appointed on the recommendation of the; Minister of Internal Affairs. ■■■''.' :''':■ -■''■. PRESENT OFFICER'S POSITION. Since his appointment to the office of Director of Town-planning, Mr. It. B. Hammond, who lias had much experience in the work he undertook, has been putting ,in heavy spadework to bring tlie Act fully into operation. The time of his appointment expired in September last, and he expressed to the Government his desire to enter into private practice. Pending the appointment of his successor, Mr. Hamrnond agreed to accept an extension .of his appointment. ' The Government' decided,, in accordance with its policy, to advertiso the office throughout New Zealand, but comparatively few applications were received for the position. It was,then decided to try abroad. As a result Mr. John W. Mawson, F.E.T.8.A., M.T.P.1., of the firm of Messrs. Thomas H. Mawson1 and Sons, architects, . and townplanning consultants,-London, has been selected to fill the appointment. MR. MAWSON'S CAREER. Mr. Mawson's credentials show that he has had large experience in townplauning undertakings, and his career is outstanding. Bora on.;lst December, 1886 (a son of Mr. Thomas H. Mawsou, past president of the Town Planning Institute, Follow of the Linaean Society, late Member of the Royal Fine Arts Commission), Mr. Mawson, junr., is a comparatively young man. Amongst the distinctions he has earned are the following:—Diploma Town Planning, Liverpool University; Fellow of the Boyal Institute of Britsh Architects; Member of the Town Planning Institute; member of the Institute of Structural Engineers. He obtained his early education from a private tutor at Windermere Grammar School. In 1904-08 he was an articled pupil of the late Mr. Len Gibson, architect, and with Mr. Thomas H. Mawson, landscape architect. From August, 1908, to June, 1910, he was a resident in New Zealand; from October, 1910, to August, 1912, Mr. Mawson was a: student of the Liverpol University School of Civic Design. 11l August of 1912. ho became a partner in the firm of Messrs. Thomas H. Mawson and Sons, and.left for Canada to take charge of.the Canadian practice of the firing which at that time was very extensive. He has been solely responsible for the following works: —Lay-out, working drawings, etc., -for coal harbour, Stanley Park, Vancouver, 8.C.; replanuing- scheme for the city of Regina; replanning scheme for the city of Calgary; replanning of the town of Banff for the Dominion Government of Canada, including working drawings for the roads, etc., for ail additional area of 500 acres; lay-out, working drawings, etc., for the park surrounding the Parliament Buildings, Regina; lay-out, working drawings, etc., tor the grounds surrounding the British Columbia: University, Vancouver,*'•■B.C.; * lay-oilt to grounds of Universtiy of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon; coast protection works and lighthouse in reinforced concrete at Brooton Point, Vancouver Harbour, for Dominion Govornment of Canada; layout, working drawings, etc., for the development of two largo residential estates* for the Britsh Columbia Electric Railway Company; lay-out, working drawings, etc., for a residential estate of 140 acres, Point Grey, Vancouver, 8.C.; lay-out of the Borden Park estate, Ottawa (900 acres); a number of architectural and landscape schemes 'amounting in tho aggregate to approximately £50,000. TECHNICAL EXPERIENCE. A great deal of Mr. Mawson 'a time was spent lecturing on town planning and landscape architecture in various parts of the Canadian Dominion. He went overseas with the Canadian forces early in 1916,. and served until Novembex', 1917, when he was obliged, to resign his commission through ±11----healtlu After resigning his cqmmission in-the forces, Mr. Mawson accepted an appointment as housing and town 'planning adviser to the Greek Government, '„-.. From January to November, 1918, ho was engaged in organising his Department, drafting town planning legislation and reporting on the replanning of some of the most important provincial towns. ■He also carried out an investigation and prepared a report on the social and economic conditions of. the rural committee of Thessally. Following the Armistice with Bulgaria, Mr. Mawspn was sent into Macedonia to report on the. reconstruction of the destroyed town and villages, and in February of 1919, was invited to organise and assume the direction of the Department of Reconstruction of Eastern Macedonia. .He severed his connection with the Greek Govornment on the fall of the Venezelist Government in September, 1920. During his term of office, Mr. Mawson had complete control of the stall of the Department, and was solely responsible for the organisation of all technical work, which included tho location and surveying of sites for over 100 new towns and villages, designing over 50 typical houses suitable for mass production, and organising the manufacture and supply of the necessary building materials and transport "services. . . Mr. Mawson was also the author of the Salonika Town Planning Act. Following a visit to Canada in Septeni-

bor, 1920, on behalf of the Greek Government, lie returned to England, and again became an active partner in the firm of Messrs. Thomas E. Ma\vson"and Sous, until Juno, 1922,' when he accepted an invitation to join Viscount Leverhulmo's personal staff to take over the managing directorship of one of his companies, known as Moor Park, Ltd., which had to deal with the. layout and .development of an estate of 3000 acres on tho outskirts of London. Mr. Mawson's appointment with Lord Levorhulmo was for one- year only, but ho actually remained with him until March of 1924, at which date ho rejoined his old firm. Tho bulk of the work which has been done at Moor Park, involving an expenditure of over & 100,000, was carried out by direct labour under his personal direction. While with Lord Lcve"hulnie, Mr. Mawson was also-responsible for important development schemes, iii the islands of Lewis and Harris. Since- taking up his | residence- in England ho has taken an active part in the proceedings of the Town Planning Institute, and has frequently lectured on town planning in various towns. He was very closely associated with my brother iv tho following important schemes:— Hastings: Comprehensive development plan and statutory town planning scheme, in collaboration with Thomas Adams and Longstreth Thompson, of Messrs. Adams and Thompson. Wcston - super - Mare: Development schen\e, statutory town planning scheme, and an important park scheme. Northampton: Development and statutory, town planning schemes.. Blackpool: Development and statutory town planning schemes and public park, costing £250,000. • St. Aime's: Park scheme,' estimated cost £100,000. Wood' Green: Statutory town planning scheme. . • Southgate: Statutory town planning scheme. ■ . ( . Windermere: Statutory town' planning scheme. Kirkham: Statutory town planning scheme.. : : . . Borough of Stepney: Reconstruction scheme.