TOWN PLANNING

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 14, 17 January 1930, Page 8

TOWN PLANNING

BETTERMENT PROVISION J The Minister of Internal Affairs (the Hon. P. A. de la Perrelle) states that the Mayor of Wellington (Mr. G. A. Troup) had accused him of withdrawing an amendment to the Municipal Corporations Act relating to., betterment because of the fear that it would not go through Parliament. "I am afraid that the Mayor is labouring under a misapprehension," states the Minister. "It is true that Mr. Troup, on behalf of the executive of the Municipal Association, and the City Council, saw me on several occasions while Parliament was in session ,and urged upon me most strongly- the desirability and necessity of introducing further legislation for improving the methods of assessing and collecting betterment arising out of public improvements, but there was no suggestion to my knowledge that the Municipal Corporations Act should be amended. "I agreed with him, and am still of the same opinion, that we shall not be able to make any real progress with our town planning and civic improvement schemes unless and until compensation and betterment have been placed on a more reasonable and equitable basis; but it needs very little knowledge of local government administration to realise that this is the biggest and most far-reaching question with which any Government could deal, and that it requires tfie most exhaustive inquiry before definite proposals can be submitted to Parliament.

"The whole matter," Mr. Perrelle added, "has engaged, and is et|ll engaging, the closest attention and study by the Town Planning Board, with a view to dealing with it in a comprehensive manner by the amendment of the Town Planning Act."