THE CIVIC SQUARE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19377, 12 July 1926, Page 7

THE CIVIC SQUARE.

Sir, —It is extremely gratifying to learn that the City Council has very wisely at last decided to place the location o"f the civic square in the hands of experts. It is to be hoped that the comrmssiofi will be invited to consider the future lay-out of tlie whole of Auckland and not of any one part alone. In a comprehensive scheme civic squares, public parks, etc., automatically assume the locations lest suited for them. The planning of Auckland in conformity with the best modern practice is" a step forward which ail Aucklanders who possess any sense of civic pride must note with great satisfaction. This movement marks a very important milestone in our city's growth, and is an advance of which wo may well be proud. _ Auckland's lead in intelligent ac- . tion of this nature cannot fail to have a strong influence on the civic policies of the other cities, and such, can but favourably react on the growth of intelligent architectural appreciation throughout the whole of this Dominion. The City Council is to he congratulated on its wise decision and would appear by this action to have admirably sustained our motto. Advance Auckland. Sir,—There arc people who would prefer to see the Queen Street block left as an "open space." They would like to see the city with more "lungs," I believe in lungs myself, but* this idea is very much overworked. Cities are meant to be crowded, it means efficiency, if' New York were confined to one-storey buildings the cost ox the necessary utilities, spread over a vastly increased area, would be colossal. A man at one end of the city wishing to consult someone at the other end would require so many " light years" as the astronomers say. But there is tlifj question of health. Health, except to a very limited degree, is not affected adversely by crowding. A thousand people can live," in tall buildings, on a tenth of an aero in perfect hygienic conditions. Ninety per cent, of the things that make for health are covered bv one word —"sanitation." If the civic site is left as an opeu space the citizens will lose a goldmine, and the neighbouring private landowners will reap the advantage in greatly-increased land values. It is a policy that is the direct negation of the interests of the citizens as a whole. Then there are the architects with "expensive" ideas. They think of town-plan-ning and beauty, vast and imposing vistas, stately structures, but never give a thought to the expense. They live in an atmosphere far removed from civic finance and increasing rates. Until snch time as the city becomes wealthy and all the. citizens are removed from want and th?> fear of it—at least until we have no unemployed in our midst—l think finance should be the first, not the last consideration. I say frhen, lease the site to the very highest bidder. Don't be in any great hurry with your art gallery and auditorium. Let the rent accumulate at compound interest. The citizens will then have an experience of interest-receiving, instead of paying, and the longer they I have it the better they will like it. If. later on, they are prepared to sanction a civic square elsewhere, the money will be in the fund, instead of having to bt» dragged out of Unwilling pockets, in some cases where the pocket is hot over-full. If Princes' Sto-eet or Symonds Street is too far out of the way for the municipal building, what about' putting it at the corner Of Cook and Grey Streets, where the land is not so valuable as facing 1 Queen Street? Let the council view thfc proposition from the angle of the average citizen not overburdened with this world's goods, and do the best for him. Unless they do, I doubt whether tlie ratepayers will sanction their schemes. Unless Queen Street is made to pay the full cost of tho, new civic centre all proposals should be promptly turned down. RemutKA.