MAYOR INTERVIEWED

Evening Star, Issue 18335, 24 July 1923, Page 6

MAYOR INTERVIEWED

/ ..»■ - THE MUNICIPAL CONFERENCE. RAItLESS TEAMCARS PICTURED. The Mayor of Dunedin (Air Taplevl, the town clerk (Mr Lewin), and Cr Wilson, the delegates of the Dunedin Corporation, returned last night from their visit to Christchurch to attend th© Municipal Conference. His Worship, seen this morning, said that the conference sat two days, and on tho third (the Friday) the delegates were taken round by tho Christchurch Council and entertained at luncheon. It was a good and useful conference. Tho exchange of ideas as between men who are engaged in the practical administration of local government cannot fail to bo educative and for the general good, when, as on this occasion, tho delegates address themselves seriously to the affairs in hand in each centre. Tho diversity of tho local needs makes the work interesting, and one placo learns from another. Tho next conference is to be held at Auckland in October of 1924, and then Dunedin will put in a claim for tho conference of 1925, which will bo exhibition year. PUBLIC HEALTH. One of the important remits brought forward by the Dunedin delegates was in regard to public health and convenience. Mr Taplcy moved—" That- the Government ho urged to considerably expand tho provisions of section 1198 of the Municipal Corporations Act, 1920, dealing with the improvement of insanitary areas within a borough (a) by making tho certificate of a medical officer of health under the Health Act conclusive on the subject as to whether any particular area bad become in an overcrowded, degraded, or insanitary condition; (b) by incorporating in tho said section a definite method of assessing comucnsation to bo paid bv the local authority upon the compulsory acquisition of tho area, such method of assessment to bo generally on tho lines prescribed by the Public Health Acts of England in analogous cases; (c) by spccifieaally applying the provisions of sections 529 to 335 of the Municipal Corporations Act, 1920, to any area acquired under tho authority of section 298; (d) and generally in any other direction that should appear likely to facilitate the dealing by a local authority of an insanitary or overcrowded area within it* district.’’ This .was debated and agreed to unanimously. ZONING SYSTEM. His Worship also raised tho question of tho need for town planning, and in particular tho introduction of the zone system in our big cities. By this system power is taken to classify the new buildings according to their purpose, making certain areas residential, others for factories and such like uses, others for offensive arrtl dangerous trades, and so on. The idea is that persons who build good residences should be secured against having a factory or some disagreeable business put up close by. This plan works well in America. The outcome of the discussion was that tho Government is to be asked to introduce a Town Planning Bill and incorporate therewith the zoning system. TRAMWAYS. “ Whilst we wore in Christchurch,’’ continued Mr Taplcy, “ a controversy was going on about tramways policy, and I noticed that some persons were blaming the Tramways Board for the natural consequences which must follow a policy of wide extension —namely, that such a policy is not compatible with low fares in the central parts of the city. The loan which Christchurch raised has proved insufficient for the works as planned, and now the capital charges on that loan are found to be. so heavy as to prevent carrying on without further increasing the fares. The people say, 1 Why not give us the cheap fares that Dunedin has V In Dunedin, on the other hand, they say, ‘ Why not give us extensions like Christchurch has V They cannot have both. That is my point. I have always held previously that by extending tho trams to suburban areas the population will follow, but the experience of Christchurch shows that that policy can be overdone.” TRAMS WITHOUT RAILS. Air Taplcy wont on to say that whilst in Christchurch tho delegates were taken to see on a picture screen some very remarkable and interesting illustrations of the railless tramcnr system in different parts of tho world. He was deeply impressed with the adaptability of the system. It was quite wonderful to see how these cars run and accommodate themselves to the traffic in the narrow streets of Singapore, for instance. Mr Fred Black, a civil engineer belonging to AVellinglon, gave the accompanying lecture, and His Worship has arranged for Mr Black to visit Dunedin and give the citizens hero a sight of the pictures. His Worship says that the delegates much appreciate tho hospitality tendered them by the Christchurch City Council, the mayor (Mr Flesher), the Tramways Board, and the Citizens’ League.