H—2B

portions of the urbanized areas of the Board's district cannot be reticulated on thisaccount, and proposals involving the expenditure of some £670,000 were envisaged to meet the position. The question of co-ordination between the Board and the City Council on matters which affected both local authorities was raised during the course of the inquiry, and it was ascertained that while there was close liaison between the technical officers this was purely on a personal basis, and was not sufficiently effective in respect of major works to be undertaken involving co-ordination of such matters as finance, labour, plant and equipment, and street works. Christchurch Tramway Board The question of public transport was considered during the inquiry, and it was revealed that the continued operation of the existing system was considered to be in jeopardy, replacement with a modern system, at a cost of some £1,300,000 having been proposed. Evidence was given by the City Council as to lack of co-ordination between the two authorities, particularly in regard to such matters as traffic control. A number of the tram-tracks in certain parts of the city had deteriorated, and the Tramway Board was of the opinion that the tramway system should be supplanted by a modern trollybus or omnibus system. This would overcome the heavy cost of track replacement and continued maintenance charges, and would be more in keeping with the modern trend of transport in other parts' of the world. However, it was apparent that in making this proposal there had been no co-ordination regarding future financial liabilities of the metropolitan area as a whole. With the city's proposals involving loan expenditure of some £500,000, a total of approximately £2,500,000 was involved, and the ability of the ratepayers to meet the attendant costs, as well as the substantial loan liability, was questioned. Where ad hoc authorities are concerned, the needs of each could no doubt be considered paramount, and without some over-all controlling authority in such matters there must always be a danger of lack of co-ordination between individual authorities charged with separate functions. Town-planning A factor already generally referred to previously in this report was the need for a co-ordinated town-planning scheme to cover the whole metropolitan area. It was realized that the City Council's efforts between 1928 and 1938 to implement its own schemes could not be, in the long-run, satisfactory unless co-ordinated with those of contiguous areas. As a result, the Metropolitan Town-planning Committee, comprising representatives of the city and other local authorities, together with a number of representatives of other organizations, was set up for the purpose of co-ordinating planning requirements throughout the metropolitan area. It is understood that the final report of this committee, which has been accepted in general principle by the various local authorities in the metropolitan area, will be available shortly, but it must be recognized that this committee has no statutory power, and any decisions made must finally rest with the territorial local authorities and be subject to the agreement of the Town-planning Board. Matters which are dealt with in a town-planning scheme include, inter alia, streets, systems of sewer and storm-water drainage, lighting, water supply, and the provision of amenities. This latter problem, together with the functions of internal ad hoc authorities, raised the question as to whether a better form of administration of the area as a whole could be evolved with greater efficiency and less cost to the community as a whole. Water-supply The availability of an over-all reticulated high-pressure water-supply system has been one of the basic reasons for applications for the inclusion of adjoining areas in the City of Christchurch. Certain of the areas under consideration during the inquiry were

10