TOWN PLANNING BILL

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3297, 16 August 1911, Page 9

TOWN PLANNING BILL

GOVERNMENT MEASURE DROPPED. EFFECT OF AN AMENDMENT. LSPECIA.Ii to times.] The Town Planning Bill, promoted by the Hon. G. Fowlds and carried as far as the committee stage, has been abandoned. The reason- for this decision is that the amendment made in committee on Friday evening involved the adoption of virtually a beaiucratic Government. The amendment which determined the fate of the measure was carried by 34 votes ip, 29, and the original clause in the Bill was as follows: APPROVAL OF SCHEME: The Governor-in-Council may either approve or disapprove of the scheme, or .he may approve of the same with such modifications as he thinks fit, or he may refer the scheme to the Board for further’ inquiry. For this the committee substituted the following clause:■— Joe Board may either or disapprove of the scheme, or it may approve of the same with such modifications as it thinks fit, or it may refer the scheme back to the ' Council for further enquiry.” In an interview this: evening Mr. Fowlds explained that the effect of the amendment was that the Town Planning Board, composed mainly of Government officials, would be entrusted with the discharge of duties and given the responsibility of administrative acts which only responsible Ministers of the Crown should discharge and bear. Apparently members generally did not understand that they had authorised the establishment of a bureaucratic Government, though he- had used every possible argument to explain that the proposal involved a revolution in constitutional Government. t Unless- an entire change in the system of government was contemplated, the Governotr-m-Council must remain the supreme and final -authority in all nation-a-l administrative acts. The Minister added that only the head of he Government was entitled to decide upon the course of action to be followed when so important a change in constitutional Government was suggested. In those circumstances he had to- withdraw the Bill, believing that, even- in the case of so important a, measure as the Town Planning Bill, the clelav of a year was of less importance than the acceptance without fuller consideration of radical alteration in constitutional methods involved by the resolutions of the House m committee. Mr Fowlds said he could not state definitely whether the Bill would b© brought before the House- again this session or not. ■ ■ , The member for Auckland East (Mr. A. Myers) has now given notice of a. proposal that the Government should engage a town planning expert, whose services would he available t-p loca bodies desirous of considering and entering into the question off town .improvement and of arranging a definite policy for their future expansion.