TOWN PLANNING FINANCE

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 85, 7 October 1929, Page 8

TOWN PLANNING FINANCE

(To the Editor.)

Sir,—Mr. J. W. Mawson, Government £ Town Planner, replies in your columns to recent criticism of his "betterment" suggestions, and as this criticism was published in the "Auckland Star/ in a letter" ; written by myself, perhaps you will allow:/ me to make a few remarks by way of comment. I do not oppose the sound principle of "betterment," but advocate th« full and scientific application of the same, which would uot be obtained by Mr. Mawson's method. On further consideration I readily admit that the facts he presents show an error in portion of my criticism, inasmuch as rating on land values does not go far enough to take the full betterment, values, as I claimed it would do in the case of Wellington, which wholly ex* empts all improvements. But the collection of the full economic rent of all lands would accomplish this. I invite Mr. Mawson to give his views on that system, and to say whether I am not correct in contending that this is the only way to secure the object he has in view in * thorough and completely equitable; way. Mr. .Mawson does not refer to the first portion of my letter, wherein I chow that improvements in, say, Wellington would benefit landowners outside of the particular district primarily affected. How would he collect such increments? Or would he be content that the community should lose them? —I am, etc., . . C. H. NIGHTINGALE, 15a, Portland-rd., Auckland, 4th Oct.